The Odyssey (Homer)
Short summary
Ancient Greece, after the Trojan War. Odysseus spent ten years trying to return home to Ithaca after the war ended.
The gods held council and decided to free him from the nymph Calypso's island, where he had been trapped for seven years. Meanwhile, in Ithaca, suitors overran his palace, consuming his wealth and pressuring his wife Penelope to remarry. His son traveled to Pylos and Sparta seeking news of his father.
Odysseus built a raft and sailed from Calypso's island, but Poseidon shipwrecked him. He washed ashore in Phaeacia, where the king's daughter found him and brought him to the palace. The Phaeacians listened to his tales of the Cyclops, the witch Circe, the Sirens, and his journey to the underworld. They gave him treasure and sailed him home while he slept.
Athena disguised Odysseus as a beggar. He revealed himself to Telemachus, and they plotted revenge. At the palace, the suitors mocked and abused the disguised king. Penelope announced a contest: she would marry whoever could string Odysseus's bow and shoot through twelve axes.
So with his virtuoso ease Odysseus strung his mighty bow. Quickly his right hand plucked the string to test its pitch and under his touch it sang out clear and sharp as a swallow's cry.
After completing the shot, Odysseus revealed his identity and slaughtered all the suitors with Telemachus's help. He reunited with Penelope after she tested him with a question about their immovable bed. The families of the dead suitors attacked, but Athena intervened and established peace in Ithaca.
Detailed summary by books
Book 1. Athena Inspires the Prince
The gods gathered on Mount Olympus while the sea god was away visiting the Ethiopians. The king of the gods reflected on mortal foolishness, noting how humans blamed the immortals for their suffering while compounding their own misery through reckless behavior.
Ah how shameless—the way these mortals blame the gods. From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes, but they themselves, with their own reckless ways, compound their pains beyond their proper share.
The goddess of wisdom seized this moment to plead for a hero trapped on a distant island by a nymph who desired him as her husband. She reminded her father that this man had always honored the gods with sacrifices during the war at Troy, yet now languished in captivity while his household was being destroyed by arrogant suitors.
The thunder king agreed that the hero had suffered enough and decreed his release. The goddess then flew to Ithaca disguised as a family friend. She found the palace overrun by young nobles who feasted daily on the absent king's livestock while pressuring his wife to choose a new husband. The hero's son sat among them, daydreaming of his father's return.
The prince welcomed the disguised goddess with proper hospitality and confessed his despair over his father's unknown fate. The visitor urged him to call an assembly, dismiss the suitors, and sail to seek news of his father. After delivering this advice, the goddess flew away like a bird, filling the young man with newfound courage.
Book 2. Telemachus Sets Sail
At dawn the prince called the first assembly held in Ithaca since his father departed for Troy twenty years earlier. He addressed the gathered citizens, lamenting the loss of his father and condemning the suitors who consumed his estate. Overcome with emotion, he threw down the speaker's staff and wept, moving the crowd to silence. A leading suitor responded arrogantly, blaming the queen for deceiving them with her weaving trick. The suitors refused to leave until she made her choice.
The prince asked the assembly for a ship and crew to seek news of his father. A prophet interpreted an omen of two fighting eagles as a sign of the king's imminent return and the suitors' doom, but his warning was mocked. After the assembly dissolved, the goddess appeared to the prince in another disguise, promising to help him secure a ship and crew for his journey.
Book 3. King Nestor Remembers
The prince and his divine companion arrived at Pylos during a massive sacrifice to the sea god. The elderly king welcomed them warmly and, after the feast, listened to the young man's plea for information about his missing father. The king recounted the hardships at Troy and the disastrous homeward journey, describing how the Greek army split into factions due to divine wrath. He told of the tragic fate of a murdered king and praised the son who avenged his father.
The king advised the young man to visit Sparta next, as that king might have more recent news from his long travels. When the divine companion transformed into an eagle and flew away, the king realized a goddess had been guarding the prince.
Book 4. The King and Queen of Sparta
The prince arrived at the palace of the Spartan king during a double wedding celebration. The king welcomed the strangers with generous hospitality, speaking of the heavy price he paid for his wealth and expressing particular grief for one missing comrade. These words moved the young visitor to tears, which he tried to hide. The king's wife entered and immediately recognized the youth's striking resemblance to the missing hero.
