HOMER'S ODYSSEY TOLD TO MY STUDENTS OF 1º ESO

ODYSSEY

by Homer Odysseus travel back home after Troys War

TOLD TO THE STUDENTS OF 1st ESO IESO SIERRA LA MESTA SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021

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THE WAR IS FINISHED. ODYSSEUS GOES OUT FROM TROY

My name is Odysseus. Some people call me

Ulysses. This is my story after the war in Troy. It's a story of ten years, sailing on the Mediterranean Sea. We, the Greek, won the war against Troy.

My invention, a wood horse, to come into the fortress of Troy. I am a hero for Greece. But now I go back to my home in the isle of Ithaca.

My wife -Penelope- and my son -Telemachus- are waiting for me. But the Gods don't want to help me. This is my story!

Everything starts when I visit the Cycons. We want to take some “presents” for our families and we attack the Cycons and rob them. The Gods don't like this and they throw a huge terrible storm over our ship. For ten days and ten nights the ships are at the mercy of the tempest.

THE LAND OF THE LOTUS-EATERS

Finally we are exhausted after fighting against the

Mediterranean sea. Where are we? Very far from home, very far from Ithaca. This is the coast of Africa. Who are these men? They are eating lotus flowers. Some men are sleeping. They only eat flowers, flowers of lotus. They are doing nothing. Only eat and sleep.

I'm telling my men not to eat these flowers, but some of them eat the flower and they fall asleep. They don't want to go back to the ship, they don't want to work. They want to eat and sleep. This flower is very sweet like honey.

But there is another important problem for those who eat the lotus flower, they can't remember the past. They don't remember their families, their friends, their land. They only want to sleep and dream with the lotus flower.

Fortunately, most of my sailors don't eat the lotus flower and they come back to the ship. Let's try to get back to Ithaca, our home, if the Gods let us.

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POLYPHEMUS. THE CYCLOPS

My ship arrives in the Isle of the Cyclopes. They are big people with only one eye in the middle of the forehead. The island is very fine: there is all we need to follow our travel back home to Ithaca.

It's a green and pleasent island.

The Cyclopes live happily here. They milk the wild goats and the sheep and have everything the country gives.

We decide to explore the island and, near the volcano, my men discover a cave, a very big cave full of milk, cheese and meat from goats. They are hungry and start to eat and take cheese for them. Suddenly, a huge Cyclops appears. He is ugly, tall as a big tree, strong, he has got only one eye and asks with a thunder voice: - “Who are you?, Are you merchants or robbers? My name is Polyphemus, the owner of this cave and my father is Poseidon, God of the Sea” - No we aren't robbers. We are soldiers. We come from the war in Troy and we need some food.

That's what I say friendly. But Poliphemus, is not friendly and starts eating some of my men. Oh no! We can't escape. Polyphemus is blocking the door of the cave with a huge rock.

We can't move it. It's very heavy. Fortunately, Polyphemus falls asleep and we cry with horror. We are his next meal.

What can we do? Polyphemus goes out to milk the goats and sheep. I have an idea. I find a big stake. When Polyphemus comes back we invite him to drink our wine, a lot of wine and finally he falls asleep again. We can't kill him because we can't move the big rock.

So I stab the stake in fire in his only eye. He cries in horror and he asks: - Who are you?, Who is doing me this?

- Nobody! My name is Nobody! Remember, I am Nobody The other Cyclopes are coming to help Polyphemus and they ask - Who does you stab a stake in your eye?

- Nobody!!! It's Nobody!!!

- Ok! It is nobody, no problem, you are a fool. Goodbye!

Polyphemus thinks we are out of the cave and he moves the heavy rock and now we can escape to our ship. But, don't forget that Polyphemus is son of Poseidon,The God of the Sea and he punishes us for what we are doing with his son Polyphemus.

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HOW WE ARRIVE TO THE LESTRYGONES LAND?

we arrive to a small island with a volcano. This is the home of Aeolus, The God of the Winds. Aeolus is an old good God. He has all the winds.

