Editing Odyssey (section)

=== Books 11-15 ===
In Book 11, they reach the <u>River of Ocean</u>, in the land of the '''Cimmerians'''. With certain rituals and sacrifices, he calls to the spirits of the dead. The first he sees is a crewmember of his who died on Circe's island in an accident, Elpenor; he begs for a proper burial, his corpse having been left behind as they sailed off. Odysseus then speaks to Tiresias, a blind Theban prophet who finally reveals that Poseidon's fury is the reason for all their ill fate, angry over the blinding of Polyphemus. He prophecies that Odysseus will return home, reclaim his home and wife, and then journey to another distant land to appease the god of the sea. Odysseus also speaks to the spirit of his mother, Anticleia; she tells him about events in Ithaca. He also speaks to numerous heroes and historical figures of the past, taking full advantage of the opportunity presented to him. 

Here the tale goes back to the present, and Odysseus asks his hosts to allow him time to sleep; they are too enthralled and ask him to tell them about any spirits of heroes from the Trojan War that he might have spoken to. He confirms that he spoke with Agamemnon who was murdered by his wife. He met with Achilles, who asked after his son, Neoptolemus. He tried to speak to Ajax, who committed suicide, but he refuses to speak and slips away instead. It's not long before he's surrounded by spirits, who are asking him for news and updates about the land of the living; he becomes overwhelmed and frightened, and hurries back to his ship. 

Book 12 tells of Odysseus' return to Aeaea, where he finally buries '''Elpenor''', sleeps with Circe again, and in so doing earns her advice for the next leg of his journey. The first danger they face is an island occupied by sirens; heeding Circe's advice, Odysseus blocks his men's ears with beeswax to prevent them hearing the song, and he himself is bound to the ship with iron chains so that he can't be swayed. He begs and pleads with his men to set him free so that he can go to the sirens, but they refuse. Once this danger passed, they have to navigate the straits between '''Scylla''' and '''Charybdis'''. Scylla is a many-headed beast who swallows six sailors from each ship that passes (one meal for each head); Charybdis is an enormous whirlpool that swallows entire ships that swerve too close. Circe's advice is to sacrifice six sailors to the beast and avoid the whirlpool, and this is what Odysseus does; and eventually they make it to '''Thrinacia''' (the island of the Sun). 

Though he wants to continue the voyage, Odysseus is convinced by his crew to rest there; they end up stranded there for weeks and eat up all their provisions. Eventually some sailors disobey Odysseus and eat some of the cattle sacred to the Sun, earning again the disapproval of gods (this time Zeus) who creates another storm; this one destroys their ship and kills everyone on board except Odysseus (who only barely survives).  He gets swept all the way back to the whirlpool, Charybdis, and narrowly escapes it again, and on the timbers of his destroyed ship he washes up on '''Ogygia''', the island of Calypso. Here, we are again at the start of our tale, and the narrative-within-a-narrative ends. 

In Book 13, tale finished, present-day Odysseus sails from '''Scheria''' the very next night, and he sleeps through the entire voyage, and is carried onto the island of Ithaca by his Phaeacian crew, while still asleep. Poseidon spots him on Ithaca and is enraged; with Zeus' permission, he turns their ship to stone as it pulled into the harbor at Scheria, and sank to the bottom of the sea. Odysseus soon realizes he doesn't recognize the land he's woken up on, and he blames his allies for dropping him off in the wrong place - but Athena, disguised as a shepherd, tells him that he's actually reached Ithaca after all.  She disguises him as an old vagabond and instructs him to hide out in a swineherd's hut. 

In Book 14 he meets the swineherd, '''Eumaeus''', outside his hut; he invites him inside and feeds him well despite his poverty, and he tells him stories of his old master Odysseus, lamenting that he seems to be lost forever. He lets the disguised Odysseus stay the night and gives him a cloak to protect against the cold. 

Book 15 has Athena traveling to Sparta to meet Telemachus and Pisistratus; she tells the young man to hurry home and warns him of the ambush the suitors have prepared for him there. She tells him to meet up with the swineherd, whom she says will assist him. As he prepares to leave, an eagle swoops down and steals a goose from its pen; Helen interprets this as an omen that Odysseus will soon swoop down and clear his home of its unwanted assembly. Telemachus is about to set sail when the descendant of a famous prophet named '''Theoclymenus''' asks for passage, and he agrees; and further offers him hospitality upon arrival in Ithaca.