Edit: I keep forgetting to say that, just like I mentioned weeks ago, starting this week I will be posting twice per week—on Sundays and Wednesdays at 3am PST—until the end of the Odyssey.
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AN ANCIENT GREEK SCHOLAR. FOR THE FULL DISCLAIMER, READ HERE.
“It would have been indeed better if we had done so but I would not listen...”
Odyssey, Book 9; Samuel Butler translation
Book 9 Summary
Odysseus introduces himself and begins to tell of how he eventually ended up among the Phaeacians.
After he was separated from the rest of the Achaeans, he first encountered the land of the Ciconians. He sacked their city, but when he wanted to leave, his men refused because they wanted to eat and drink all day and enjoy their new bounty. Eventually, more Ciconians from inland came and counterattacked. Odysseus’ fleet suffered heavy casualties before they managed to escape.
Next, a storm knocked the fleet off course and eventually they ended up in the land of the Lotus-Eaters. Odysseus sent some of his men to scout the land. The Lotus-Eaters were friendly to them and even gave them lotus to eat. When the men ate the lotus, they forgot all their cares and no longer wanted to go home. Odysseus eventually forced the men back on to their ships and ordered the fleet to sail out immediately.
Odysseus and his fleet then landed near the land of the Cyclopes. Odysseus was curious about the Cyclopes, so him and twelve of his crew went on land to the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Polymphemus wasn't home, so they went inside the cave where they found cheese, milk, and goats. Odysseus' crew wanted to steal the cheese and goats and return to the fleet, but Odysseus refused because he wanted to meet the Cyclops. Instead, they helped themselves to some of the cheese and waited for Polyphemus to come home.
When Polyphemus came home, he drove his flock of sheep inside the cave and sealed it with a giant stone. It wasn't until he prepared his dinner and lit a fire did he notice Odysseus and his crew. Polyphemus questions Odysseus and his crew and Odysseus asks for hospitality. Polyphemus scoffs at this, grabs two of Odysseus' men and eats them. After he finishes eating, he goes to sleep.
Four more of Odysseus’ crew are eaten before Odysseus can come up with a plan and execute it. He sharpens the end of a giant log and then gets Polyphemus drunk. While he is sleeping away the alcohol, Odysseus blinds him with the log. In the morning, Odysseus and his crew hide under the bellies of Polyphemus’ flock and escape when he leads them out to pasture.
Fleeing the island in their ships, Odysseus begins to taunt Polyphemus and reveals his name. Polyphemus cries out in rage and prays to his father, the god Poseidon, for vengeance. This marks the beginning of Poseidon's grudge toward Odysseus.
It Finally Begins
It’s here in Book 9 that we begin to read about the story the Odyssey is known for: Odysseus’ voyage home and all of the strange and dangerous peoples, monsters, and gods he encounters along the way.
As I mentioned in my post on Book 4, the very story the Odyssey is known for is all told in exposition rather than occurring in “real time.” I believe that by having this story revealed in exposition, it puts a degree of separation between us, the audience, and the events that occurred. It enhances the fantastic elements of Odysseus’ account. We have to take Odysseus’ word that what happened between the end of the Trojan War and landing on Calypso’s island is an accurate account. It leaves a little room for doubt about the veracity of the story.
Maybe Odysseus embellished a little—or a lot? Maybe it was all a hallucination? The story starts out pretty normal—he and his crew sack the Ciconians who are a normal group of people—but then they’re hit with a severe storm that blows them off course. It’s only after this that Odysseus and his crew begin to encounter the fantastic. Maybe Odysseus was the only survivor of the storm, hallucinated his voyage, and was adrift at sea until ending up on Calypso’s island? Maybe Odysseus invented the whole voyage to bolster his reputation and memorialize his lost crew?
The only evidence I can think of that may counter this is that Odysseus used special knots that he learned from the goddess and sorceress Circe (as mentioned in Book 8). So far, aside from Odysseus’ memories, this skill is the only thing that Odysseus had left when he ended up on the land of the Phaeacians.
