Book 14: Hospitality in the Forest

Odysseus
I sought out my old loyal swineherd as Athena suggested. He lived in a secluded cottage, quite alone apart from his assistants. The watch dogs tried to attack me when I approached but the old man held them off. I told Eumaios my story, well the story of the old man at least, and it was certainly a perilous journey. Supposedly, he had known me in battle. After the war he returned home but was soon called across the sea and was stuck for seven some years before he went to live with a Phonikian adventurer. He knew the man was sly and wanted to sell him as a slave but had no choice but to go along with it, however, Zeus destroyed the ship and he floated to safety on the island of King Alkínoös. I told him it was there that I received word of Odysseus. I was then enslaved by the kings men and brought to Ithika to be sold as a slave but I escaped and found hospitality in your home, said I. Eumaios was extremely distrustful of stories of me and I found him with a suspicious heart. His heart was still good enough, though, to give me shelter and food.

I still sort of wonder why I had to come into Ithika with a disguise. I desperately want to see my wife and let her know that I am safe, that I will protect her and tend to her every need from now on. Why can’t I just storm right up to my house and declare I have returned? Is it because of the advice from Agamemnon? I believe Athena told me it would be best if I wore a disguise also, but I’m not really sure why and what is the right moment to unveil myself as King Odysseus. Was I the one who wanted to disguise in the first place but just didn’t know it? I always seem to be disguising myself, don’t I? I don’t trust many with my true identity. I told Alkínoös the truth but was it just for personal gain? I feel as though he would give much more treasure to a celebrated war hero than some random man who washed up on his shore. A name is a very honorable thing, but I often wonder if I hold mine too close and selfishly. I lie whenever a situation is uncomfortable, maybe just because I am in denial of the truth. Perhaps I don’t want to go home because I don’t want to face my responsibilities. When I finally enter the manor as myself, I will have to go back to my old life and my adventures may be over. As of right now, I am still a carefree wanderer.

Book 13: One More Strange Island

Odysseus
When I finished my story, Alkínoös had my ship loaded up with assorted treasures. We then said our farewells and I departed for home. The following day, I found myself lying on a strange beach surrounded by my gifts. At first, I thought I had been tricked and marooned on some unknown island. However, a passing fisherman told me that I was in Ithika. I had a long story to explain my background but after I had finished telling it, the fisherman dissolved to take the form of a beautiful woman. She confessed herself to be Athena, told me she had been helping me for quite some time, and vowed to stand behind me when I fought the suitors. She soon left me to bring Télémakhos back from Sparta, but before departing disguised me with magic, turning me into an old man.

Poseidon's temple gives a great scope of his unparalleled power and fierceness.

I just found out that Poseidon punished the Phaiákians for helping me! I feel really horrible about that. Alkínoös certainly seemed to know that someday they woupd be punished by Poseidon for helping s guest but they didn’t even seem to hesitate to help me. I wonder why this was… there are a few possible options I can think of. He might have been too afraid to offend a guest who might not have fulfilled the prophecy or perhaps they had forgotten about it or doubted that it would happen right then. Hey wait! I even told them that Poseidon was mad at me. They were very generous to help me after that. Once one loses the favor of the gods, they seem to lose it for a very long time. Once the gods hate you , that’s really it. I could probably sacrifice 100 heifters to Poseidon and he wouldn’t be satisfied. Was it worth it worth it for the Phaiákians to help me at the expense of angering Poseidon? I guess that depends on how angry Poseidon is and how grateful I am.