He wants to help us to go back to Ithaca and gives me A present, a leather bag with all the winds except the West Wind. We thank Aeolus for this present and we sail again back to Ithaca. I don't want to sleep and I have the Bag of the Winds with me all the time.

Now we are very near Ithaca. We can see Ithaca in the horizon. Now I can sleep because I'm very tired. While I am sleeping, some of my men think that there are treasures and jewels in this bag, and they open it. Now all the winds are again free and another huge storm appears.

Oh no, we are lost again!!!

We land in a coast with very strange people. They are bigger than the Cyplopes but they treat us kindly. But what is this surprise? Some of my men are the dinner!!! They cannibals and we lose some men. Fortunately we escape from them, they destroy all the ships except my ship.

We are losing sailors, the winds and the way home. Once I heard of a witch. She lives in an island near here. Will she help me?

CIRCE PLEASE, HELP US !

Circe lives in the Island of Eea. She is a witch and I think she can help us to go back

home to Ithaca. I stay on the ship and some men go to explore and find her Palace. When they arrive, Circe is very nice with the sailors and invite them to a big dinner.

One of my men come to me horrified. He could escape from Circe and tells me that Circe is turning all the men into pigs.

I hurry to help my men, but, on my way, the good God Hermes stops me and gives me “moly”, an herb to protect me from the enchantmen of Circe.

Circe tries to turn me into a pig too, but she can't.

In fact, I think Circe is falling in love with me. We stay with her until she tells me how to go back to Ithaca.

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SIRENS AND MONSTERS

Finally, Circe tells me the way back home to Ithaca. She understands we must go with

our families. She tells me the best route, but she advices me of two perils: the sirens and the monsters.

But before, I pass through the Averno, the Land of the Dead. There, the ancient soothsayer Tiresias tells me that one day I will be back to Ithaca.

We must pass very near the Isle of the Sirens.

They are women with bird and fish body and their singing is so sweet that nobody can resist to go with them if you listen. I really want to listen to their songs, but if I listen to them I never go back home to Ithaca. So I tell my sailors to tie me to the main-mast of my ship.

We save this peril. The problem now is two monsters: Scilla and Carybdis. I prefer not to tell to my men. They can be horrified and jump from the ship.

Scilla is a big monster with twelve legs and six heads. It is barking day and night as a mad dog. The heads of Scilla eat every creature near her cave.

Carybdis is a sea monster. It lives under the sea and absobs every ship or creature passing near it.

“Dont pass very near Scilla and avoid Carybdis, it absorbs water three times a day, Scilla is no mortal, so don't fight it”, Circe advised me.

I try to do it, but it is impossible not to lose some men.

At last, we are on our way back home to Ithaca, but we have a rest on an island where we find excelent cows to get meat. But I remember another advice of Tiresias in the Averno, “Don't take the Cows of that green island, because they belong to Helios, the Sun God” But it's late. My men are killing and eating some of these sacred cows. There is nothing we can do, but resist the fury of Zeus, the God King, and, on the sea, another terrible stom ends up with all my men, except me.

Now I am alone, far from home.

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ALONE IN CALYPSO'S ISLAND

Seven years. I live with the nymph Calypso in her Island for seven long years. All my men are dead. My ship is desetroyed. The sea put me here.

Calypso is very nice with me. She takes care of me and she loves me. But I am sad, very sad. I cry everyday thinking of Penelope -my wife- and Telemachus -my son-. I tell Calypso that I want to go back home to Ithaca. The Goddess Athene appears and tells Calypso to help me go back home. My punishment is over. Calypso gives me an axe and I make a raft to sail the sea. She sews a sailcloth to help me. Athene is protecting me, I trust in her.

But... is it all over?

NAUSICAA AND THE PHAECIANS

Poseidon hates me for what I did to his son Polyphemus. I fight against the sea, but

my raft is destroyed ...again. I still trust in the Goddess Athene and Hermes, the messanger of the Gods. They are protecting me.

