Tales from the Odyssey, Part 2

by Mary Pope Osborne

  After all, Mentor’s bronze-tipped spear was very like the spear of the goddess. His glittering gold sandals were like the magic sandals that carried her through the air.

  And did not his gray eyes shine like the bright eyes of the goddess herself?

  For the first time in months, Telemachus allowed hope to enter his heart. He felt certain the gray-eyed goddess had been with him today. She had come to help him find his father.

  FOUR

  SETTING SAIL

  The next morning, Telemachus rose with the first light. In the rosy dawn, he dressed himself in his royal robe. He put on his sandals and strapped on his sword.

  When he looked in his dressing mirror, he was startled by his own appearance. He looked as handsome and powerful as a young god. Had Athena transformed him, he wondered, so he would shine before the others?

  He bade his servants assemble all the men of Ithaca, including all the suitors. Then, with a spear in his hand and two hounds at his side, he went to meet the crowd.

  As Telemachus moved through the throng of men, they all seemed to notice his changed appearance. Even the oldest among them made way for him.

  Telemachus took his place at his father’s seat and looked about at all those who had come to hear his words. As he rose to speak, he could hardly contain his emotions.

  “You are demanding that my mother marry against her will,” he said. “Day after day, you gather at this estate. You slaughter my father’s livestock and drink his wine. He is not here to defend his home. I shall never be as strong a man as he was. Yet I cannot bear such treatment from you any longer. My father’s house is falling into ruin—”

  As Telemachus spoke, his newfound confidence began to fail him. “I—I ask you to respect your consciences and fear the wrath of heaven,” he said in a trembling voice. Then, overpowered by his feelings, he dashed his spear to the ground and burst into tears.

  From the looks on their faces, it seemed that some of the suitors had begun to feel true pity for Telemachus. The leader of the suitors, Antinous, stood up. “Blame your mother, Telemachus, not us,” he said softly. “She deceived us. She said she could not choose a husband until she had woven a shroud for your grandfather. But every night she unraveled her day’s work so the shroud would never be finished. For three years, she lied to us in this way. You must force her now to choose one of us to marry. We will not leave until she does.”

  Telemachus shook his head. “I cannot do as you say, Antinous,” he said. “If you keep preying upon this house, I will ask Zeus for his help, and—and all of you will die.”

  As Telemachus spoke, a pair of eagles appeared overhead. Gliding on the currents of the wind, they circled the courtyard. Then they began furiously beating the air with their wings. They gave a death stare to those below. Then, suddenly, they turned on each other. They fought fiercely for a moment, then flew off into the sky.

  The men murmured with alarm: “What can this mean? What is Zeus telling us?”

  A wise old man stood up. He spoke in a shaky voice. “Men of Ithaca, I see an omen in the eagles,” he said. “Zeus is telling us that Odysseus will not stay away much longer. Unless those who pursue his wife leave of their own accord, all our deaths are at hand. Let them be gone from this place before it is too late!”

  But the suitors refused to heed the warning.

  “Go home, old man!” one shouted. “Birds are always flying about! It means nothing! We shall stay here as long as we like! Odysseus is dead! We do not fear his son with his fine speeches!”

  Telemachus shook his head. “The gods know my story,” he said. “So here is what I propose to you. Give me a ship and a crew of twenty, and I shall set out in search of my father. If I hear that he is alive, we shall all wait patiently for his return. If I hear he is dead, we will have a funeral for him, and my mother will choose which one of you she will marry.”

  But the suitors would not agree even to this simple plan. Instead, they mocked Telemachus, saying he was not strong enough to survive such a voyage.

  Then they returned to the halls of the palace to feast and drink while they waited for Penelope to make her choice.

  In despair, Telemachus walked alone down to the sea. He washed his hands in the foamy water and prayed to the goddess Athena for help.

  “I know you came to me yesterday and bade me take a ship to search for my father,” he said. “Tell me now what I should do! My mother’s suitors scorn me! And now I fear no one in all of Ithaca will aid me in my quest.”