Book 12: Sea Perils and Defeat

Odysseus
We went to recover the body of Elpênor and gave him a proper burial. Kirkê joined us and told me of the perils we faced. Her advice was very similar to Teirêsias’s prophecy. She told me that we would have to sail past the Seirênês, women who used their singing to lure sailors to their death. When we came to them, upon my instruction, my crew tied me to the mast after I put beeswax in their ears. We sailed past unharmed, but there was more peril yet to come. Next came the monster Skylla and the maelstrom Kharybdis. Kirkê warned me that six of my men would be lost to Skylla and they were; I mourned the loss of my friends and felt pity in my heart. We made it past Kharybdis to the island of Hêlios. My men convinced me to stay there although I wanted to heed the advice of Kirkê and Teirêsias. They both predicted grave danger should we disturb the immortal cattle there. We had no intent to harm the cattle but as months of storms went by, the men grew hungry and while I was asleep, killed some of Hêlios’s sacred herd. Apparently (I was later told this) Zeus promised to sink our ships for Hêlios. He kept this promise, my ships were scattered to bits in the middle of the sea and I was the only survivor. Afloat on part of the ship, I went back past Skylla and Kharybdis to the island of Calypso.
I can’t understand why my men give into temptation so much! This is at least twice now (and I’m hardly even trying to count) that they have gotten us into HUGE trouble! I told them specifically that they must not, at all costs, touch the cattle. When they opened the bag of wind, they sent us all the way back to where we started. The same thing happened when they killed the cattle only they all died too... I, however, was basically right where I began and certainly no better off. What is it that makes them give into temptation so easily? With the wind, they did it for purely selfish reasons but with the cattle, they were starving and needed food. Giving into temptation for selfish reasons had a much smaller effect than giving into vital temptation. Could this mean that giving into the id can have a variety of different consequences? I would probably say so. However, my men depended on their id-like state for food that day and that was what caused them to drown. Perhaps once they began to depend on their id, the sea (water!) was able to swallow them.

Book 11: A Gathering of Shades

Odysseus
My men and I were all terrified at the thought of going ashore in the land of the dead, but I needed to speak to Teirêsias’ shade. We dug a pit, poured milk, honey, sweet wine and water around it and last scattered barley. I sacrificed the lamb and ewe; their blood draining into the pit. The spirits gathered around it and I had to keep my sword drawn to fend them off. Elpênor came and told us to give him a proper burial. I saw my mother and eventually spoke to her, learning that she had slowly pined away when I failed to come home. This brought me endless grief and I began to think my mother’s shade was sent to make me miserable. Teirêsias told me that Poseidon had it in for me because I blinded his son… oops! He said when we landed on Thrinakia we shouldn’t steal from Hêlios’s herd. I learned of the suitors at my house and the thought made my head blurry with anger. He also told me that if I made a sacrifice to Poseidon in a land where people don’t know the sea, then went home to make hecatombs, I would die a gentle death.

It's a big ocean, would I drown without the help of the gods?

It always seems as though I’m getting help from some god or mystical being. I wonder why this is, do they think I can’t do things on my own? I guess if I count how many times gods have saved my life maybe I can’t. I suppose I am not that different from Télémakhos in my dependency on the gods… Actually, my situation might be the slightest bit different. I am usually saved by a god when another god preys on me. So it could be thought of as evening the playing fields rather than just pushing me along. Can I still be considered a hero if the gods help me so much? I still solve many problems on my own. I escaped the Cyclopes without godly assistance. I went to go face Kirkê alone, even though I was afraid. Hermês did help me in the end, but I took the initiative to save my men. There no gods at my side at world’s end. I was given instructions but I was brave enough to follow them. To a certain point, a hero can get helped by gods (he’d be a fool not to be) I think it’s how he deals with the advice that makes him a hero. A lesser man might be too afraid to, for example, go to world’s end, even though the gods told him to.

Book 10: The Grace of the Witch

Odysseus
My story continued with my crew and I arriving on Aiolia Island. I told the king there of the Trojan war and after we stayed a while, he sent us off with gifts and provisions. His help was greatly needed and brought us unimaginable relief. Aiolos also bestowed upon us the gift of wind, enclosed in a huge bull hide bag. Nine days after we sailed from Aiolia my men grew jealous of my gifts and warm receptions. They decided to steal whatever was in the large bag. A hurricane pushed us back to Aiolia and no one can imagine the shame of having to go before Aiolos again, but this time, he would offer no help. We wandered at sea and finally came upon an island of savage people. They ripped apart two of my men but we managed to escape, despite our grief and horror. The next island was inhabited by the goddess Kirkê. I sent a platoon to her hall, only one man returned, terribly shaken and saying the rest went in and never came out. I knew we had to get them out so I swallowed my fear and went into the woods. Hermês met me and gave me instructions so that I might not be enchanted and turned into a pig like my crew. I ate the magical herb that made me immune to her wine and when she approached me with her stick, I drew my sword. I made her swear an oath not to harm me and sheltered us for many months. She obliged when I asked to leave, but told me that we must travel to the land of the dead in order to get home.