After the prince explained his desperate situation at home, the Spartan king reacted with fury at the suitors' insolence. He recounted his own struggle to leave Egypt, where he was becalmed until he captured a shapeshifting sea god who revealed the fates of other Greek leaders. The god confirmed that the missing hero was alive but held captive by a nymph on a remote island, unable to reach home without a ship.
Meanwhile in Ithaca, the suitors discovered the prince had sailed away. Enraged by his initiative, they plotted to ambush and murder him in the straits on his return journey. A herald overheard their plan and informed the queen, who was devastated to learn her son had left without her knowledge. The goddess sent a phantom to comfort the grieving mother, assuring her that her son was under divine protection.
Book 5. Odysseus—Nymph and Shipwreck
The gods gathered again on Olympus, and the king of the gods sent his messenger to the nymph's island with orders to release her captive. The messenger found the hero sitting on the shore, weeping and gazing at the sea in despair. The nymph reluctantly submitted to the divine decree, though she bitterly accused the male gods of jealousy when goddesses took mortal lovers.
The nymph offered the hero immortality if he would stay, but he refused, insisting his only desire was to return home despite the dangers ahead.
Nevertheless I long—I pine, all my days— to travel home and see the dawn of my return. And if a god will wreck me yet again on the wine-dark sea, I can bear that too, with a spirit tempered to endure.
The hero built a raft and sailed for seventeen days until the sea god spotted him and summoned a massive storm. A sea goddess took pity and gave him an immortal scarf for protection. After two nights adrift in violent seas, he finally reached the coast and found shelter under intertwined olive trees, where he fell into a deep, restorative sleep.
Book 6. The Princess and the Stranger
The goddess appeared in a dream to a princess, urging her to wash clothes at the river. The next morning, the princess and her handmaids went to the washing-pools. After completing their work, they played a game of ball. Their shouts woke the sleeping hero, who emerged from the bushes naked and encrusted with salt. The handmaids fled in terror, but the goddess granted the princess courage to stand her ground. The hero delivered a suave speech praising her beauty and begging for help. The princess responded with dignity, providing him with clothing and directions to the city. She instructed him to wait in a sacred grove before entering the palace, then to approach her mother directly and grasp her knees in supplication.
Book 7. Phaeacias Halls and Gardens
The goddess appeared to the hero disguised as a young girl and led him through the city, surrounding him in magical mist. She advised him to direct his plea to the queen, who possessed great wisdom and judgment. The hero marveled at the splendor of the palace, which featured bronze walls, golden doors, and a lush orchard where fruit grew year-round regardless of season.
He entered the hall and threw his arms around the queen's knees, pleading for mercy and passage home. The king raised him from the ashes, seated him in a place of honor, and promised that a convoy would be prepared to take him home. The queen questioned him about his clothing, which she recognized as her own work, and the hero recounted his shipwreck and encounter with the princess.
Book 8. A Day for Songs and Contests
The king organized a feast and athletic games in the stranger's honor. A blind bard sang of the famous quarrel between two heroes at Troy, bringing the guest to tears. The king quickly called for games to distract him. After the local champions displayed their prowess, a young athlete insulted the stranger, suggesting he looked more like a merchant than an athlete. This provoked the guest's pride, and he seized a massive discus and hurled it far beyond any mark set by the locals.
The king calmed the tension by calling for dancers and music. The bard sang a humorous tale about gods caught in adultery. Following the entertainment, the king ordered gifts for the stranger. During the final feast, the guest requested that the bard sing of the wooden horse and the fall of Troy. As the bard described the bloody victory, the stranger wept again. The king finally demanded that he reveal his true identity.
Book 9. In the One-Eyed Giants Cave
The hero revealed his identity to the assembled court.
I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to the world for every kind of craft—my fame has reached the skies. Sunny Ithaca is my home. ... mine lies low and away, the farthest out to sea, rearing into the western dusk...
He began his tale with the sacking of a city and the loss of six men from each ship. A storm drove them to the land of the Lotus-eaters, where he had to drag his drugged crew back to the ships by force. They then reached the land of the one-eyed giants. Driven by curiosity, he explored a massive cave filled with cheeses and livestock. When the giant owner returned, he sealed the entrance with an immovable boulder and began eating the crew two at a time. The hero devised a cunning plan, offering the giant potent wine and claiming his name was Nobody. After the giant fell into a drunken stupor, they drove a sharpened stake into his single eye. When other giants asked who was harming him, he cried out that Nobody was killing him, so they left him alone. The blinded giant felt the backs of his sheep as they left the cave, but the Greeks escaped by clinging to the animals' bellies. Unable to contain his pride, the hero shouted his true name to the giant, who then prayed to his father the sea god to ensure the hero would never reach home.