  In a flash, Mentor was at his side. His gray eyes glinting, he spoke plainly: “Telemachus, you have shown this morning that you indeed have a bit of your father’s strength and courage. So I will help you on your journey. Think no more of the wicked ones who stand in your way. Believe me, on their day, they will pay for their rude disrespect. Return home, pack wine and provisions for your voyage to Nestor’s island of Pylos. I will find men to sail with you. I will find the best ship and launch it upon the sea.”

  Telemachus thanked Mentor, and with great haste, he returned alone to his father’s estate. When he arrived there, he found the suitors slaughtering goats and pigs in the courtyard.

  They jeered at Telemachus as he passed by. “Boaster!” “Pretender!”

  Telemachus ignored them and went straight to the storeroom where Odysseus kept his gold and bronze, and his finest clothes and oils and wines. Day and night, the storeroom was watched over by Telemachus’ old nursemaid, Euryclea.

  Telemachus now sought help from Euryclea. He asked her to pour wine into kegs and barley meal into bags.

  “Keep these provisions hidden till nightfall,” he told the old woman. “When it grows dark, I will collect them and take them to a ship that waits for me. I am sailing to Pylos tonight in search of news of my father. Promise not to tell my mother for at least ten days. If she knows my plan, she will try to stop me.”

  Euryclea cried out in distress. “Please do not go, my boy! These wicked men will be angry when they learn that you have left! They will find you and murder you!”

  “No, I will be safe,” Telemachus assured the old woman, “for this is the will of the goddess Athena. She is helping me.”

  Indeed, even as Telemachus spoke to Euryclea, the gray-eyed goddess was moving quickly about the city. Disguised as Telemachus himself, she found twenty good men to row his ship to Pylos.

  When evening came and the streets were dark, Athena put a ship upon the sea and equipped it with all it needed for sailing. Then, disguised again as Mentor, she met the crew as they arrived at the dock.

  Mentor set each man to work on the ship, then hurried to the house of Odysseus and put a spell of sleep upon all who were there, except Telemachus.

  Still in the guise of Mentor, Athena called to him from the great hall. “Your men and your ship are at the port. Let us go.”

  Telemachus hurried after Mentor. When he came to the shore, he found the crew of twenty waiting for him. With dignity and calm, the son of Odysseus gave them their orders: “Make haste to my house. Wake not a soul. No one else knows of our plan. Bring our provisions down to the shore.”

  Telemachus’ crew quickly did as he ordered. Soon they were ready to cast off their anchor and set sail. Telemachus and Mentor took their seats in the stern of the vessel.

  From the bright gray eyes of the goddess came a western wind. It rippled over the sea.

  “Catch the ropes! Hoist the sail!” Telemachus called.

  The crew lifted the mast and hauled up a white sail.

  The wind blew full blast, and a dark wave sent the ship on its way. The men poured wine to honor the gods, most especially Athena, mighty daughter of Zeus.

  Little do they know, thought Telemachus, that the goddess herself sails with us tonight.

  FIVE

  THE SEARCH

  From dark till dawn, Telemachus’ ship sped on its way toward King Nestor’s island of Pylos.

  Just as the sun was rising above the sea, the ship reached its port
. A great crowd was gathered on the beach. They were offering sacrifices to Poseidon, lord of the seas.

  The crew lowered their sail. Mentor ordered them to stay aboard, while he and Telemachus went ashore in search of King Nestor.

  As they walked together, Mentor offered advice to the young man: “Do not be shy before the king,” he said. “Ask him for news of your father—is he dead? And if so, where is he buried? Beg him to tell you the truth, for he is wise and powerful beyond all men.”

  Telemachus drew back, afraid to approach such a great man. King Nestor had been a fearless warrior and sailor, a master horseman, and a killer of giants. Most of all, he was known for his great wisdom and judgment.

  “Do not worry,” said Mentor. “Heaven will prompt you. Believe me when I tell you that the gods have been with you since the moment of your birth.”

  Hearing these words, Telemachus gathered his courage. When he and Mentor reached the crowd on the shore, they saw Nestor sitting with his seven sons as others prepared a great feast.