Guest Blogger Penélopê
Everyday, I die a little inside and hope my beloved husband will return to me. I can see now at least some of the hardships he has faced. Odysseus is a brave man and the forgiving gods of heaven would not allow him to be tested so if they didn’t believe he could handle it. He is such a typical man, though. I just wish he was a little different from the rest of them. The suitors treat me like a prize to be won. I’m sure my husband would never be so brainless and I don’t doubt he loves me but it’s like a sword in my heart when I hear of all the goddesses he has slept with! He doesn’t even seem to care what I would think; it never occurs to him that I would disapprove. But I suppose that’s just how our society is, isn’t it? I turn down suitors every night because my heart belongs to my husband but he can sleep with a different goddess every night and still say his heart belongs to me. In situations like this he, and the rest of humankind, rationalize their actions. (For example, Odysseus could think ‘I need to sleep with Calypso tonight or else she won’t help me.’) I just wish he understood I don’t whatever stupid reason he makes up to feel less guilty (if he feels guilty at all.) He should know never to do it in the first place because it is unfair for the two of us to have different “rules” about what is acceptable to do and still call yourself a loyal spouse.

Book 9: New Coasts and Poseidon's Son

Odysseus
King Alkínoös finally knows my story, or part of it at least. I figured he deserved the truth after all he has done for me. After the battle of Troy, we cast off but the current carried us out to sea before he reached home. We landed on the coastline of the Lotos eaters. They appeared kind but the sweet Lotos they gave to my men made them forget their desire to go home. Shortly after we escaped, we found ourselves in the land of the Kyklopês. Their vast sheep herds were very tempting as we hadn’t eaten in several days. We decided to see if one would be hospitable to us and keep us as honored guests. Little did we know that they do not live by the laws of men. The Kyklopês trapped us in his cave and slowly ate most of my men. Somehow, we managed to get him drunk and stab his eye out. When he yelled out for help he said “Nohbdy’s tricked me!” because I told him my name was Nohbdy. I then lashed my men in between sheep and clung to one myself. We escaped when the giant let out his sheep and as we sailed away I called back and taunted him, finally telling him my true name.

Odysseus: Lion heart or cowardly lion?

Guest Blogger Télémakhos
My father is considered to be a great war hero, I can’t argue with that. However, this new knowledge of my father is rather startling to me. His arrogance is the only reason he did not come home years ago. If he hadn’t taunted the Cyclops from the boat and told him his real name, the Cyclops never would have asked his father not to let Odysseus come home. It also displays cowardice that he would only taunt him from the safety of the ship. Can he really be considered a hero if he is so thoughtless and even cruel once he is out of danger? My father seems to be a kind of manipulative man but people will look right over that because he is a hero. Can heroes “slack off on the job” once people have labeled them as a hero? I would say yes but it is not right. Odysseus yelled to the Cyclops “If I could take your life I would…” (Odyssey 161). An ideal hero would never say that, even to someone who had just done them a terrible wrong. This is a generalization, but judging from this, I bet a lot of famous heroes aren’t really all they’re said to be. Although they may sound like gods, they are only human and can have as much cowardice and arrogance as anyone.

Book 8: The Songs of the Harper

Odysseus
I spent last night feasting to the glory of the gods, but it wasn’t exactly pleasing to me. There was a wonderful array of food and many gifts were bestowed upon me (a robe and a bar of gold for each of the thirteen lords.) The young men competed in an array of athletics and challenged me to join them. I naturally refused as I sadly knew that I was worn out by the sea and would probably have no chance to win. Laódamas saw my refusal as an excuse to mock me and detract from my honor. Naturally, I had to play a few games. Everyone was especially impressed with my discus throw and assured the crowd I could compete equally well in nearly all other competitions. Once this was all done with, we set out for the ship and my journey home continued.
Oh, I just wanted to mention that I may have skipped over a tiny little part of what happened. You see, there was this minstrel who kept playing the harp. I wouldn’t normally mind, I even enjoyed some of his pieces. However, he sang far too many tales of the war. Whenever it is mentioned or I am reminded of it, a chill goes up my spine. I can’t say why. People want to feel safe and secure (just as how I said the gods also want to feel safe and secure.) Frankly, reliving a war is a very traumatic experience. I miss the friends that perished on the fields. I should grieve for the loss of their families as well. So many, like mine have been split apart. And what drove us to war anyway? It was essentially a selfish quarrel between the gods. If the gods didn’t have such petty arguments, their actions wouldn’t cause men so much grief. I suppose it can work the other way around too, though. Seriously, I can’t believe how many times a day Athena saves my life… War is never good and it haunts me. I went into it with my friends, for honor and the spirit of brotherhood but came out alone and forgotten, a scruffy man without a name.