Book 10. The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea
The hero recounted reaching the floating island of the wind king, who gifted him a leather sack containing all storm winds. For nine days they sailed until their homeland was in sight, but while he slept, his greedy crew opened the sack, releasing a gale that swept them back. The wind king refused further aid, concluding the hero was cursed by the gods. They then reached the land of giant cannibals who destroyed all but one ship. The survivors reached an island where a goddess turned half the crew into swine with her magic wand. The messenger god appeared and gave the hero a protective herb, instructing him to overpower the goddess and make her swear an oath before consenting to her bed. Following these instructions perfectly, he forced her to restore his men. They remained there for a full year before the hero remembered his mission and asked to leave. The goddess agreed but revealed they must first journey to the House of Death to consult a blind prophet.
Book 11. The Kingdom of the Dead
Following the goddess's instructions, they sailed to the Land of the Dead and performed ritual sacrifices. The blind prophet warned that the sea god would make their voyage difficult and cautioned them not to harm the cattle of the sun god on a certain island. He foretold that if the cattle were touched, the ship and crew would be destroyed, and the hero would return home alone to find suitors devouring his estate. The prophet instructed him on a final task: after reclaiming his home, he must travel inland with an oar until he reached people who did not know the sea, then sacrifice to the sea god to ensure a peaceful old age. The hero's mother appeared and provided news of home, explaining that his wife remained faithful but grief-stricken. He then encountered the ghost of the murdered king, who warned him never to fully trust women and to return home in secret. The hero also met the greatest warrior of the Greeks, who famously declared his preference for humble life over glorious death.
No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus! By god, I'd rather slave on earth for another man ... than rule down here over all the breathless dead.
Book 12. The Cattle of the Sun
After returning from the underworld, they performed funeral rites for a fallen comrade. The goddess provided detailed warnings about the dangers ahead: the deadly song of the Sirens, the six-headed monster, and the whirlpool. She specifically warned against harming the cattle of the sun god. The hero sealed his crew's ears with wax and had them tie him to the mast so he could hear the Sirens' song safely. While the crew watched the terrifying whirlpool, the monster struck from the opposite cliffs, snatching six of the strongest sailors. They reached the forbidden island, and the hero tried to bypass it, but his exhausted crew demanded to land. A month of persistent winds trapped them there, and when provisions ran out, the crew slaughtered the finest cattle while the hero slept. The sun god demanded justice. When they finally set sail, a lightning bolt shattered the ship, killing everyone except the hero, who survived by lashing timbers together. He drifted for nine days before reaching the nymph's island, where she took him in. He concluded his tale, refusing to repeat what he had already told them of his captivity.
Book 13. Ithaca at Last
The king assured the hero that his journey was nearing its end and commanded the lords to provide additional gifts. The next evening, they loaded the treasures onto a ship. As the crew rowed, a deep, death-like sleep fell over the hero. At dawn they reached his homeland and carried the sleeping man onto the sand before sailing back. The sea god, witnessing the safe arrival, complained to the king of the gods and turned the returning ship into stone as punishment for assisting his enemy. The hero woke but did not recognize his homeland because the goddess had shrouded it in mist. She appeared disguised as a shepherd, and he spun a clever lie about being a fugitive. The goddess smiled at his cunning and revealed her true form, chiding him for his constant guile. She cleared the mist, revealing familiar landmarks. Together they hid his treasures in a cave. She then transformed him into an old beggar and instructed him to seek out his loyal swineherd while she traveled to bring his son home.
Book 14. The Loyal Swineherd
The disguised hero climbed to the farmstead of his loyal servant, who had managed the estate with great care during his master's absence. The servant saved him from savage guard dogs and welcomed him into his humble shelter, speaking with deep sorrow of his lost king. He expressed frustration at the young lords who devoured the master's wealth while the master himself likely starved in foreign lands.
The disguised hero questioned the servant about his lost master and swore an oath that the king would return within the month. The servant dismissed the prophecy as a lie, having been fooled by similar tales before. To answer the servant's curiosity, the stranger told a long, fabricated tale of being a wealthy man from another land who had heard news of the missing king. The servant remained skeptical but provided generous hospitality out of respect for the gods and pity for a fellow traveler. As a cold night set in, the servant demonstrated his loyalty by sleeping outside with the livestock to protect his master's property.
