"ἔνθ᾽ ἦ τοι Ζέφυρος μὲν ἐπαύσατο λαίλαπι θύων,

ἦλθε δ᾽ ἐπὶ Νότος ὦκα, φέρων ἐμῷ ἄλγεα θυμῷ,

ὄφρ᾽ ἔτι τὴν ὀλοὴν ἀναμετρήσαιμι Χάρυβδιν.

παννύχιος φερόμην, ἅμα δ᾽ ἠελίῳ ἀνιόντι

ἦλθον ἐπὶ Σκύλλης σκόπελον δεινήν τε Χάρυβδιν.430

ἡ μὲν ἀνερροίβδησε θαλάσσης ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ·

αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ ποτὶ μακρὸν ἐρινεὸν ὑψόσ᾽ ἀερθείς,

τῷ προσφὺς ἐχόμην ὡς νυκτερίς. οὐδέ πῃ εἶχον

οὔτε στηρίξαι ποσὶν ἔμπεδον οὔτ᾽ ἐπιβῆναι·

ῥίζαι γὰρ ἑκὰς εἶχον, ἀπήωροι δ᾽ ἔσαν ὄζοι,435

μακροί τε μεγάλοι τε, κατεσκίαον δὲ Χάρυβδιν.

νωλεμέως δ᾽ ἐχόμην, ὄφρ᾽ ἐξεμέσειεν ὀπίσσω

ἱστὸν καὶ τρόπιν αὖτις· ἐελδομένῳ δέ μοι ἦλθον

ὄψ᾽· ἦμος δ᾽ ἐπὶ δόρπον ἀνὴρ ἀγορῆθεν ἀνέστη

κρίνων νείκεα πολλὰ δικαζομένων αἰζηῶν,440

τῆμος δὴ τά γε δοῦρα Χαρύβδιος ἐξεφαάνθη.

ἧκα δ᾽ ἐγὼ καθύπερθε πόδας καὶ χεῖρε φέρεσθαι,

μέσσῳ δ᾽ ἐνδούπησα παρὲξ περιμήκεα δοῦρα,

ἑζόμενος δ᾽ ἐπὶ τοῖσι διήρεσα χερσὶν ἐμῇσι.

Σκύλλην δ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἔασε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε445

εἰσιδέειν· οὐ γάρ κεν ὑπέκφυγον αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον.

ἔνθεν δ᾽ ἐννῆμαρ φερόμην, δεκάτῃ δέ με νυκτὶ

νῆσον ἐς Ὠγυγίην πέλασαν θεοί, ἔνθα Καλυψὼ

ναίει ἐϋπλόκαμος, δεινὴ θεὸς αὐδήεσσα,

ἥ μ᾽ ἐφίλει τ᾽ ἐκόμει τε. τί τοι τάδε μυθολογεύω;450

ἤδη γάρ τοι χθιζὸς ἐμυθεόμην ἐνὶ οἴκῳ

σοί τε καὶ ἰφθίμῃ ἀλόχῳ: ἐχθρὸν δέ μοί ἐστιν

αὖτις ἀριζήλως εἰρημένα μυθολογεύειν."

    Odysseus is carried back to Scylla and Charybdis. He barely escapes Charybdis and after ten days washes up on the shore of Calypso’s island, where his narrative to the Phaeacians concludes.

    Conclusion: Repetition as Creativity

    Book 12 ends by circling back both to the beginning of Book 9 in the poem’s structure and at the same time to the beginning of Book 5 in the chronology of the story. As if emerging from a dream, we suddenly remember that everything Odysseus has told us in Books 9–12 had already happened not only by the time he reaches Scheria but even before we first met him on Ogygia.

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    Calypso appears here as δεινὴ θεὸς αὐδήεσσα (449), the epithet that ties her to Circe and Ino as a liminal figure on the boundary between human and divine (see above on 10.133–77). When we last heard of Calypso, she was sending Odysseus off to sea from her timeless world to the island of the Phaeacians, itself home to an ultra-refined civilization that serves to mediate between the nymph’s non-human realm and the entirely human world of Ithaka. Her reappearance at the end of Book 12 reminds us that we in fact stand on several overlapping boundaries in the poem, which mark not only differing modes of existence but also the temporal elisions that the poem’s structure creates. We have emerged with Odysseus from the nightmarish gauntlets that punctuate his first years after leaving Troy, full of monsters and dangerous female forces, yet that journey had already happened before the events in Book 5, so we are simultaneously back in the past and on the cusp of the future in Ithaka.

