Whom does Odysseus first meet in the underworld?
Why did all the souls of the queens appear and come to Odysseus?
How did Anticleia die?
What is the significance of the dark blood and what does it do?
What somewhat comforting news does Odysseus relate to Achilles.
Why does Odysseus quickly sail away?
Odysseus travels to the underworld because the nymph, Circe sends him there on his course home. Odysseus sacrificed a ram, and the dark blood made the ghosts of the dead come to drink the blood. Once they drank the blood, they would tell Odysseus the truth. The first ghost he meets was his companion, Elpenor, who died falling off a roof. Then he found Tiresias, the whole purpose of going to the underworld. Odysseus let him drink the blood then Tiresias told him what was going to happen to him on his journey home. Odysseus sees his mother who died grieving for him and shared tears and conversation. He talks to many other ghosts, but finally leaves in a hurry when the thousands of dead people started gathering around him.
ReplyDeleteOdysseys finally reaches the island where he will call on the dead. He pours libations, and sacrifices a ram, which spills dark blood. This blood draws out the spirits of the underworld. The first spirit that Odysseus speaks with is that of Elphenor, a crewman of his who died on Circes island by falling off the roof. Odysseus then speaks with Tiresias, the prophet who was the primary reason Odysseys came to the island. Then his mother, the queen Anticleia, appears. Anticleia comes to speak with him because she is his mother. She says that she died of heartsickness, missing her son Odysseus. Odysseus is able to tell Achilles about his son, Neoptolemus. Odysseus tells him that Neoptolemus was a brave fighter, and that he was unharmed last Odysseus saw him and was heading home. As his encounter ends, ghosts swarm around him, all demanding information about their loved ones. He flees quickly.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus first meets Elpenor in the underworld. Elpenor was his companion, and he died on Circe's island. Elpenor asks Odyssus to remember him once he reaches home - to burn him in full armor and perform his rites. Afterwards, he speaks to Tiresias, who is the one that he needed to talk to. Anticleia died because she missed Odysseus greatly. The significance of the blood is that when a ghost drinks it, they will tell the truth to Odysseus. When Odysseus meets with Achilles, he tells him of his son, Neoptolemus. Afterwards, Odysseus flees quickly because the ghosts of the dead swarm around him and he becomes frightened.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus first meets his comrade Elpenor. Elpenor ask Odysseus to perform a full burial or facing a haunting ghost. Anticleia, Odysseus' mother, died because of her loneliness and because she missed Odysseus too much. When a ghost drinks the dark blood, they tell the truth to Odysseus. If he doesn't let them they do not tell him anything and go away. When he meets Achilles he tells him of his son and his great success in the Trojan War. He then flees because he gets scared when a horde of ghosts swarm around him and force him to go back to his ship.
ReplyDeleteThe first person Odysseus meets in the underwold is Elpenor, a member of his crew who fell of of Circe's roof and died.After Elpenor, Odysseus is visited by many people. One of those people is his mother, Anticleia. When Odysseus asks her how she died, she says that she died because Odysseus was away from her for so long and that made her extremely sad. The blood is significant because it is what attracts the ghosts to Odysseus and it also makes the ghosts tell the truth. Any ghost who drinks the blood must tell the truth and the blood attracts many ghosts. Another ghost who visits Odysseus is Achilles. Achilles asks Odysseus about his son, Neoptolemus, and Odysseus tells Achilles that the last time he saw Neoptolemus he was unharmed and on his journey home after a fighting bravely. Odysseus sailed away from the underworld quickly because he was starting to be surrounded by many ghosts and he was scared that Persephone would send a monster after him.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus soon reached the underworld after Circe told him to seek the advise of Tiresias. Here, after making a sacrifice, ghosts soon began to gather around him to drink the dark blood, which drew them near. The first ghost he meets is that of Elpenor, one of his crewmembers who died right before Odysseus left for the land of the dead when he fell off of the roof of Circe's palace and broke open his head. Odysseus and his men never gave Elpenor a proper burial with burial rites and this is what Elpenor requests of the king. He tells him to cremate him and leave his ashes on the beach for all to see. Soon after he meets with Tiresias who gives him advise and tells him what to do. After that, the soul of his mother comes up to him. He missed her so much and immediately asks about his family and of the cause of her death. She tells him that everyone is well and that she died because he had been gone so long and she missed him so much. Odysseus continues to meet with many souls, of princesses, queens, kings and many others and he hears all their stories before he hurries off when worried about monsters coming to get him sent by Queen Persephone.
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