Finally, I arrive to a unknown beach. There, a beautiful girl is having a bath. She is Nausicaa, the daughter of the King of the Phaecians. She gives me some food, water and some clothes to wear and takes me to the Palace of her father King Alcinoo.

They are nice with me and I tell all my story and all my travel from Troy. They consider me a hero and decide to help me. Ithaca is not far from this land.

The king prepares a new ship for me, sailors and food and new clothes for the travel. Probably, Athene is winning and Poseidon has nothing to do.

But nothing is so easy. It's twenty years since I am out of my home in Ithaca: ten years fighting in Troy and ten years sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. Will everybody recognise me as the King of Ithaca?

Do they think I am dead? What about my wife and my son?

Now, I am arriving to Ithaca, but...

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WHILE ODYSSEUS IS AWAY

My name is Telemachus, son of Odysseus, King of Ithaca and Penelope, Queen of

Ithaca, my father is away for twenty years. Is he dead or alive?

I was a very little boy when my father went to the war in Troy. Now I am a man, but still I am sad for my father, although I hardly remember him.

Do you know who are all these people at the door of our house? They are Lords and Princes and they want to marry my mother, because they say that Odysseus is dead.

But I know that he is alive. The Goddess Athene tells me that she is protecting him. She says he is alive and soon he will be here.

These Lords and Princes are waiting for Penelope.

They ask - “Do you want to marry me? I am the best, better than Odysseus” My mother is very tired and she tells them that she will tell the answer when she finishes to weaving a robe for her next husband. She weaves during the day, but at night, when everybody is sleeping, she unweaves the cloth and never finishes it.

While they are waiting, they eat, drink and sleep near the Palace and fight between them to show that they are stronger and better than the others.

I don't know how long my mother can resist.

- “Go out, everybody! My father is alive and he is coming back!”, -I cry in anger.

Everybody starts laughing, everybody except my mother who still has hope. One of these men say: - “Odysseus is not alive, but if he is alive we will kill him when he arrives”.

- “My father is alive and I am going to take a ship and find my father” -I said with determiantion.

Now I am at the sea looking for my father Odysseus, but the Goddess Athene is telling me to go back to Ithaca.

Something important is going to happen.

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HOME AGAIN

Oh, is this my land? No, it's very different. Is it a trick of King Alcinoo? I can't see anything, because it's very foggy here. I see a young boy and I ask him: - “Hey boy! Where am I? Is this Ithaca?”

- “You probably come from very far, don't you know the famous Ithaca?”

But this boy is the Goddess Athene disguised as a young Shepard and she told me all that is happening in Ithaca and in my Palace and with my family.

- You can't appear as a King, I transform you into a begger, go to your pig-breeder and wait for me.

What a surprise when I see Athene come with a young lad Is he Telemachus, my son? I present as his father. He doesn't believe me at the beginning, but the Goddess Athene turns me again as a King.

Now I must go to my palace and recover my life. I turn again as a beggar. I can't go as King Odysseus. When I come, all these men throw me food as if I am a dog. They treat me very badly. Penelope, tells her servants to take care of me, but she doesn't know who I am.

The men discover the trick of Penelope and she has to give a final answer. She says: - “This is the Odysseus bow. The man who can tense it and passes the arrow through the eye of the twelve axes is my next husband and new King of Ithaca.

One by one are trying to tense the bow, but nobody can. It's very hard. This is my moment. Everybody laughs because the beggar is taking the bow. Surprisingly, I tense the bow and pass the arrow through the eyes of the twelve axes.

Then, with the same bow, I kill them one by one, asking me for mercy and pardon.

Penelope, Telemachus and me are a family again and now I can say that I am home again.

THE END

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ODYSSEY

by Homer Odysseus travel back home after Troys War

TOLD TO THE STUDENTS OF 1st ESO IESO SIERRA LA MESTA SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021 TEXTO: FRANCISCO JAVIER CARMONA CAMARERO

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