Back to the literature page.
All novels have an epic hero, one who surpasses all others in one field or another. The Odyssey has Odysseus, a man who was greater than all men in strength, wisdom, and power. In chapter eleven of The Odyssey, this very hero traveled to the Underworld with his trusted comrades in his black ship, by command of the sorceress Circe. Here, he was to find the prophet Teiresias, who was to tell Odysseus how to return to his island kingdom, Ithaca. Sacrificing one black ewe and one black ram, Odysseus poured out their blood and waited for the dead souls to come and drink of it, that they might recognize and speak with him.
In Greek mythology, the Underworld is divided into four main sections. In the northwest corner is the place of eternal punishment, Tartarus. Here, such souls as the Cyclops and the Titans are tortured. In the northeast corner is the palace of Hades and Elysian Fields. In these fields, souls are at peace, doing such things as writing poems, playing in the fields, dancing, and singing. In the center of the Underworld is the Marsh, into which four of the rivers of the Underworld flow: Styx (river of an unbreakable oath by which the gods swear), Acheron (river of woe), Phlegethon (river of fire), and Cocytus (river of lamentation). The only way to cross the Marsh is by the ferryman, Charon. He brings the souls that are to enjoy the afterlife to Asphodel Fields. Just east of the area where Odysseus made his pit of blood is the place where unburied souls dwell.
The first to drink of the blood was one of these unburied souls, Elpenor. This comrade of Odysseus fell from the loft in the house of Circe after he tried to climb down the ladder drunk. He was left unburied because Odysseus was in a bit of a hurry to get the information that he so desperately wanted. After being sidetracked so many times, our hero was ready to get it over with and be back in Ithaca. All that Elpenor wanted was to be buried, and Odysseus did so as soon as he returned to Aeaea.
As soon as Elpenor had said his piece, the blind prophet came to drink of the libations. Odysseus saw his own mother before Teiresias, but would not let her drink before the seer had. After drinking, Teiresias recognized Odysseus and told him all that he needed to know. The prophet warned Odysseus of Poseidon's anger, which was incurred after the blinding of the god's son, Polyphemus, and also informed the king of the events at his home. Up until now, Odysseus had not known of the suitors, this was the first he had heard about them. He also warned Odysseus that he would come upon the island of the Sun. He warned Odysseus that if the Sun's kine were harmed, he would lose his crew and his ship, and would come to Ithaca aboard the ship of a stranger. The last that Teiresias said pertained to Odysseus' eventual death:
After this, Teiresias told him that all who drank of the blood would speak the truth, but that Odysseus could also turn away whomever he wished to. Immediately afterward, Anticleia, Odysseus' mother, came and drank of the blood. She talked sorrowfully to Odysseus, telling him all that had happened at home and how she died of longing for him. She also informed him that Laertes was at home, living alone on a farm, shedding his royal duties. Odysseus tried to embrace her, but could not due to the fact that her physical form was not in the Underworld, only her spirit.
However, Odysseus initially stated that perhaps his mother was merely a phantom sent by Persephone, the wife of Hades and daughter of Zeus. This Queen of the Underworld was taken there from the world above by Hades. The myth says that her mother searched day and night for here on the earth, and let no fruit grow during that period. Odysseus may have accused Persephone due to her apparent hatred toward men. This is an example of women in epics that only bring about trouble and use their power against men who oppress them. Other women in The Odyssey who show this are Circe and Calypso.
Ironically, after Anticleia left, the souls of the wives and daughters of many famous men came to Odysseus. These souls were sent by Persephone, says Homer, and Odysseus decided to question them individually. After all of these had come and gone, Odysseus saw the spirits of two men whom he had fought against Troy with: Agamemnon and Achilles. The son of Atreus told Odysseus of his fate, having been murdered by Clytaemnestra and her lover Aegisthus upon his jubilant return from Troy. He said that there was "no more faith in woman," holding a grudge against womankind even past death.
At this point, Odysseus must have been distracted by the idea of Agamemnon's fate turning out to be his own. What if Penelope had finally given in to the suitors after the death of her mother-in-law, and they planned a quick end for the rightful king when he returned? Or if they already assumed him dead, and had made Telemachus king, what would the reaction be to his return? Odysseus had no way of knowing whether or not his wife had been faithful, although he had been. Perhaps here, our hero had thoughts of not returning to his home, the concept of a glorious end and an eternity in the Elysian Fields crossing his mind. In the end, the hope of a reunion with his true love and only son overcame this desire.
Immediately after Agamemnon, Achilles spoke with Odysseus. The hero of swift feet was upset with his fate, having died at war, not seeing the outcome of the Achaean efforts. Odysseus seems perplexed by Achilles' pain, reminding him that he was like a god among men, as well as a lord over the dead. Apparently, in the Underworld, souls cannot ascertain any happiness. Only the spirits dwelling in the Elysian or Asphodel Fields are at peace. Odysseus didn't seem to grasp this, as he kept reminding the pained souls of the successes that they had in life. When told about his glorious funeral, the events that proceeded it, and how he was now a lord among the dead, Achilles simply replied:
Odysseus does tell Achilles about his son, Neoptolemus, and how he made it through the war without harm, and quite bravely. This pleases Achilles, and he goes away in pride.
Odysseus sees many ghosts of the gods and half gods, as well as many others to whom he wanted to speak to. However, they soon come in "myriads," and Odysseus was struck with pale terror. He and his crew boarded the ship and left as quickly as possible, going back to Aeaea to bury Elpenor and get further instruction from Circe.
The trip to the Underworld was a wake-up call to Odysseus. It made him realize how important it was for him to reach Ithaca, as well as rekindling the fire that burned within him to see his wife and son. Odysseus recognized that the fates of Agamemnon and Achilles could have been his own, but it was neither in the end. The theme of fate in The Odyssey is rampant, and the fate of Odysseus is the most complex. Teiresias predicted that Odysseus would die at sea, although we never know how his end came about.
Odysseus' concept of the afterlife is this: he saw that the Underworld could be a dreaded place of unrest and pain. He saw nothing of the Elysian or Asphodel Fields, he simply saw those souls which were without peace. You'll notice that after this trip, Odysseus does everything with even more heart than he did before, realizing that each battle and journey could be his last before his journey to eternal unrest.