Week 3 Story: Homer's Odyssey

Odysseus and the Sirens

(Photo found on Wikipedia)

Odysseus laid in bed staring at the ceiling. It’s been 5 years since the Trojan War and his devastating return home. He lost his most loyal men and now he mourns the death of his wife. They had no children together so now he’s all alone. Tears fill his eyes, he becomes fed up.

“I must do something. I can’t just sit here and wait for death to find me.” He yelled to himself angrily.

Odysseus plots to take revenge on everything that has taken away the people he loved. “I’ll start with the Sirens. They will be the hardest to defeat. Surely if I can get past their enchantment, I can get through anything.”

He runs through his village. He is panting and sweating. The people stop what they’re doing to look at him. He begins to explain to his people about his plans. “This won’t be easy and you might not survive,” he admits. But he asks any man who lost a father, brother, or nephew to a Siren, Cyclopes or any other creature and if they have, they have the opportunity to seek revenge.  Dozens of men eagerly volunteer. Odysseus smiles proudly.

“We leave at dawn. Say goodbye to your families, for it may be the very last time.”

Dawn approaches and Odysseus uncovers a massive ship he was gifted when he returned from the Trojan War. His people thought of him as a hero. Man after man began to show up to help Odysseus prepare the ship. By the time they were ready to set sail, three dozen men were on the ship.

“We will first take on the Sirens, this will be our toughest tasks. When I tell you so you must put earwax into your ears so you don’t fall for the enchantment. We must silence them as quickly as possible or it will be deadly and we would have done all of this for nothing.”

The men listen as he goes on "you over there" he points at a group of men, "you will hold the Siren's down, and you over there" he points at another group of men "you will quickly, without hesitation slit their throats. All this must happen before they can open their mouths and you will not take the wax plugs out until they are dead."

The men cheer and they set sail as the sun rises. The men were busy working on tasks that would keep the ship moving. Men sharpened tools, other men trained to be stronger, faster, better. They slept in shifts that way eyes would be looking out at all times in case there was any unforeseen dangers. The sun began to set and Odysseus spotted then Sirens’ island.

“Plug your ears sailors.” The men did as he commanded.

As soon as they approached the island 10 men ran out to cover the mouths of the 5 sirens that occupied the island. With wax stuffed in their ears, they could not hear a thing. One man held the Siren down as the other covered her mouth and tied each one up. They slaughtered the Sirens and sacrificed them to the gods.  The men took off their earplugs and listened. Total silence. The men cheered in victory.

The men camped out on the Sirens’ island that evening. They lit a fire and found a plethora of resources for food and weapons. They feasted all night and played music. Odysseus snuck off to explore the island to see if he could find anything of use. He heard a noise.

He looked over into the bushes and saw the top of a head. He didn’t say a word. He walked slowly and silently towards the figure. As he got slower, the figure’s breathing got louder. He grabbed the figure and put a knife to its throat.

“Please don’t! I’m not like my sisters.” The figure, a Siren, begged.

“Who are you sisters?”

“You killed them.”

“You’re a Siren?” Odysseus holds up his knife in defense.

“Your knife won’t hurt me unless your ears are plugged.” She taunted him.

“What’s your name?” He demanded.

“Leucosia. You don’t have to kill me. I don’t want to kill you.”

“You’re a Siren. It’s what you do, why should I believe you.” Still holding the knife towards her.

“I don’t want to eat mortals. I want to live peacefully with them.”

Odysseus drops his sword and they begin talking. She shows Odysseus around the island, her favorite spots and where to get the best fruit.

The night gets later and she tells him tales of the island and how Sirens came to be. They talk until they fell asleep. They wake up to hear Odysseus’ men yelling for him. They find the pair and all swords are drawn. Two of the men snatch Leucosia and hold their swords to her neck.

“Don’t hurt her!” He yells.

“But sir, she’s one of them,” one of his men called.

“I don’t care. I said do not hurt her!”

The men let her go and they step back.

"She is not an enemy."

“He’s under her enchantment!” The men yelled.

The men grabbed Odysseys as he tried to fight back but there were too many men. They took him back to the ship, while the other stayed back. He watched as they held her down. Odysseus and Leucosia lock eyes and one of the men slit her throat as they did with her sisters. Odysseus cried out.

All the men flooded back onto the ship with all the materials they gathered from the island and sailed away as fast as possible. They thought the further away they could get, Odysseus would fall out of enchantment. But sat on his knees with his hands in his palms, full of guilt. The men decided they could not go on this journey if Odysseus was not in the right state of mind so they turned the ship around and headed back to Ithaca.

Author's note: Homer's Odyssey is about Odysseus' journey back to Ithaca from the Trojan War. He encounters Cyclopeses, Circe the witch, the Sirens, Scylla and lost many men. The readings are only books 9-12 of the poem. When he returns home, he is the only one that survives. I decided start my story further into the future. He lost all his men in Homer's Odyssey and my story begins with his wife just passing. He is angry and decides to take revenge on those who took his men, he decided that the Sirens will be his first targets because he believes they will be the toughest and if he defeats them, then surely he can defeat the rest of his hit list. However, he reaches the island of Sirens, and things take a turn when he meets the ever so friendly Siren, Leucosia. This doesn't tie very closely with Greek mythology, I just thought it'd be an interesting twist. 

Bibliography. Homer. Homer's Odyssey. Web Source.