Never Trust a Giant Odysseus next came across a land filled with savage man-eating Giants. The men were warmly welcomed by a Giantess who invited them back to the kingdom for a great feast. Not aware of the other Giants, the men did not know that they were to be the main course. As soon as they reached the palace, the king seized one of the men and devoured him. The others managed to escape and rushed back to their ships. The Giants, in hot pursuit, hurled huge boulders down on top of the ships, causing them to sink, with the exception of Odysseus's ship, which was kept at a distance from the others. The Giants captured the shipwrecked men and took them home to be eaten, and Odysseus's ship was the lone survivor.
Turning Men into Swine Having only one ship remaining, Odysseus landed on an island wary of the dangers he might encounter. Not wanting to risk the entire crew, they drew lots to see who would get to explore the island. Odysseus was left behind. The explorers came upon the witch Circe. She invited them to dine with her but then quickly turned them all to swine. One man, who hung back, was able to escape and told Odysseus what had happened. Determined to save his men, Odysseus went ashore alone. Without a plan, Odysseus luckily ran into Hermes who gave him a magic herb that would protect him from Circe's magic. Circe, unable to transform Odysseus, was at his mercy. He made her swear to not harm him or his crew and to turn the swine back into men. She did as she was told, and, surprisingly, proved to be quite the hospitable hostess.
Terrors of the Sea With all the dangers on land, one would think the sea would be safer. But as we know, Poseidon lay in wait. Odysseus and his crew were coming close to the island of the Sirens. As you recall, the Sirens' beautiful songs enchanted the sailors and made them forget everything but the music. They would lure the sailors to their