Book 15. The Prince Sets Sail for Home
The goddess traveled to warn the prince to return immediately, revealing the suitors' deadly ambush. She advised him to sail at night and visit the swineherd first upon arrival. At dawn, the prince requested permission to depart from his host, who presented him with exquisite heirlooms. As they departed, an eagle clutching a goose appeared in the sky. The king's wife prophesied that just as the eagle descended to snatch the goose, the missing hero would soon return to wreak vengeance. The prince was approached by a prophet and fugitive who asked for passage. He showed mercy and invited him aboard. The ship sailed under divine protection, successfully evading the suitors' ambush. Meanwhile, the disguised hero tested the swineherd by suggesting he go to the palace to beg. The servant vehemently refused, warning that the suitors' violence reached the heavens. He then recounted his own life story: he was born a prince but kidnapped as a child by traders and eventually sold to the hero's father. As dawn broke, the prince's ship reached the shores safely, and he struck out on foot toward the farm to seek out the loyal servant.
Book 16. Father and Son
At dawn, the disguised hero and the swineherd prepared breakfast when the prince arrived. The servant was overcome with emotion and rushed to embrace him like a father welcoming home an only son. The prince inquired about his mother and whether she had succumbed to the suitors' pressure. The servant assured him she remained faithful though consumed by grief. When the prince questioned the stranger's identity, the servant placed him under the prince's protection, but the young man expressed fear of the suitors' violence and his own lack of strength to defend a guest. After the servant departed to inform the queen, the goddess appeared and commanded the hero to reveal the truth to his son. With a touch of her wand, she transformed him from a ragged beggar back into a vigorous man. When he returned to the lodge, the prince was terrified, believing he was in the presence of a god. The hero gently declared he was indeed the father for whom the prince had long grieved. They embraced and wept together. Once the shock subsided, the hero laid out a meticulous plan: the prince would return to the palace while he would later arrive disguised as a beggar. He warned his son to remain stoic even if the suitors abused him and instructed him to hide all weapons from the hall at a given signal.
Book 17. Stranger at the Gates
The prince left at dawn to return to the city, instructing the swineherd to bring the beggar later. He arrived at the palace and was greeted with emotional warmth by his old nurse and the maids. The queen emerged and embraced her son, asking for news. He recounted his visits to the two kings and shared that the sea god's oracle had seen the missing hero trapped on an island but alive. A seer intervened to offer a more immediate prophecy, swearing that the hero was already present on his native soil, moving in secret and plotting the suitors' ruin.
The disguised hero and the swineherd set out for town. They encountered a goatherd who insulted them and kicked the hero in the hip. He steeled himself and refrained from retaliating. Upon reaching the palace gates, the hero noticed an old dog lying neglected on a dung heap. The dog, which he had trained as a puppy twenty years prior, recognized his master's voice and wagged his tail. Having seen his master one last time, the dog died quietly as the hero hid a tear. The hero entered his own hall disguised as a beggar and began soliciting scraps from the suitors. Most gave him food out of pity, but the most arrogant suitor mocked the swineherd for bringing another mouth to feed. The hero approached him directly, telling a fabricated story to elicit sympathy. Instead of being moved, the suitor became enraged and hurled a footstool at him, striking him under the shoulder. The hero remained steady, refusing to fall, and voiced a curse. The other suitors were appalled by the lack of restraint, fearing the beggar might be a god in disguise. The queen, hearing of the assault, condemned the violence and expressed her desire to speak with the stranger, hoping he might have news.
Book 18. The Beggar-King of Ithaca
A local beggar arrived and attempted to bully the disguised hero away from the porch. The suitors saw an opportunity for amusement and proposed a boxing match. The hero insisted they swear not to intervene, and once the oath was taken, the goddess enhanced his physique, revealing massive shoulders. His opponent was instantly gripped by terror. The match was brief as the hero shattered his opponent's jaw with a glancing blow. The suitors cheered, and the hero used the moment to offer a cryptic warning to one of the more decent suitors, though the goddess had already fated him to die. The goddess then inspired the queen to appear before the suitors. Before descending, she put the queen into a deep sleep and enhanced her beauty with divine oils. The queen entered the hall, causing the suitors to weaken with desire. She cleverly manipulated them by noting that traditional suitors bring gifts rather than consuming the bride's estate. Enticed, the suitors sent for lavish offerings. The hero watched with satisfaction as his wife successfully tricked them into replenishing some of the household's wealth.
