1. SEA PERILS AND DEFEAT—pg 928
Review of Book—11
Odysseus visits the
blind prophet, Teresias,
as a shade in Hades.
Odysseus’ mother is
there, died of grief
because of his long
absence

2. The Odyssey—Book 12 Ody returns to Circe for advice
She warns of the Sirens:
Birdlike women that sing so
sweetly that all men jump
overboard to be with them
The Siren’s coastline is
littered with the bones and
rotting skins of men

3. The Odyssey—Book 12
Circe advises Ody to plug the ears of his oarsmen with beeswax
Odysseus insists on hearing the Siren Song, so Circe tells him to have his men bind him to the ship’s mast

5. The Odyssey—Book 12 Circe warns of the monster Scylla
Scylla has 12 legs
and 6 heads with 3
rows of teeth
She takes one sailor
for each gullet (toll)

6. The Odyssey—Book 12 Circe warns of Charybdis A living maelstrom that
swallows ships whole
Odysseus wants to know
how he can fight against
these monsters
Circe advises him to
row, row, row…

7. The Odyssey—Book 12 Circe also warns Odysseus not to go to
Thrinacia, the island
where Helios’ immortal
cattle graze
Odysseus decides to
tell his men about the
Sirens, but not to tell them
about the other monsters
WHY?

8. The Odyssey—Book 12 The trip past Siren Island goes as planned
Odysseus commands to be untied but his crew does not hear his pleas

9. The Odyssey—Book 12
Why? Did he not trust his sailors? Would you row past a creature that was sure to devour 6 out of 45 sailors? Odd are, three students out of this class would be eaten.
As they near Scylla and Charybdis the men become afraid but Ody calms them with reminders of his guile with the Cyclops (neglecting to mention that this was all his doing)

11. The Odyssey—Book 12
Scylla snatches 6 good men (Epic simile—they are reeled up like mackerel)
They bypass Charybdis and head towards home (Ithaca)

12. The Odyssey—Book 12
Hungry, the men disobey Odysseus and butcher the beeves (cattle) on Helios’ Island of Thrinacia
Once again, Odysseus
was sleeping when this
act occurred
MOO

13. The Odyssey—Book 12
Helios is angry and refuses to pull the sun across the sky until he gets restitution
Zeus appeases him by
striking their ship with a
thunderbolt

14. The Odyssey—Book 12 The ship and crew are lost;
Odysseus is the lone survivor
This episode ends the telling
of his tale to King Alcinous
Over 20 years after Ody left
for Troy