DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AN ANCIENT GREEK SCHOLAR. FOR THE FULL DISCLAIMER, READ HERE.
"You too, then – for you are a tall smart-looking fellow – show your mettle and make yourself a name in story.”
Odyssey, Book 3; Samuel Butler translation
Book 3 Summary
Telemachus and his crew reach Pylos where they find Nestor and his people sacrificing to Poseidon. Athena, still in the likeness of Mentor, encourages Telemachus to approach Nestor. When Nestor and his people see Telemachus, they invite him to a feast.
After they eat, Nestor inquires about Telemachus who tells Nestor he is seeking information about his father Odysseus. Nestor gives him a brief summary of what happened during the Trojan War and the part Odysseus played in it. After the war, there was a fracture in the leadership. Nestor and Odysseus went their separate ways—though still on friendly terms. That was the last time he saw Odysseus.
Nestor then inquires Telemachus about the suitors he heard a rumor about and Telemachus confirms the rumors. Telemachus is still cynical about his situation and doubtful whether his father is still alive.
At the end of the feast, Athena transforms into an eagle and flies away. Everyone is astonished, and Nestor deduces that Mentor was indeed Athena. He takes Telemachus back to his house where they sleep for the night.
The next day Nestor makes an offering to Athena and prepares a chariot for Telemachus. Pisistratus, Nestor’s youngest son, joins Telemachus and they head for Sparta where Menelaus lives.
Disclaimer
I think it’s important to remind everyone that I am not a philosopher, psychologist, counselor, therapist, etc. I am just someone who wants to read great books and write about them.
As I mentioned in my post on Book 1, the story of Telemachus could provide a blueprint about what we could do today concerning the fatherless. It could get a discussion started. It could be an inspiration or a springboard into real solutions.
This is Telemachus’ story and how he got out of his dire situation and grew up into a fine man. It doesn’t need to be exactly replicated for every single boy out there. Plus, I am just thinking out loud. I doubt the Odyssey was composed to be some self-help book. The Odyssey is first, and foremost, a story (and a really good one at that).
The Voyage as a Rite of Passage
The Odyssey sums up Telemachus’ voyage to Pylos in a sentence or two, but it’s still an important part of Telemachus’ quest.
It was far more challenging and dangerous to travel by sea in those days compared to today (and sea travel still has its fair share of dangers). Bad weather, a mistake, a mutiny, could have ended Telemachus’ quest and left him either shipwrecked, marooned, or swimming with the fishes.
The quest to resolve your situation is not going to be pleasant. It’s going to be a challenge. It could be outright dangerous even. You could easily fail and have to try again—if you don’t let it destroy you.
This is an important element to growing up into manhood in my opinion. Older rites of passages, or rites of passages in different cultures, were fraught with dangers. The boys had to overcome fear and doubt, rely on their training that they were (hopefully) diligent about, and make decisions on their own. Success meant being reborn into a man, failure meant disgrace or even death.
Our rites of passage today pale in comparison. Getting a driver’s license. Getting pranked by your friends with a shocking video. Shooting your first gun. Getting a high school diploma. Making your first paycheck. Getting your first girlfriend. Drinking your first beer. Getting laid for the first time.
How do those compare to hunting and killing your first game? Hiking the sacred mountain or traveling through the sacred cave? Surviving in the wilderness on your own for a period of time? Taking on your first enemy in war? Winning a duel?
The old and new rites of passage are leagues apart from each other. If you want to know one reason why “men were made of different stuff back then,” look at their rites of passage then compared to now.
I’m not saying to send the boys out to war or have them fight to the death with a wild beast. However, facing a difficult, but not dark, experience, where you have to rely on your own cultivated skills and the accumulated wisdom of your mentors, would probably do wonders for the masculinity crisis we’re facing.
Good Ol’ Grandpa Nestor
The hilarious thing about Nestor in the Iliad was that he fit the old man stereotype to a T. He would give unsolicited advice. He would break out into long stories about his glory days. He would critically compare the current generation with the last.
This will be hinted at in the Odyssey, but for the most part Nestor plays a more serious role as an elderly mentor to the young Telemachus.
Telemachus seeks out Nestor for his advice. Nestor is not only wise, but he is well connected and knows a lot of what happens in the world. He brings up Orestes and encourages Telemachus to emulate him. He also encourages Telemachus to visit Menelaus.
If Nestor brings up the same points the goddess of wisdom had brought up earlier, we know Nestor’s wisdom is nothing to laugh at.
Also, Telemachus gets to watch first hand how Nestor lives his life. Nestor shows piety to the gods, keeps his oaths, leads his household, shows hospitality, carries out rituals, and helps Telemachus with his journey. Nestor becomes a proper male role model that Telemachus can imitate.