  Two of Nestor’s sons rushed forward to welcome the two strangers to their island. They invited them to sit on soft sheepskins. They served them meat on silver platters and wine in golden cups.

  When Mentor and Telemachus had finished eating and drinking, Nestor approached them. “It is proper to ask questions of guests only after they have had their fill of food and wine,” he said. “So now that you have feasted with us, tell me: Who are you? From what land have you sailed? Are you traders or pirates?”

  Mentor nodded to Telemachus, encouraging him to speak boldly.

  “We come from Ithaca, the island once ruled by the brave Odysseus,” Telemachus said. “We come in search of news of him. We want to learn of his fate when he sailed for home after the Trojan War. Please, tell us what you know. Do not soften the story. I must know the truth, for I am his son.”

  Nestor gasped with astonishment. “I can hardly believe my eyes,” the old man said. “But now that you tell me who you are, I see that you indeed look very like your father, Odysseus. I will tell you all I know of his journeys and adventures.

  “When we set sail from Troy, Athena was angry with some of the Greeks for defiling her temple in the heat of battle. At her bidding, Zeus scattered our fleet and flung our ships far away from each other on the open seas. I finally found my way back home, but knew nothing of the fate of my comrades. I could not say who had been saved or who had been lost. All I know of their fates is what I have since learned in the halls of my own palace. I am sorry, but no news of your father has ever come to me.”

  Telemachus sighed with despair. Then he told his father’s old friend about the suitors who had invaded his home and were stealing his father’s provisions.

  Nestor was silent for a moment. He seemed deep in thought. Finally he spoke in a soft, steady voice.

  “I will tell you what you should do now,” he said. “Go to the palace of King Menelaus and beautiful Queen Helen. Menelaus was the last to arrive home from the Trojan War. He has traveled to many lands. Beg him to tell you all he knows. He will not deceive you.”

  Telemachus thanked Nestor for his counsel. Then Nestor invited Telemachus and Mentor to rest at his house for the night. “The son of mighty Odysseus and his friend need not sleep on the deck of a ship tonight!” he said.

  Mentor stood up. “Thank you, but I fear I must return to our ship and take care of our crew. Telemachus will stay and sleep in your home. Please, lend him your swiftest horses and finest chariot, so that he might travel to the palace of Menelaus tomorrow.”

  Then, with these words, Athena suddenly took her leave—not as Mentor, but in the winged shape of a mighty eagle.

  All who saw the sight were struck dumb with amazement. Nestor gasped and grabbed Telemachus’ hand. “My friend,” he said, “you travel with the gods themselves! I believe your friend was in truth the gray-eyed daughter of Zeus!”

  Nestor prayed to Athena and promised to sacrifice a prized heifer in her honor. Then the old man led Telemachus to a lofty room of his palace where his servants had prepared a comfortable bed.

  Telemachus rose early the next morning. He was bathed and anointed with oil. Then, dressed in a fine tunic and cloak, he left the palace of King Nestor to begin his journey.

  Again, all who saw Telemachus were amazed, for he looked like a young god.

  Nestor ordered that his swiftest horses be yoked to his finest chariot. He ordered his servants to pack provisions of meat, bread, and wine. Then he bade his youngest son to travel with Telemachus to the palace of King Menelaus.

  The two young men climbed into the chariot. Nestor’s son took hold of the reins and snapped them sharply, and the team of horses galloped away.

  All day the horses sped like the wind over the plains. When the sun went down and darkness spread over the land, they rested.

  The next morning as dawn showed her rosy fingers in the sky, the two young men yoked the horses again and flew through fields of wheat and corn.

  Again, the swift horses galloped all day. At nightfall, they came to a palace deep in a valley, the home of King Menelaus and beautiful Queen Helen.

  SIX

  THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA

  The horses stopped at the gate of the palace. Telemachus and Nestor’s son could hear sounds of a celebration coming from inside.

