Editing Odyssey (section)

=== Books 1-5 ===
Book 1 of ''the Odyssey'' (Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, [ˈɒdɪsi]) begins with the narrator invoking the Muse (Μοῦσα, [mûː.sa], Mousa) for inspiration as he prepares to tell the tale. The story begins ten years after the Trojan War; all of the Greek heroes except Odysseus have returned home. '''Odysseus''' remains on the island of '''Ogygia''' (Ὠγυγίη, Ōgygiē, [ɔːɡyɡíɛː]) with the nymph/goddess '''Calypso''' (Καλυψώ, Kalypsō, [kaˈlypsɔː]), who has fallen in love with him and keeps him prisoner there. Back home in '''Ithaca''' (Ἰθάκη, Ithákē, [iˈθaːkɛː]), his wife '''Penelope''' (Πηνελόπεια, Pēnelópeia, [pɛːnelópeːa]) has to fend off a swarm of suitors who want to take over his kingdom, and his son '''Telemachus''' (Τηλέμαχος, Tēlémakhos, [tɛːléma.kʰos]), barely a man, isn't able to do much to stop them. Everyone thinks it's most likely that Odysseus is dead. 

[[Athena]] travels to Ithaca to speak to Telemachus, disguised as Odysseus' old friend '''Mentes''' (Μέντης, Méntēs, [ˈmentɛːs]); he tells the young man that Odysseus is still alive and will soon return to Ithaca. Athena-as-Mentes advises him to toss all the suitors off his father's estate, and then to undertake a journey to '''Pylos''' and '''Sparta''' in search for word about his father. He runs into Penelope afterward, who is upset at the songs about war heroes and the suffering they experienced upon returning from Troy. Telemarchus shouts at her, reminding her that Odysseus is not the only Greek not to return, and tells her to stay out of the men's quarters where the music is played. 

He tells the suitors that the next day they will hold a meeting and they will be asked to leave the estate; they are astounded. Two are more defiant than the others, '''Antinous''' (Ἀντίνοος, Antínoos, [anˈtí.no.os]) and '''Eurymachus''' (Εὐρύμαχος, Eurýmakhos, [euˈrý.ma.kʰos]), and they demand to know the identity of the visitor who Odysseus had been speaking to just before. Though he suspects the encounter was more meaningful, he claims it was merely his father's old friend who had spoken to him. 

Book 2 begins with the promised assembly - '''Aegyptius''' (Αἴγυπτιος, Aígyptios, [aíɡyptios]), who is a respected Ithacan elder, praises Telemachus for taking the initiative in place of his father, calling the first assembly since the King disappeared. Telemachus speaks after him, telling the crowd that he has lost not only his father but his father's house, as the suitors of his mother have taken it over. He tells them that they have eaten up his father's oxen and sheep, courting Penelope when any decent man would seek out her father ('''Icarius''', Ἰκάριος, Ikários, [iˈka.ri.os]) to ask for his daughter's hand. Antinous blames Penelope; he says she seduces all of them but will commit to none. He tells about how she claimed she would pick a husband after finishing a burial shroud she was weaving for her father-in-law '''Laertes''' (Λαέρτης, Laértēs, [laˈer.tɛːs]); but she would undo all the work she had done in the day each night, making it so that she would never finish. He further says that if she's not going to make a decision she needs to be shipped back to her father who can make her marry someone. Telemachus will not throw his mother out, and calls upon the gods to punish the suitors. Overhead, a pair of eagles locked in combat; the soothsayer Halitherses interprets the event as an omen of Odysseus' return, and tells the suitors that they'll all be killed if they don't leave; they refuse to believe him. Telemachus prepares to undertake the journey given to him by Athena, and she visits him again, still disguised as Mentes, predicting a succesful journey. Then, disguised as Telemachus, she gathers a loyal crew to man his ship, while the real Telemarchus keeps his departure a secret, for fear of upsetting Penelope. He only tells '''Eurycleia''' (Εὐρύκλεια, Eurýkleia, [euˈry.kleː.a], his elderly nurse), who pleads with him not to journey across the open sea, but he assures her that a god is at his side. 

