After milking his flocks and letting the young feed from their mothers’ udders he curdled half of the milk he had collected and re-lit the fire. Polyphemus returned with firewood, drove the females into the cave to milk and lifted a massive stone to block the entrance. Greek terracotta figurine of Polyphemus reclining and holding a drinking bowl. They lit a fire, ate some of the cheeses and waited for the owner’s return. His men wanted to take the lambs, kids and some cheeses back to their ship and sail away but Odysseus refused, wanting to meet the cave’s owner. Inside they found lambs, kids, cheeses and milking bowls. It was empty as the Cyclopes was tending his sheep in the pastures. With twelve men and a goatskin of excellent wine given to him by the priest of Apollo at Ismarus, because he had protected his family, Odysseus approached the cave. They caught sight of a large cave near the coast where large flocks of sheep and goats were penned at night, some distance away from anyone else.

On the next day Odysseus and his crew sailed over to the mainland to investigate whether the Cyclopes were friendly or hostile, leaving the crew of his other ships behind. They could see the smoke from the fires of the Cyclopes and could hear them talking and their sheep and goats bleating. Odysseus and his men beached their ships in the safe harbour of the island where the wild goats lived and they spent the next day hunting these and feasting and drinking the wine taken from the Cicones.

(c) Steven LekĪlthough their land and a nearby island, inhabited by large numbers of wild goats, are very fertile they do not farm nor do they have craftsmen to build ships nor assemblies to make laws but they live independently in caves. Some of his men ate the lotus fruit which made them forget their journey home so they were forcibly brought back to their ships and Odysseus and his men quickly sailed on, landing next in the land of the Cyclopes, one-eyed giants.Ī head of a Cyclops, 1st c. They set sail again for nine days, still driven by strong winds, and then landed in the land of the Lotus Eaters.

Zeus sent a storm and they rowed to land and sheltered for two days. He then described his journey from Troy: they had sailed first to Ismarus, home of the Cicones, which they plundered, but Odysseus’ men lingered too long and the Cicones summoned their inland neighbours who attacked Odysseus and his men, killing a number of them. Odysseus told Alcinous his story beginning with his name and his home on Ithaca. Book I Book II Book III Book IV Book V Book VI Book VIIīook VIII Book IX Book X Book XI Book XII Book XIII Book XIV Book XV Book XVI Book XVII Book XVIII Book XIX Book XX Book XXI Book XXII Book XXIII Book XXIV

Book 9 the odyssey