  Servants greeted the two strangers at the gate. The young men were welcomed and treated as grandly as royal visitors. Telemachus knew that this was the custom of all the Greeks. Wandering travelers received the greatest courtesy, for a man never knew when he himself might be a stranger in another’s house.

  Servants washed and anointed the two young men with sweet-smelling oil. They gave them the finest purple robes. Then they led them into the great hall.

  Telemachus marveled at what he saw there. The splendor seemed greater than that of the sun or the moon.

  Telemachus and Nestor’s son were seated near the king. They were served rich foods and golden goblets filled with wine.

  “Welcome,” said King Menelaus. “Have your supper; then you shall tell me who you are and from where you have come.”

  As Telemachus ate, he looked about the great hall. The room gleamed with bronze, gold, and amber, and with ivory and silver.

  “This palace seems like the very home of Zeus,” he whispered to his friend.

  King Menelaus overheard Telemachus’ words. “Ah, I must not be compared with a god of Olympus,” he said. “After the Trojan War, I traveled to many countries and gathered many treasures. But none of them take away the sorrow I still feel for my comrades who were slain by the Trojans, or who died on their voyages home.

  “There is one I grieve for more than all the rest, for I have heard how his family still aches for his return. His mother died of her grief. His wife and his father have nearly gone mad with sorrow. Even his son mourns night and day for him, though the boy was but a babe when his father sailed away to war.”

  Telemachus covered his face to hide his tears. The king had perfectly described the family of Odysseus.

  At that moment, Queen Helen came down from her perfumed room and entered the hall. Looking as beautiful as the most exquisite goddess, she took her seat beside the king.

  “Who are these strangers?” she asked her husband. “Does not one of them look remarkably like the great Odysseus?”

  Nestor’s son nodded. “Indeed, this is the son of Odysseus,” he said. “He is shy in your presence. My father, Nestor, has sent me with him to seek news of his father. In all Ithaca there is no one to help him fight the injustices he faces.”

  Menelaus was greatly moved to learn the identity of his young guest.

  “Your father was much loved,” he told Telemachus.

  Then the king and queen, Telemachus, and even the son of Nestor wept for the lost warrior.

  “He was a great warrior,” said Helen. “When I was held captive in Troy, it was his bravery and cunning that rescued me.”

  “Aye,” said
Menelaus. “I remember well how he dared to hide in the great wooden horse. Under the cover of night, he unlocked the gates of Troy, so we could lay siege to the city.”

  Telemachus nodded. “Your Majesty, my father was very brave indeed,” he said sadly, “but all his courage and cunning could not save him from his fate. Let us go to our beds now and seek peace from this sorrow in sleep.”

  Queen Helen ordered her maids to make beds for the guests in the gallery of the palace. Servants led the two young men from the great hall by torchlight and offered them blankets and fine woolen gowns. Weary from their long journey, Telemachus and the son of Nestor finally lay down to rest.

  Before dawn, Menelaus rose and went to the place where Telemachus slept. He woke the young man and spoke softly to him. “Tell me exactly why you came to see me in my palace,” he said. “How can I help you?”

  Telemachus told the king about the suitors who had greedily moved into his father’s home.

  “If your father knew this,” said Menelaus, “he would tear them to pieces.”

  “Do you have news of him?” asked Telemachus. “Can you tell me anything? Pray, do not soften your words.”

  “I will tell you what I know,” said the king. “There is an island in the sea near Egypt where many voyagers stop to rest before sailing on. My ship landed there after the war. I was lost and did not know if any of my comrades had journeyed safely back home. One day, while I was wandering alone, a sea nymph told me to speak to her father, the Old Man of the Sea.”

  “Who is he?” asked Telemachus.

  “He is a sea god,” said Menelaus. “He is Poseidon’s herdsman, who tends to the seals. There is a time of day when he rises to the surface to count his flocks. To catch him, one must hold him fast, for he can change his shape into many forms. He can be any of the creatures that move about the earth. He can be water or fire. But if you can hold him fast, when he is himself again, you may ask him your questions.”

  “And did you catch this strange sea god?” Telemachus asked with wonder.