Book 3 starts with a religious ceremony on Pylos where Telemachus and Athena (as Mentes) see dozens of bulls get sacrificed to [[Poseidon]]. Mentes encourages Telemachus, and he approaches the city's king '''Nestor''' (Νέστωρ, Néstōr, [ˈnestɔːr]), to ask him about Odysseus. Nestor says that after Troy fell, Agamemnon and Menelaus grew angry with one another. Menelaus sailed back to Greece immediately, while his brother waited a day to continue sacrifices on Troy's shore. Nestor went with Menelaus, while Odysseus stayed with Agamemnon. Agamemnon returned from Troy and found '''Aegisthus''' (Αἴγισθος, Aígisthos, [ˈa͜ɪgistʰos]), a coward who refused to fight for the Greeks, had seduced and married his wife '''Clythemnestra''' (Κλυταιμνήστρα, Klytaimnḗstra, [klytai̯mnɛ̌ːstra]); she conspired with her lover to murder her returned husband. He tried to steal Agamemnon's throne, but '''Orestes''' (Ὀρέστης, Oréstēs, [oˈrestɛːs]), returning from exile in Athens, killed both his mother and the murderer who dispatched his father. Nestor declares this as an example for Telemachus to follow to reclaim his house from the suitors who had overtaken it, in honor of his father. To assist Telemachus, Nestor sends his son '''Pisistratus''' (Πεισίστρατος, Peisístratos, [peːsístratos]) with him to Sparta, and they go by land the next day. Athena decides to reveal herself before the court at Pylos, transforming from Mentes into an eagle; she stays behind to protect Telemachus' ship and crew. 

In Book 4 the heroes arrive in Sparta, where king '''Menelaus''' and the reclaimed queen '''Helen''' are celebrating the dual weddings of their son and daughter. As soon as they see Telemachus they recognize him as Odysseus' son because of the strong family resemblance. As they feast, they tell Telemachus of his father's many heroic war deeds; for example, how he dressed as a beggar to infiltrate the city's walls. Menelaus tells the story of the <u>Trojan Horse</u> (Δούρειος Ἵππος, Doúreios Híppos, [ˈdoureios ˈhippos]), Odysseus' strategy to sneak Greek soldiers behind the wall and into enemy territory, disguised inside a gift. '''Metis''' (μῆτις, cunning intelligence), as seen in the Trojan Horse strategy, was considered valid for strategy, problem-solving, and survival, particularly in adversarial contexts. The concept is associated with wisdom and shrewdness, qualities attributed to many Greek heroes and gods, most notably Odysseus and Athena. 

He also talks about his own return from Troy; he was for a time stranded in <u>Egypt</u> and there he captured the god '''Proteus''' (Πρωτεύς, Prōteús, [prɔːˈteu̯s]), the fabled Old Man of the Sea, who told him how to get back to Sparta. He also told of the fates of Agamemnon and Ajax, both of whom returned from war alive, but soon died in Greece (Ajax died by suicide, dishonored by the fact that Achilles armor was given to Odysseus instead of him). According to Proteus, Odysseus was still alive, but was a prisoner to the goddess Calypso on her island. The heroes prepare to return to Ithaca with this news. The suitors who were camped out at Odysseus' house heard about Telemachus' return and decided to ambush him. The herald '''Medon''' (Μέδων, Mḗdōn, [ˈmɛːdɔːn]) eavesdrops on their plan and reports them to the queen, who grieves that she might soon lose her son as she had lost her husband. Athena sends a '''phantom''' (φάντασμα, phantasma) disguised as Penelope's sister, '''Iphtime''' (Ἰφθίμη, Iphthímē, [ipʰˈtʰimɛː]), to reassure her. She tells Penelope not to worry, because the goddess will protect her son. The use of a phantom sent as Iphthime to comfort Penelope in her distress illustrates the Greek belief in the power of dreams and visions to convey messages from the gods or deceased persons. These phantoms or apparitions were not necessarily ghosts in the modern sense but could be manifestations sent by the gods to offer guidance, warnings, or comfort. 

In Book 5, all the gods except Poseidon gather on Mount Olympus, and discuss Odysseus. Athena makes a speech urging Zeus to intervene on his behalf; Hermes is sent to Calypso, who is told that she must allow Odysseus to leave (ten years after she took him). Calypso rails against male gods and their double standards, complaining about how male gods can take lovers but female gods are not given the same freedom. Despite her protests, she submits to Zeus; she helps Odysseus build a new boat and stocks it with supplies, and he sails away. He's at sea for 18 days before he sees another island - '''Scheria''', occupied by Phaeacians.  Poseidon, returning from <u>Ethiopia</u>, sees Odysseus sailing away from Calypso's island. Enraged to find Odysseus on the verge of returning home, Poseidon summons a storm to wreck his raft and further delay his journey; the reasons for his rage will become apparent later in the story, but for now it remains unrevealed.  The goddess '''Ino''' rescues him, giving him a veil to keep him safe after his ship is wrecked. Soon Athena too assists, as Odysseus is tossed between sharp coastal rocks until he finds a river that answers his prayers and allows him to swim into its waters to safety, where he can navigate the interior of the island. He tosses his veil back to Ino and finds a place to rest on dry land.