    These circles within circles in the poem’s structure serve Homer’s methods as a storyteller, as we have seen. Though Circe comes first in the chronology of the story, in the poem’s structure we learn about her after we have encountered Calypso, Nausicaa, and Arete, the commanding queen of the Phaeacians. The danger she represents is already well-defined by Book 10, not only embodied in those four different versions of the feminine, but even by Polyphemus, whose peculiar mode of existence resonates in various ways with the witch’s world. By the time Odysseus meets the Sirens, the threat they embody for him is immediately resonant and carefully defined. Likewise, the imagery of the Skylla and Charybdis episodes, on the surface all about monstrous creatures, is powered by the undercurrents of sexual threat. Finally, when the crew encounter the cattle of the Sun, their transgression—cosmic in its reach like the earlier releasing of the winds—is freighted with all their previous failures.

    The complex structure of the Odyssey challenges us to keep track of where Odysseus—and we—are in the story at any given time. We might ask ourselves what the poet gains by this elaborate circular architecture. Character in Homeric epic is always a product of analogies generated by parallels between different figures. Repetition, what critics in the 19th and early 20th centuries saw as a sign of multiple authorship, is in fact the backbone of the poetry’s meaning. The full significance of Penelope’s character and actions when Odysseus returns in disguise to Ithaka only emerges if we see her as the sum of all the female figures, human and divine, in the story. Odysseus himself emerges from his exile in oblivion with Calypso and evolves in our understanding as against many other male characters, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, Ajax—even Telemachus, whose adventures in Pylos and Sparta show him anticipating traits we later see in his father.

    In our Odyssey, when Odysseus finishes his story, we are likely thinking ahead to Ithaka. But suppose that Homer had created a linear narrative—as some modern adaptations have done—with the adventures of Books 9–12 coming first, in the third person voice, then Calypso and the Phaeacians, then back to Ithaka? Calypso’s relatively benign affection for Odysseus and Nausicaa’s youthful, charming naivete would appear against the backdrop of life-threatening encounters and would be colored by a much darker undertone. Both of these early episodes are appealing precisely because the poet uses a lighter emotional palette to create Odysseus’ potential paramours. Likewise, the Phaeacians’ warm hospitality would be much more suspect in the wake of the adventures with the dangerous hosts of Book 9 and 10. When Odysseus wakes up on Ithaka, the emotional weight of the harrowing adventures in Books 9–12 would be distant in our memories, altering our perception of the hero’s eventual triumph.

    The implied contrasts between Odysseus and the dead heroes in the Underworld point to the unique qualities that carry him through the dangers of the journey home. Of the heroes returning from Troy, only Odysseus has the requisite intelligence and self-control to survive. The loss of the entire crew foreshadows the death of the suitors, both groups conspicuous for their inability to rein in their impulses. Odysseus himself will need these qualities in abundance once he reaches Ithaka, where he will endure insults, verbal and physical, from the suitors and their allies. The darker aspects of his character have also emerged, his emotional isolation and estrangement from his crew, his insistence on pursuing knowledge and experience not strictly necessary to the success of the mission, which puts his crew in danger, costing many of them their lives. His survival is of paramount importance; theirs, it sometimes seems, is not.

    All of these traits, positive and negative, come to a crescendo in the most charged and important encounter of the poem, Odysseus’ campaign to win Penelope back. The dark paradigm of Clytemnestra, which hovers over the entire poem, beginning in Book 1 and reinforced in the Underworld, seems to inform Odysseus’ decision—backed by Athena’s machinations—to stay undercover and leave Penelope in the dark as he plans his revenge on the suitors. He cannot trust her to keep his secrets. But in fact, her intelligence and self-control are a match for his, as we observe the delicate course of action she pursues in Books 18–23. It is never clear—perhaps not even to her—whether she has decided to give up and choose a new husband or keep waiting for Odysseus’ increasingly unlikely return. Even when the suitors are dead, she holds out, outsmarting Odysseus and making him lose his legendary self-control with the ruse of the bed, before finally giving in and acknowledging his identity as her husband. Their joyous reunion, which they and we have looked forward to for so long, is enriched by the continuing presence, reinforced by the poet’s use of repeated patterns of character and action, of all the characters who embody aspects of them both: Calypso, Nausicaa, Arete, Circe, Menelaus, Telemachus, Agamemnon, Achilles, Ajax. There is only one Penelope, only one Odysseus, but they come into being before us as the richly layered and deeply human creations of a poet working within a thoroughly traditional medium.

