6 Odysseus Continues His Tale

CHAPTER 6 Odysseus Continues His Tale THE MAGICAL BAG OF WINDS "Soon we reached a peaceful island that floated on top of the sea. The island's elder, Aeolus, was a generous host. He let us rest, and gave us food and water. I told him our sad tale of roaming the seas on our way back home. He felt pity for us and wanted to help. Aeolus presented me with a magical sack made of leather. He told me he had captured

the roaring winds and tied them up in the sack. Zeus had made him captain of the winds. He could stir or still each of them when he wanted. "Before he gave me the sack, he tied it so tightly. Not even a tiny puff of air could escape. He only allowed the fair West Wind to blow. It was to take us home smoothly. Aeolus told me to keep it safe and near me at all times. I was not to tell my crew what was in the bag. I agreed, and we sailed on our way. "We sailed for ten days. I kept my eye on that bag of winds the whole time. It was exhausting, but I didn't want to take any chances. Soon we came so close to Ithaca that we could see the smoke rising from our own chimneys. I finally relaxed and closed my eyes for a minute. "This was another mistake. As soon as I

had begun to sleep, my men let their curiosity about the sack take over. One of them took it from my side. He thought it contained treasure that I was hiding from the crew. He tore open the sack, and the winds rushed out. This great mistake caused a terrible storm. The winds thrashed about, howling in our ears. They carried us, weeping terribly, back out to sea. All the way back, in fact, to the island we had come from. "Aeolus was shocked when we returned. 'What happened?' he asked. 'I took great pains to get you home.' "I told him my men, and cruel sleep, had ruined me. I begged him to give us another bag of winds, but he refused. 'Clearly you are cursed by the gods,' he said. "We moved on, without his help." THE GODDESS CIRCE

"Next I will tell you about the goddess Circe now, this is quite a tale!" Odysseus said. "We finally arrived at another island and anchored nearby. My crew and I were terribly worn out. Our bodies and minds were tired. After getting a good night's sleep on the ship, I sent half of my men to shore. I asked them to come back and report what they saw. "They found a small stone house. Fierce wolves and mountain lions prowled around the outside. But instead of attacking my men, the animals wagged their tails as if they were friendly puppies. The creatures rubbed their noses lovingly against the sailors. It seemed that someone had tamed them with magic. "When they knocked on the door of the goddess Circe, she welcomed the men. All trusted and followed her—all except for my first mate, who was leading the mission. He suspected trouble.

"He was right. Circe fed the men a great feast of cheese, honey, bread, and olives. But she had dropped a sleeping potion onto the food. When my men became sleepy, she used her magic to turn them into pigs! She locked them up in a pen and ignored their squealing. "My first mate was the only one who didn't eat. He ran back to the ship to tell me what had happened. He was too afraid to return, so I went. As I entered the forest surrounding Circe's house, I met Hermes with his golden wand. He was in the form of a young man. "He gave me a special herb—a black root with a white flower. If I ate the herb, it would protect me from Circe's spells. Hermes also told me how to respond when she tried to charm me. "'When she waves her magic wand at you,' he said, 'draw your sword and spring

forward. Pretend you are going to kill her. She will be frightened but will respect you. She will ask you to stay and be her companion. You must not refuse her, for you want her to set your men free. But you must make her promise that she will not cause any more trouble.' "And so I ate the herb and went to Circe's house," Odysseus continued. "When I knocked on Circe's door, she let me in. She gave me a goblet of drink. I knew it was poisoned, but I drank it anyway. The herb would protect me. "Then she waved her wand. She may have been trying to turn me into a pig. I rushed at her with my sword. She screamed, fell to the ground, and clasped my knees. "'Who and what are you?' she asked, amazed. 'How can it be that my magic has no power over you? You are spell-proof.