Dare He Hope?
Although Telemachus has started on his journey and is growing up, he still harbors doubts about whether his father is still alive. This is despite both Athena and Nestor encouraging him otherwise.
As much as you may find Telemachus’ jadedness annoying (you may even find him mopey), you can’t blame him. You, the reader, know Odysseus is still alive. Athena knows Odysseus is still alive. Nestor served in the war with Odysseus for ten years and knows what kind of man he is. However, Telemachus has neither the knowledge about his father nor his whereabouts.
Also, I can’t imagine this is the first time Telemachus has been told his father may still be alive. How many people have tried to encourage him with that over the last ten years? How many people have brought fake stories and false promises of Odysseus’ return? All the while, he gets bullied and watches his mother suffer at the hands of the suitors while his town does nothing about it. How do you think you would turn out in that situation?
In the midst of a prolonged, difficult situation, you may get a lot of false promises of a resolution. You may get your hopes up only to have them dashed. You may get burned over and over. The only thing you can do is learn and grow and move rather than be torn down. The tyrant wants you down and out. Someone who is down and out is submissive, quiet, complicit, and easy to maneuver.
It must be pointed out too, that despite Telemachus’ doubts and pain, he still starts the quest. He still goes on the voyage. He still continues on. Maybe he hasn’t entirely lost hope? Maybe he’s just humoring the people around him? The point is that he’s moving forward. He’s making the unknown known. He’s laying to rest whether he’s right that his father is dead, or the others are right that he is still alive.
Athena Takes Leave
After the feast, Athena turns into a bird in front of Telemachus and Nestor and flies off. Her task is done for now.
When they first reached Pylos, Athena showed Telemachus what to do when approaching someone like Nestor and encouraged him to talk to Nestor when it was appropriate. However, when the connection was made, Athena leaves.
At some point, Telemachus has to stand on his own two feet and move forward without his fairy godmother watching over him. This is one of the difficulties with helping with someone out of their circumstances. You may be a big asset in getting the person to help themselves, but you may not be the mentor or friend they need. At some point, you have to let them go on their own or risk them getting too dependent on you. At some point, you may have to pass the baton on to someone else and then watch from a distance.
If you are Telemachus, know that this has to happen. You have to stand on your own. Too much dependence on another could be detrimental to your growth. It’s a difficult truth, but one you must realize.
A New Companion
Telemachus makes a friend during his visit with Nestor—Pisistratus, Nestor’s youngest son. Pisistratus spends time with Telemachus during the visit and also joins him on his trip to Sparta to meet Menelaus. Both of them have something in common—their fathers left for the war when they were very young.
When you venture forth, you will find people who have been in similar situations as you who are more of a positive presence. You’ll find common ground and may even become fast friends. Most importantly, you’ll find out you aren’t alone and that it’s possible to make your life better. If you sit around and stay in your terrible circumstances, you will have far fewer opportunities to meet those who are or used to be in those circumstance as well.
It’s good to go out on that quest. It’s good to find allies and mentors. It’s good to have someone you can aim for. It’s better to find like-minded peers who will help you on your journey and in which you can share a camaraderie with.
Recap
Here’s the steps Telemachus has taken in his quest now:
Step 1: Telemachus is given a quest—one that will lead to changing his circumstances, putting an end to his suffering, and make him into a good man.
Step 2: Telemachus is given an inspirational peer to emulate and aim for.
Step 3: Before Telemachus goes on his voyage, Athena instructs him to call an assembly. There, he articulates the truth and confronts the situation he is in. In this, Telemachus gets push back and threats of violence from the suitors, but he also finds allies.
Step 4: Telemachus prepares diligently for the quest. He does all the work possible for him. He relies on the ally he has made. He discerns who can and can’t be trusted with knowledge about his quest. When preparations are complete, and it’s the right time, he starts the quest and doesn’t look back.
Step 5: Telemachus goes on the dangerous voyage to his first destination—a critical part of the quest that could have ended badly without proper diligence and preparation.
Step 6: Telemachus meets two types of important people: a wise man who can serve as a role model and give further direction and a new friend who has experienced a similar situation and can relate.
That’s all for Book 3 of the Odyssey.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
The booklist I am going through can be found here.
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Thumbnail: Telemachus Departing From Nestor by Henry Howard (19th c.?). Public domain. In this picture you see Telemachus and Pisistratus on the chariot about to leave for Sparta while Nestor sees them off. The woman could either be Nestor’s wife Eurydice or his daughter Polycaste. In some accounts, Polycaste becomes Telemachus’ wife. Telemachus not only found sage advice and a great friend on his quest, but also his future wife! What an adventure! What great riches he found! And all because he sought after the truth.