My Opinion Begins to Change
It’s also here in Book 9 that my opinion of Odysseus begins to change. At first, I was pretty sympathetic toward him. He’s just this poor guy that wants to get home but can’t due to a combination of bad luck and the machinations of the gods. However, when he recounts his story, it becomes clear he made some obviously stupid decisions—decisions which cost lives.
The same thing happened with me toward Achilles in the Iliad. I had sympathy for him when Agamemnon humiliated him in front of the war council. I understood his decision to withdraw himself and his army from the war. However, it’s when he called upon Zeus to have the Achaeans lose the war until Agamemnon regrets his actions that I lost a lot of sympathy for him. After this, Achilles becomes a character I have part sympathy, part disdain for.
Odysseus will become the same way for me as we get further into the Odyssey. It may not be as bad as it was with Achilles, but nonetheless Odysseus’ decisions are going to disappoint me. Odysseus will become someone from whom you could learn what to do and what not to do.
You Can Take Them Out of the War, But…
The first thing Odysseus and his crew do when they leave Troy is raid the land of the Ciconians, kill the men, enslave the women, and plunder their city Ismarus. To me, this came far out of left field. Why did Odysseus just land somewhere and sack a city without provocation?
I had to look this up. It turns out the Ciconians were allied with the Trojans during the war. Here are the two places in the Iliad where they are mentioned:
Euphemus, son of Troezenus, the son of Ceos, was captain of the Ciconian spearsmen.
Iliad, Book 2; Samuel Butler translation
The son of Atreus would have then carried off the armour of the son of Panthous with ease, had not Phoebus Apollo been angry, and in the guise of Mentes chief of the Cicons incited Hector to attack him.
Iliad, Book 17; Samuel Butler translation
So, Odysseus’ attack wasn’t random. He was attacking former enemies.
That’s the operative word, though: former. The Trojan War was over. The Achaeans won. They sacked Troy, killed many of its men, enslaved many of its women, and plundered everything of value.
What Odysseus and his crew did was just rubbing salt in the wound. And, whether it was because of their elation over winning the war or successfully sacking Ismarus, Odysseus’ crew wanted to stay and bask in their victory rather than leave. They wouldn’t listen to Odysseus’ orders to get back on the ships and sail away.
As a result, the Ciconians came back with reinforcement and dozens of Odysseus’ crew died in the counterattack.
The Cephallenians (Odysseus’ fleet who are from Ithaca and the surrounding islands) didn’t leave the war behind them, and as a result it led to a lot of unnecessary suffering.
They Will Drag You Down to Their Level…
After they’re blown off course from a storm, the Cephallenians end up in the land of the Lotus Eaters. It turns out the Lotus Eaters are what we today stereotypically see potheads as. The Lotus Eaters are nice, laid back, and willing to share what they’re consuming with others. Some of Odysseus’ crew eat the lotus and suddenly forget about going home. They just want to sit around and eat lotus all day. Odysseus has to force them back on the ship and they quickly sail away.
The Lotus Eaters weren’t dangerous like the Ciconians during their counterattack, nor will they be as dangerous as the terrifying monsters the Cephallenians will encounter later, but they were nonetheless dangerous and Odysseus made the right decision to flee the island as soon as he saw what was going on. The kind and unselfish Lotus Eaters could have ended their entire voyage without killing a single person.
It’s often good to flee bad associations. Otherwise, you will be dragged down to their level and it will take a lot of effort to get back to where you were before you met them. Effort that could have been spent becoming a better person than who you were before meeting them.
“I can save them” ; “They just need a good example” ; “They need God/Jesus/my religion/my philosophy” are some of the excuses used to associate with these kinds of people. Yes, perhaps they need what you can offer, but more often than not you will take what they offer instead and become worse off. It’s easier to be in the shallows, where you can just stand there and make no progress and waste your life, than to be in the deep end where people exert effort to become better, stronger, and more capable.