Book 7: Gardens and Firelight

Odysseus
A sea fog settled around me as I entered the city a safe time after the princess. I asked a small child to direct me to the house of Alkínoös. She brought me to the palace gates where I meditated for quite some time before everything. I knew that my return home could depend on the impression I made that night. I admired the grandness of the king’s gardens before entering, astounded by the amazing splendor. I went through the hall unnoticed until I reached Arêtê and begged for her mercy. One of the elders, Ekhenêos, did me a great kindness and asked the king to give me an honored place at his table (though I believe he would have anyway.) Alkínoös granted his wish and I feasted until my heart was content. My gladness to be back in civilization was unmatched except perhaps by what I will feel when I finally reach home. I told the king and queen my story and they had great sympathy for my plight. Though my father land is far, the king plans to transport me there. I’m so glad we have such a friendly society.

In many folk tales, the wolf is clever and well spoken but this never reflects his truly evil intent.

I have learned in my travels that it is very important to be tactful when speaking to others. I believe it is an art that can be mastered only through experience. This is wonderful for me because I have had such experience. The queen may have rejected me had I not addressed her in such a flattering and witty way. However, this language must also be a danger when it is acquired by those with evil intent. They could charm others with their sweet words and then pounce on their unsuspecting prey when they least expect it. So perhaps it is not so good that we set such store in fancy words, but what else can you use to determine a person’s character? I have no idea but I do know that sometimes those who constantly trip over their words have the purest of hearts.

Book 6: The Princess at the River

Odysseus
As I said before, I am delighted and utterly relieved to be safe on dry land. I thought I was surely going to die in that horrible storm. This morning I was awoken by lovely girls dancing by the river. When I emerged from the bushes, all but one ran because my appearance was so frightening. The other stood tall, waiting for me to address her. I greatly admired her aura and sense of power; I could not touch her knees so rather spoke extra gently in hope of winning her kindness. I soon learned she was Nausikaa, the daughter of Prince Alkínoös. Her maids gave me olive oil and offered to help me bathe but I refused, telling them I would much prefer to wash myself. Nausikaa gave me directions to the palace but decided we should arrive there at different times as not to attract unwanted attention. I was also given specific instructions to greet her mother first because my getting home, apparently, depends on whether or not her mother likes me.
I find it interesting how Nausikaa didn’t want to walk into town with me, for fear that people might gossip and she may be brought to shame. Again the question of honor appears; is it really dishonorable to walk with a man before you are married? All the rules of our culture say ‘yes’ but does it make sense? An unmarried man can walk with a woman, can’t he? Our rules are extremely biased towards men, and who made the rules of what is acceptable or not in the first place? Men. I think of my dear wife and how she is just as clever and worthy as any man, it saddens me greatly to think that she has such different restraints regarding honor. It is horrible the way they are thought of and how different their rights are! And the worst part is that this has been so drilled into me my whole life that it is very hard for me to even admit the wrong in it.

http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/ancientchix/

‘If only children could be got some other way without the female sex! If women didn’t exist, human life would be rid of all its miseries’.

Book 5: Sweet Nymph and Open Sea

Odysseus:

Yes! I’m so glad we got that idiot Telémakhos off here… (It’s a joke, people!) I am finally on my way home after all this time! Kalypso came to me with the idea that I should return home. I, of course, accepted this notion immediately but I can’t help but ask why she didn’t think of this sooner!?! It would have made my life so much easier… However, I suppose I shouldn’t be ungrateful seen as that I am at last headed home. Once Kalypso “helped” me build a boat and gave me provisions, I was sent off onto the sea to fend for myself. Being a sailor at heart, I didn’t mind this in the least, until Poseidon decided to loose his fury on me. The sea god conjured up a huge storm and I would have drowned had Ino not seen and taken pity on me. She gave me her veil so that I couldn’t be drowned and though I first thought it to ba a trap, I am now eternally grateful to her. I made it safely to land by some miracle.

