Penelope's test

I then took my bow in my hand. I drew my fist of cruel head of an arrow for Antinous just as he leaned to lift his drinking cup. My arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat. He fell to the ground. The suitors jostled in an uproar down the hall. The suitors went to get weapons and shields, but there wasn’t any. Me and my son hid them all. I finally came out and let the people know that me, the begger, was really Odysseus. Eurymachus then said,” Antinous is dead now. Spare your own people. As for ourselves, we’ll make restitution of wine and meat consumed, and add, each one, a tithe of twenty oxen with gifts of bronze and gold to warm your heart. Meanwhile we cannot blame you for your anger.” I didn’t want that to happen. I was going to kill until the score is paid. I told them to fight your way out, or run for it if they think they can escape from death. I was going to kill them all. Me, Telemachus, Eumaeus, Athena, and other faithful herdsman killed all the suitors.

odysseus revenge

I then took my bow in my hand. I drew my fist of cruel head of an arrow for Antinous just as he leaned to lift his drinking cup. My arrow hit him under the chin and punched up to the feathers through his throat. He fell to the ground. The suitors jostled in an uproar down the hall. The suitors went to get weapons and shields, but there wasn’t any. Me and my son hid them all. I finally came out and let the people know that me, the begger, was really Odysseus. Eurymachus then said,” Antinous is dead now. Spare your own people. As for ourselves, we’ll make restitution of wine and meat consumed, and add, each one, a tithe of twenty oxen with gifts of bronze and gold to warm your heart. Meanwhile we cannot blame you for your anger.” I didn’t want that to happen. I was going to kill until the score is paid. I told them to fight your way out, or run for it if they think they can escape from death. I was going to kill them all. Me, Telemachus, Eumaeus, Athena, and other faithful herdsman killed all the suitors.

Penelopes challenge

Penelope says she will marry the man who can string my old bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axhandle sockets. So all the suitors tried to, and failed. I decided to ask for a turn, and gets it. I took my time, turning the bow, tapping it, for borings that termites might have made while the master of the weapon was abroad. I strung the bow in one motion. Then I slid my right hand down the cord and plucked it, it made a vibrating hummed and sang a swallow’s note. It made a clean whistle through ever socket ring. Then I said to my son,” Telemachus, the stranger you welcomed in your hall has not disgraced you.” He dropped his eyes and nodded, and the prince Telemachus, true son of King Odyseus, belted his sword on, clapped hand to his spear, and with a clink and glitter of keen bronze stood by his chair, in the forefront near his father.

penelope

Penelope asked me,” Who are you, where do you come from, of what nation and parents were you born?” Me and her talked for a while. I told her that I have heard of her from far away, and no man in the wide world should have a fault to find you. Penelope then again asks me to her about me. I made up a tale in which I ( Odysseus) is mentioned and declares that Penelops’s husband will soon be home. I tell her that before the crescent moon, Odysseus will come.

the suitors

I was still disguised as a beggar. I went to my home, and entered it. I was confronted by the suitor Antinous. He began shouting at me. He wouldn’t give me some food like all the other suitors did. He said,” What evil wind blew in this pest? These men have bread to throw away on you because it is not theirs. Who cares? Who spares another’s food, when he has more than plenty?” I replied to him,” You sit here, fat on other’s meat and cannot bring yourself to rummage out a crust of bread for me!” I made Antinous angry at me, and he threw a stool at my right shoulder on the packed muscle under the shoulder blade. Penelope heard the blow, and knew who gave it. She said,” Would god you could be hit yourself, Antinous hit by Apollo’s bowshot!”

argus

Argus was my old dog that I trained. When my men and I were out on our journey, nobody took care of Argus for me. They were only women in the house, and they didn’t know how to train a dog or anything. So Argus was outside of the gate, laying on a pile of manure. They abandoned Argus. When Argus heard my voice, he did his best to wag his tail and be happy. Argus was a old dog though, so it was hard. I started to get emotional. I sat there with Argus for a minute. After that me and Eumaeus left, and Argus died. He was happy to see me, but he was an old dog and couldn’t live much longer. He was happy to see his master.

Odysseus returns

After 20 years,  I arrive in Ithaca. Athena was there and told me about the situation at home. People were trying to take the hand of my wife, because they thought I was dead. Penelope was taking care of my palace. She planned to kill my son, Telemachus, before he could get my land.  Telemachus hoped I would return. He journeyed to Pylos and Sparta to learn about my fate. Athena disguises me as a beggar and directs me to the hut of Eumaeus. Then Athena appears to me. Only the dogs and I noticed her. She walked over to me and said,” Son of Laertes and the gods of old, Odysseus, master of land ways and seaways, dissemble to your son no longer now. This time has come: tell him how you together will bring doom on the suitors in the town. I shall not be far distant then, for I myself desire battle.” She took her golden wand and made my cloak pure white and the knit tunic fresh around me. She made me limber and young and no longer did I have a grey beard. The next thing I know my son was thunderstruck. He looked down and away as though it was a god. My son doesn’t think it’s me. I explain to him that I am him and his bitter fortune and his wanderings are mine and that my change of skin was  a charm from Athena. He then throws his arms around me and we cried.  He asks about my journey home. I tell him that I came back to make plans with him to kill our enemies. I tell him to count up all the suitors and let me know. I can tell he is kind of nervous. We come up with a plan. I tell him what he needs to do then I tell him if he’s a son of mine he’s a blood of mine and let no one know what we are doing.