Knowing Odysseus as well as she does, Circe realizes that his intellectual curiosity must be satisfied he has to hear the Sirens' song. Circe's solution is realistic and simple: Odysseus' men stop their ears with beeswax. Once again, Homer has touched on a universal truth, mankind's struggle with deadly but irresistible appeal. Like that of the Lotus-eaters, the section on the Sirens is surprisingly short (fewer than 40 lines), considering that it is one of the best known episodes in the epic. The ceremony is similar to that of the seafaring warriors at the end of the Old English epic Beowulf, composed almost 1,500 years later. The ashes are buried in a mound topped with a monumental stone and the seaman's oar that is "planted. The brief description of the burial rites tells us that the body is burned on a funeral pyre, along with the warrior's armor. Despite the horrors of the Land of the Dead and the relief of escape, Odysseus' first thought is to return to Aeaea to bury Elpenor's corpse. Loyalty and keeping promises are two of the highest virtues in Homer's world. Circe's warnings prove to be a foreshadowing of the true events. This last caveat (12.148-53) echoes the curse of the Cyclops (9.590-95) and the prophecy of Tiresias (11.125-35). Odysseus alone may survive, but he will return home late and alone, a broken man. If they resist temptation, they can return home safely if, on the other hand, they harm any sacred animal, the ship and men will be destroyed. Whatever they do, the seamen must not harm the sacred cattle of the sun. If the Greeks survive these terrors, they will meet the most dangerous test of all: the temptation of the island (Thrinacia) of the Sungod Helios. No more than an arrow shot away is Charybdis, a monster whirlpool that swallows everything near it three times a day. She cannot be defeated in battle, and she will devour at least six of the Greeks, one for each of her hideous heads that feature triple rows of thickset fangs.
The first is a six-headed monster lurking in an overhanging, fog-concealed cavern. Next they must avoid the Clashing Rocks (called "Wandering Rocks" or "Rovers" in some translations), which only the ship of the Argonauts ever escaped.Ĭhoosing to go around the Clashing Rocks, Odysseus then must confront either Scylla or Charybdis. First the Greeks must get past the Sirens whose irresistible songs lure sailors into their island's coastal reefs. Circe is helpful once more, providing supplies and warnings about the journey to begin the next dawn. True to his word, Odysseus returns to Aeaea for Elpenor's funeral rites.
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