Book 19. Penelope and Her Guest
The hero and his son remained in the hall to plan the suitors' destruction. At the hero's command, the prince removed all weapons from the hall. The goddess aided them by carrying a golden lamp that filled the room with divine glow. Once complete, the prince retired, leaving his father alone. The queen descended and took her seat by the fire. A sharp-tongued maid insulted the disguised hero, but the queen rebuked her for cruelty. She then invited the stranger to speak, hoping for news of her husband. She explained the immense grief she had endured and described how she had delayed marriage for three years by weaving and unraveling a funeral shroud.
So by day I'd weave at my great and growing web— by night... I would unravel all I'd done. Three whole years I deceived them blind, seduced them with this scheme. Then... the suitors caught me in the act.
The hero, maintaining his disguise, fabricated a detailed history and claimed to have once hosted the missing king. To prove his honesty, he described the king's appearance in perfect detail. The queen was overcome with tears upon hearing this accurate description. The hero comforted her by swearing that the king was alive and would return before the next new moon. She remained skeptical but ordered her old nurse to wash the guest's feet. As the nurse began washing, she felt a distinct scar on his thigh and immediately recognized him. She dropped his foot into the basin, causing water to spill. The hero quickly gripped her throat, demanding silence to avoid alerting the suitors. The queen shared a troubling dream in which an eagle killed her geese and spoke in a human voice, identifying itself as her husband. The hero interpreted the dream as a clear omen of the suitors' impending doom. However, the queen remained doubtful. She decided to hold a contest the following day: she would marry whichever suitor could string her husband's great bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe-heads.
Book 20. Portents Gather
The hero prepared his bed in the entrance-hall, his anger flaring upon seeing disloyal serving-women sneaking out to sleep with the suitors. He wrestled with his impulses but eventually stilled his heart by recalling his endurance in the giant's cave. Despite his discipline, he remained restless, worrying about how he could overcome the large group alone. The goddess descended to reassure him, chiding him for his lack of faith and reminding him she had protected him in all his trials. As dawn broke, the hero heard the queen's weeping and interpreted it as a sign of recognition. He prayed to the king of the gods for a double omen. The god responded with a thunderclap from a clear sky, and inside, a frail woman grinding grain uttered a prayer that this day would be the last time the suitors ever feasted. The servants prepared the palace for the festival. The loyal swineherd arrived with pigs and greeted the disguised hero with kindness. In contrast, the goatherd arrived and immediately insulted the beggar. The cowherd arrived and showed immediate empathy, confessing his deep loyalty and frustration with the suitors.
Book 21. Odysseus Strings His Bow
The goddess inspired the queen to announce the contest: she would marry the man who could string her husband's great bow and shoot an arrow through twelve iron axes. She retrieved the ancient weapon from a hidden storeroom, weeping as she remembered her absent husband. The prince attempted the bow first, nearly succeeding on his fourth try, but a subtle signal from his disguised father stopped him. The suitors took their turns but failed despite heating and greasing the bow. Meanwhile, the hero slipped outside to test the loyalty of the swineherd and cowherd. After they swore their allegiance, he revealed his identity by showing them his famous scar. The two servants were overcome with emotion. He instructed them on the upcoming battle: the swineherd was to bring him the bow at the right moment, while the cowherd was to lock the courtyard gates. Back inside, the hero asked for a chance to try the bow. The suitors reacted with fury, but the prince asserted his authority and sent his mother to her quarters. The hero handled the weapon with effortless grace, stringing it and plucking the string. A bolt of thunder signaled divine approval. He took an arrow and shot it cleanly through all twelve axes, then signaled his son to prepare for the slaughter.