Guest Blogger Telémakhos:

Hey everyone, I’m back to be the rational one. Just don’t tell my dad, he probably thought I was stealing the show or something… I was very interested by the fact that Zeus said, (regarding my father), “His destiny is to see his friends again under his own roof, in his father’s country.” (Odyssey 82). I certainly believe this as it was said by the Almighty Zeus himself but, I don’t know, I just wonder what fate would be if not for the gods. They seem to “decide” it and then they back up whatever their little scales say in whichever way they can. Is this to say the gods don’t have enough confidence in their own power to go against fate? And I wonder whether these destinies and dooms would even exist if no one believed in them. Perhaps if the gods didn’t care which way the scales initially tipped, they could tip them in whichever way that pleased them. Why don’t they dare to take the chance? I don’t believe they have any proof that they couldn’t turn the tables the way they wanted them. A great example of this resignation to fate is Hector’s death. All the gods aiding him fled from his side and Athena even worked against him to make the death quicker. Could the choices of these gods have changed fate? My father earlier commented on honor and staying inside the realm of comfort and security; it seems that gods as well as humans have a comfort zone and are unwilling to leave it. Could this be why the mightiest beings of heaven allow themselves to be commanded by something as abstract and illusive as fate?

Book 4: The Red-Haired King and His Lady

Guest Blogger Telémakhos
I finally reached the palace of Meneláos where I found him feasting in celebration of a double wedding. He welcomed me in as an honored guest, as seems proper, and spoke briefly of his adventures after the war. Meneláos angered the gods by not paying them proper homage before the voyage so they stranded him on an island where his crew slowly wasted away. Unable to return home or care for his crew, he found a rare solution from the goddess, Eidothea. She instructed him on how to get valuable information from her father, Proteus. Meneláos successfully captured Proteus who told him how to get home and gave him news of my father. Odysseus is trapped on the island of Kaylpso and unable to return home. I told him, “I find your tales and all you say so marvelous.” (Odyssey 70). I had never heard of any such adventures and the king’s cunning and bravery were certainly unmatched! However, I suppose I should be slightly distraught that Odysseus is detained by a nymph… How will he ever get home now?


Is Telémakhos beginning to see the world in a new light?

Odysseus
I can’t believe my own son hardly cares whether I am dead or alive, home or across the sea! Does he take the news of my plight so lightly? All he says upon hearing this is how marvelous Meneláos’s tales are? He doesn’t seem to care about me at all! But listen to me! I must seem so selfish, I suppose I should be rejoicing that Telémakhos grows less dependent upon me. Something has changed within him, and the fact that he thirsts for knowledge of the world around him rather than for news of me is certainly monumental. It may not be that he cares less about me, but rather that he is beginning to care more about something larger. When he began this voyage, he sought to bring me back so he could hide back inside the “cave” of childhood. But perhaps now he is beginning to see the light outside the cave and is opening his mind to new ideas that are so necessary to growth. If he does grow up, he will not want to return to the cave, even if I do return.

Book 3: The Lord of the Western Approaches

Guest Blogger Telémakhos

Our journey brought us to Neleus. There I spoke to Nestor, master charioteer, with my mentor at my side. He told us what had become of many Akhaians after the war but he had no news of my father. He suggested I travel to Meneláos in hope that he, as he has been abroad longer, will know something. At nightfall, the mentor dissolved into a seahawk and we knew at once that the daughter of Zeus had been in our presence. Nestor took me into his house graciously and the next day we had a grand feast, sacrificing a heifer with gilded horns to the glory of Athena. I left in company of Nestor’s son Peisístratos and we made quick time to Phêrai, moving on the next day. The kindness of these complete strangers was comforting but I’m beginning to feel very hopeless, or maybe the truth is finally coming out after being embedded in partial denial for so long. “…grievously though we miss my father, why go on as if that homecoming could happen? You know the gods had settled it already, years ago, when dark death came to him.” (The Odyssey 42). Part of me wants to believe but the facts and time work against this small hope. I can barely cling to it. I'm trying so hard to be strong (and I can't believe I'm admitting this) but it just feels like a front Pallas Athena helped me to put up, not my own... Where are you father?

