The Odyssey by Homer is a classic tale which I briefly visited and became somewhat familiar with in my high school years. I took several latin courses in which we discussed Roman and Greek mythology, and I read the whole Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief series, so you could say I'm pretty well-versed. With that being said, it's been many years and I largely do not remember the details of this story, nor have I read all parts of it. Here are some of my notes from the first half of the reading:
My first thought was: wow, this is more gruesome than I remember. As Odysseus' crew is confronting Polyphemus, a cyclops, the story reads "Two he seized and dashed to the ground like whelps, and their brains ran out and stained the earth. He tore them limb from limb for his supper, eating the flesh and entrails, bone and marrow, like a mountain lion, leaving nothing." Trapped in a cave with Polyphemus, Odysseus hatches a plan that is so simple and cheesy that I almost can't believe it's in a classic Greek tale: get the cyclops so drunk that he passes out, and then stab him in the eye while he's sleeping. To top off the cheesiness, Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is "Nobody," so Polyphemus tells others "Nobody" hurt him, and they assume he inflicted the wound on himself... As the crew is leaving, we find out that Odysseus blinding Polyphemus was all part of a prophecy being fulfilled. Polyphemus prays that his father, Poseidon, will curse Odysseus during his journey at sea.
Next, the crew finds themselves on Circe's island. Circe, an enchantress, drugs most of the men and turns them into pigs. Odysseus hears of this and heads to Circe's castle; along the way, Hermes gives him an herb that will help him resist Circe's drugs. The herb works, Circe is amazed that Odysseus doesn't turn into an animal, and so naturally they sleep together. The crew is turned back into humans, and they stay on the island resting and regrouping for over a year - much longer than they anticipated staying. Finally, Circe gives Odysseus tons of good advice before he leaves, such as: he must seek the guidance of Teiresias in the underworld, and be cautions of both the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis.
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