One thing I learned, not only in my personal experiences with church ministries but also from those who have tried to help others, is that you can’t help a person who is unwilling to help themselves. If they don’t want help, they will just be a drag on your life, consuming your time and energy and resources, and getting nothing back as a result. It’s like feeding money into a vending machine that doesn’t dispense the food or drink. All of the frustration, none of the payout.
Another thing I have learned is that if you introduce a negative person into a group, unless everyone else in the group is competent as well as intolerant toward nonsense (groups like these are a rarity), the negative person will simply drag the rest of the group down. Think about how your workplace is when “that one guy” is there versus when they aren’t or when your child has a group of friends over and “that one kid” is among them, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Their presence or absence makes night and day difference when it comes to morale, productivity, a pleasant environment, etc.
Discontents Without Civilization
If you read my special Halloween post on The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood, you’ll recall I reflected a little bit on the wilderness vs. civilization (I highly recommend reading it! The story I mean. You can read the post too, that would be awesome, but definitely read the story.).
The splendor and solitude of pure nature is addicting, especially for one used to human civilization, but it is also an unbridled force that will destroy you if it’s not given proper respect. It’s a good reminder than human civilization is a shield that keeps nature at bay and allows us to experience nature in doses rather than be eternally at its mercy.
This is something Odysseus should have kept in mind before traipsing about the lands of the Cyclopes and inviting himself and his crew into one of their caves in the hopes of reasoning with them.
Here’s what the Odyssey says about the Cyclopes.
Now the Cyclopes neither plant nor plough, but trust in providence, and live on such wheat, barley, and grapes as grow wild without any kind of tillage, and their wild grapes yield them wine as the sun and the rain may grow them. They have no laws nor assemblies of the people, but live in caves on the tops of high mountains; each is lord and master in his family, and they take no account of their neighbors.
Odyssey, Book 9; Samuel Butler translation
The Cyclopes are truly wild and uncivilized, and so is their land. We know that Odysseus suspected all of this because he comments while telling the story to the Phaeacians:
“For my mind misgave me that I might have to deal with some savage who would be of great strength, and would respect neither right nor law.”
Odyssey, Book 9; Samuel Butler translation
And yet, Odysseus foolishly leads himself and his twelve crew members right into the cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops, eats some of his food, and hangs around inside. When Polyphemus gets back and discovers the crew, Odysseus invokes their privileges as suppliants and tells Polyphemus to revere the gods. You can probably guess how that goes.
“Stranger, you are a fool, or else you know nothing of this country. Talk to me, indeed, about fearing the gods or shunning their anger? We Cyclopes do not care about Jove or any of your blessed gods, for we are ever so much stronger than they. I shall not spare either yourself or your companions out of any regard for Jove unless I am in the humour for doing so.”
Odyssey, Book 9; Samuel Butler translation
Before Odysseus finally escapes, the Cyclops eats six of his crew members.
There are so many parallels you can draw from this story and compare with real life. I’ll just focus on one.
If you expect nature to cater to your civilized ways, you’re going to be consumed by it without mercy. More and more today, people often forget how much civilization provides in the way of protection from the wild, brutal, and merciless aspects of nature. We discard civilization to our own peril.
Civilization provides institutions and a morality that protects people seeking justice, restitution, relief from suffering… Try asking a pack of wolves to share their food with you. Try going on a hunger strike in protest of the grizzly bear who has chased you up a tree.
We can look at what the Cyclopes lacked to see what kind of civilization we need to temper nature:
Control of the environment
Agreed upon laws/rules to abide by
Assemblies or other places where people can get together and share ideas, grievances, etc.
Not living isolated from each other—families must care about other families
Reverence for the divine
That’s all for Book 9 of the Odyssey.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
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Thumbnail: Odysseus in the Cave of Polyphemus, Jacob Jordaens, 1635. Public domain.