Odysseus

Honor is obviously very important. One must be honorable to have any sort of worth in our society. “Athena liked his manners, and the equity that gave her precedence with the cup of gold, so she besought Poseidon at some length:” (The Odyssey 36). As shown here, it can also win one the favor of the gods. I would like to step back now, though, and wonder whether we depend too much upon honor. Niceties are necessary and kindness is great but we often focus our lives on honor. For example, my only son has abandoned his mother in search of the tiniest trace of me. Why? Does he really believe that I am alive? He said himself he did not. Telémakhos seeks to set things straight for in confirming that I am dead (or by some miracle alive) he can finally move on, burn my gear, give me a proper burial mound and the honor I deserve. But if I were dead anyway, why does it matter that much? Perhaps it is because of tradition, that it is the proper thing to do. These things left undone cause shame and dishonor to come to the neglector. But it is because we (society) have made it this way. If there was less misoneism in our world, we could follow our own ambitions without being tied down by old traditions. Don’t get me wrong, I’m honored my son is trying to find me, dead or alive, but perhaps he should realize that maybe he doesn’t need to give me proper honor to be able to move on with his life.

Book 2: A Hero's Son Awakens

Guest Blogger Telémakhos

I called an assembly of the Ithakans, just as my visitor suggested. The suitors firmly decided not to leave my father’s house. Curse them! I truly hope the gods give them what they deserve. Antínös said to me “… you should know the suitors are no to blame--/ it is your own dear, incomparably cunning mother./ For three years now—and it will soon be four--/ she has been breaking the hearts of the Akhaians…” (The Odyssey 21.) He actually had the nerve to say all this to me, blame the whole thing on my mother. It was a moment of vulnerability for me too; although it is hard to admit, my anger had driven me to the point of tears. We are the victims here; I don’t know what’s going to happen. All I know is that some immortal being has given me a purpose again so while my mother was asleep and unknowing, I sailed from Ithaka in hope of learning my father’s whereabouts. Odysseus will set everything right.

Odysseus
Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.
-Chinese Proverb

Pallas Athena speaks to the people of Ithaka through my son. I worry, though, that Telémakhos has not really “awakened” but is rather just parroting the grey-eyed goddess.
“Or if you learn that he is dead and gone,
then you can come back to your own dear country
and raise a mound for him, and burn his gear,
with all the funeral honors due the man,
and give your mother to another husband.”
-Athena, The Odyssey

Telémakhos repeats almost these exact words before the council but the credit for them seems to go to him. He sounds clever even though he just repeated the goddess. He is also only making this journey because Athena suggested it. He had no idea what to do until she came along. So does this sudden strength and plan to voyage make him greater? My son is suddenly so clear-headed yet the strength behind his speaking seems, unfortunately, to belong to the great goddess. When he expresses “his” wise ideas to the villagers, they are basically word-for-word what the goddess instructed him to do. But then I wonder if he can still be a hero, because heroes do often need mentors or a situation for them to find their heroicness (just as I said a son needs his father to become a man.) Perhaps Telémakhos must act off Athena’s will now, because this is such a big transition for him. I can only wonder if he will later be able to think for himself and proceed without the help of a goddess. I certainly hope Telémakhos will be able to enter the door Athena has opened for him or he will have no heroic worth whatsoever.

Book 1: A Goddess Intervenes

Guest Blogger Telémakhos, son of Odysseus
I was overwhelmed by the suitor’s in our house. How dare they? These suitors enrage me, all claiming they will win my mother when she is already married. My father has been gone for many years but I do not believe King Odysseus is dead. He must be merely delayed, as our visitor, Mentês, said. He told me he was an old friend of my father’s but I secretly believe my guest was immortal. Mentês gave me specific instructions to call an assembly of the islanders to send the suitors home and then travel to Sparta to speak to Meneláos for he is the last man home of all the Akhaians and he may have news of my father. I felt so lost and confused; I don’t know whether my own father is dead or alive. Of course I’d like to think he is, but living each day with such uncertainty is hard. However, I think things will get better when I follow our guest’s advice. It’s the only path I have.

Odysseus
My poor son, he has no father to guide him and I must say he is rather lost without me. A boy needs a father to show him how to be a man. If Athena had not intervened, Telémakhos may have been content to stay in the warm, protecting blanket of childhood forever. He had accepted that there was nothing he could do to find or help me. If only I were there I could teach him that crossing frontiers is hard, but necessary. It’s the only way we learn and grow. And Telémakhos has a lot of learning and growing to do if he ever hopes to be a good king.

Father and son relationships, of course, continue to be important into this century! However, in this instance, the father and son are usually separated by the father’s economic goals rather than the fact that someone *cough* *Poseidon* *cough* won’t let the father sail home. http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19930901-000031.html