Book 22. Slaughter in the Hall
The hero cast off his rags and took his stand on the threshold. He announced the end of the contest and declared his intention to hit a new target. He loosed an arrow that struck the leading suitor in the throat while he was drinking. The man fell dead, causing immediate chaos. The suitors initially believed the killing was accidental until the hero revealed his identity and condemned them for exhausting his estate and pursuing his wife. Terror seized the hall as they realized their doom was sealed. One suitor attempted to bargain, but the hero rejected the offer. The suitors rallied to fight, but the hero shot them down systematically. The prince retrieved weapons from the storeroom for his father and the loyal herdsmen. A traitorous goatherd snuck into the storeroom to arm the suitors, but the herdsmen caught him and bound him to dangle in agony. The goddess appeared disguised as a friend to test their resolve, then took the form of a bird to watch from the roofbeams. She caused most of the suitors' weapons to miss their marks while the hero's group struck with lethal precision. The battle turned into a slaughter as the goddess brandished her aegis, terrifying the suitors who fled like stampeding cattle. The hero surveyed the hall, finding piles of dead suitors. He called for his old nurse to identify the disloyal servants. She identified twelve women who had shamed the house. The hero ordered his son and the herdsmen to force these women to clean the blood from the hall. Once finished, the women were taken outside and hanged. The traitorous goatherd was brought down, mutilated, and left to die. The hero ordered the hall purified with fire and sulfur. The loyal serving women then flooded into the hall to welcome their master home.
Book 23. The Great Rooted Bed
The nurse ascended to wake the queen and deliver the news that her husband had returned and executed the suitors. The queen initially reacted with skepticism, refusing to believe the story. She finally agreed to descend and see the man who claimed to be her husband. Upon entering the hall, she sat in silence, staring at the man in rags. Her son grew frustrated with her coldness, but she explained that she and her husband shared secret signs known only to them. The hero instructed his son to lead a mock wedding celebration so neighbors would believe the queen had chosen a suitor, delaying news of the massacre. After bathing and being restored by the goddess, he returned to face the queen. He expressed frustration at her stubbornness and requested a separate bed. This prompted the queen to issue a clever test: she instructed the nurse to move the great bed out of their chamber. This provoked fury from the hero, who knew the bed was built around a living olive tree and was impossible to move. He detailed the construction process, describing how he shaped the tree into a post and built the room around it. Recognizing this secret as definitive proof, the queen finally broke down and embraced him.
Joy, warm as the joy that shipwrecked sailors feel when they catch sight of land—Poseidon has struck their well-rigged ship on the open sea... but buoyed up with joy as they plant their feet on solid ground again...
The goddess intervened to prolong the night so the reunited couple could share their stories. The hero recounted his many trials while the queen described the mental anguish she suffered dealing with the suitors. He informed her of the prophecy that his journey was not yet over: he must travel to a land where men know nothing of the sea to perform a final sacrifice. The following morning, he prepared to leave for the upland farm to see his father, warning the queen to remain in her chambers as news of the suitors' deaths would surely spread.
Book 24. Peace
The messenger god guided the ghosts of the slain suitors into the underworld. There, the spirits of war heroes were conversing. One ghost noticed a suitor among the newly arrived and asked what catastrophe had brought so many young noblemen to the house of death. The suitor explained their demise, detailing the queen's trickery and the hero's sudden return as a beggar. He described how the hero won the bow contest and slaughtered them all. The listening ghost praised the queen's fidelity, contrasting her virtue with his own wife's treachery. On the surface, the hero arrived at his father's farm and found the old man laboring in the vineyard, consumed by sorrow. He initially tested his father by assuming a false identity, but when the old man wept at the mention of his son, the hero revealed his true identity. His father demanded proof, and the hero showed him his scar and correctly identified specific trees his father had given him as a child. Convinced, the old man fainted before regaining his strength. The goddess rejuvenated him, making him appear more like a king than a servant. News of the suitors' deaths spread throughout the city. The families of the dead gathered to mourn and collect the bodies. The father of the leading suitor called for an immediate attack to avenge their sons. The angry mob armed themselves and marched toward the farm. Meanwhile in Olympus, the goddess asked the king of the gods if he would permit more war or mandate peace. He replied that she should establish lasting peace and make the people forget the slaughter. The goddess descended as the armed citizens approached. The hero, his father, his son, and their loyal servants armed themselves to meet the threat. The goddess encouraged the old man to pray and hurl his spear. He struck the enemy leader, killing him instantly. The hero and his son then charged the front lines. Before the slaughter could continue, the goddess cried out in a piercing voice, commanding the men to stop the war and make peace.
Hold back, you men of Ithaca, back from brutal war! Break off—shed no more blood—make peace at once! ... Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus, master of exploits, hold back now! Call a halt to the great leveler, War...
The attackers fled in terror, dropping their weapons. The hero prepared to pursue them, but the king of the gods threw a thunderbolt as a warning. The goddess ordered the hero to halt and end the conflict. He obeyed the divine command, glad at heart to see the fighting end. The goddess then established a formal pact of peace between the king and his people, finally bringing an end to the long cycle of violence and wandering.