ODYSSEY 



4343 



ODYSSEY 



bordering the Danube. Though his parentage 

 is uncertain it is probable that he was the son 

 of Aedico, a chief of the Scyrii. When about 

 thirty years of age Odoacer left his country 

 and entered the service of Italy. In the year 

 17") the Emperor Nepos was driven into exile 

 by the rebel Orestes, who placed his son, a 

 lad of fourteen, on the throne. The new em- 

 peror, Romulus Augustus, as he was called, was 

 a weakling, and Odoacer, who had risen to 

 power and position among the barbarian mer- 

 cenaries, offered the latter one-third of Italy if 

 they would place him on the throne. Orestes, 

 who exercised the real power while his son 

 nominally ruled, was made prisoner and be- 

 headed; Romulus was dethroned, and Odoacer 

 was accepted as king. 



For thirteen years he ruled with undisputed 

 power, and although a barbarian and hated by 

 the native Italians, he ruled them justly and 

 well. He divided one-third of the country 

 among his followers, and to strengthen his po- 

 sition appealed to the Byzantine empire for 

 support and sanction of his rule as king, declin- 

 ing to adopt the higher title of emperor. The 

 Byzantine emperor, Zeno, while pretending to 

 be satisfied with Odoacer's claims and confer- 

 ring on him the title of Patricius, instigated 

 an invasion of Italy by Theodoric, the Ostro- 

 goth king. Odoacer was defeated and retired 

 to Ravenna, which he had chosen as his kingly 

 residence. He agreed to capitulate upon The- 

 odoric's promising to share the kingdom of Italy 

 with him. Inviting him to a banquet to ratify 

 the agreement, Theodoric slew him with his 

 own hand. 



ODYSSEY, od'isi, a famous epic, usually 

 considered the work of the Greek poet Homer, 

 in which are described the wanderings and the 

 MIIUS of Ulysses on his return from the 

 Trojan War. With his followers he set sail, in- 

 truding to return at once to his kingdom of 

 Ithaca, but from the very first troubles and 

 dangers beset him. His ships landed at Is- 

 mania, where lived the Ciconians, a part of 

 whose wealth Ulysses planned to carry off with 

 him; but his followers preferred to engap 

 all sorts of revelry, and while so occupied they 

 were set upon by the Ciconians, and many of 

 ;i were put to death. Leaving Ismarus, 

 thry were driven by a storm to the country of 

 Lotus-Eatero, where some of Ulysses' men 

 (irtrrmmcd to remain, and whence they 

 carried only by force. Sicily was the 

 nrxf. place they approached, and here Ulysses 

 la n< led with twrl\c of his companions, le;i 



the others at an island not far distant. Taking 

 refuge in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, 

 Ulysses outwitted him and put out his one 

 huge eye, but only after several of the Greeks 

 had been devoured. 



By his treatment of the Cyclops Ulysses had 

 won the hatred of Neptune, father of the 

 monster, and his perils on the sea redoubled. 

 At first it seemed as if he was to have respite, 

 for Aeolus, father of the winds, received him 

 kindly at the Aeolian Isle, and gave him a 

 leather bag, in which were shut up all the con- 

 trary winds. These being safely out of the way, 

 the ships were carried by favoring breezes 

 within sight of Ithaca; but the sailors, believ- 

 ing that the huge bag which Ulysses guarded 

 so carefully contained great riches, stole it and 

 opened it, loosing the contrary winds. A storm 

 was the immediate result, and the ships were 

 driven to the land of the cannibal Laestrygo- 

 nes, who put to death many of the followers 

 of Ulysses. Escaping in haste, Ulysses with his 

 remaining men came next to the island of 

 Aeaea, where lived the beautiful enchantress 

 Circe. By her arts she turned most of the 

 companions of Ulysses into swine, and would 

 have made a fox of the crafty leader had he 

 not been aided by Mercury. After tarrying for 

 a year in the enchanted isle, Ulysses went, by 

 the advice of Circe, to the lower regions, where 

 he received suggestions as to his future course. 



Sailing by the island of the Sirens, and pass- 

 ing in safety Scylla and Charybdis, he came to 

 Trinacria, where his companions begged to be 

 allowed to rest. Ulysses consented, first ob- 

 taining their promise that they would not kill 

 any of the sacred cattle of Apollo which were 

 kept on the island. They broke their promise, 

 however, and as a punishment all except Ulys- 

 ses himself were put to death. Saddened and 

 lonely, the leader voyaged to the island of Ca- 

 lypso, where he was forced to remain for eight 

 years, as his ship had been destroyed. Finally 

 Mercury appeared to Calypso and commanded 

 her to let Ulysses go, and to aid him in build- 

 ing a raft. This structure was destroyed by tin- 

 wrath of Neptune, and Ulysses was washed 

 ashore in Phaeacia, where he was discovered by 

 Nausicaa, daughter of the king. After listening 

 to the tale of his wanderings, the king sent him 

 home to Ithaca in a Phaeacian ship. Arriving 



' , he found his wife and son suffering n 

 thr persecutions of the suitors of Penelope, but 

 he speedily overthrew the wicked and greedy 

 youths and established himself once more in his 

 kingdom. 