     

    Further Reading

    Thalman, W. 1992. The Odyssey: An Epic of Return, 65–69. New York: Twayne Publishers.

     

    426  θύων: “raging” ptc. > θύω, complementary participle with ἐπαύσατο.

    427  ἦλθε δ᾽ ἐπὶ: “came up.”

    427  Νότος: the south wind.

    428  ὄφρ᾽ ... ἀναμετρήσαιμι: "to make me retrace my course" (Stanford). According to Stanford, ὄφρα + opt. expresses the "natural consequences," or result, expected under the circumstances. He compares it to the use of ὥστε in a result clause in Classical Greek (Smyth 2278).

    430  ἐπὶ: with σκόπελον.

    432  ἐρινεὸν: first mentioned in line 103.

    432  ἀερθεὶς: “lifting myself,” i.e., climbing up; nom. sing. aor. pass. ptc. > ἀείρω.

    433  προσφὺς: “clinging,” nom. sing. aor. act. ptc. > προσφύω (lit., “to grow onto” + dat.).

    433  οὐδέ … εἶχον … οὔτε … οὔτ᾽: “I was unable either … or …”

    434  στηρίξαι … ἔμπεδον : “find a firm footing.” 

    434  στηρίξαι: aor. infin. > στηρίζω, intransitive.

    435  ἑκὰς εἶχον: "held far off," "were far away," i.e., Odysseus couldn't reach them.

    437  ὄφρ(α): “until,” introducing a general temporal clause.

    437  ἐξεμέσειεν: the subject is Charybdis.

    439  ὄψ᾽: “at last,” = ὁψέ

    439  ἦμος: “(at the time of day) when.”

    439  ἐπὶ: “for …,” expresses purpose (Smyth 1689.3.d).

    439  ἀνέστη: “rises,” gnomic aorist (Smyth 1931)

    440  κρίνων: “judging.”

    440  δικαζομένων: “pleading their cases,” “engaged in lawsuits.”

    440  αἰζηῶν: in the plural, αἰζηοί can be a substantive meaning “young men.”

    441  δοῦρα: “timbers” (i.e., the raft Odysseus built).

    441  Χαρύβδιος: genitive of source (governed by the ἐξ- in ἐξεφαάνθη).

    441  ἐξεφαάνθη: 3rd sing. aor. pass. > ἐκφαίνω, with a neuter plural subject.

    442  ἧκα: “I let go,” 1st sing. aor. > ἵημι, transitive.

    442  φερέσθαι: infinitive of purpose.

    443  μέσσῳ: “in the midst” (perhaps meaning between Charybdis and the raft).

    443  παρὲξ: “alongside,” with acc.

    445  ἔασε: aor. > ἐάω (“allow,” + acc. and infin.).

    446  ἐσιδέειν: aor. infin. > εἰσοράω. The subject of the infinitive is Σκύλλην and the object is an implied με.

    446  κεν ὑπέκφυγον: κεν + aor. indic., expressing past potential (Monro 324; Smyth 1784). The apodosis of an implied past contrary to fact conditional: “(if she had seen me,) I would not have …”

    447  με …. πέλασαν: “carried me.”

    450  τί τοι …: Odysseus addresses this question to his host Alcinous.

    451  χθιζός ἐμυθεόμην: "I was recounting yesterday," but literally something like, "I, my yesterday self, was recounting ..." The adjective, being masculine nominative singular, properly modifies the subject, which is Odysseus, the speaker.

    453  ἀριζήλως: “plainly,” modifying εἰρημένα.

    453  εἰρημένα: neut. pl. acc. pf. pass. ptc. > εἴρω / λέγω, substantive.

    τοι: let me tell you, surely

    Ζέφυρος –ου ὁ: Zephyrus, the west wind

    λαῖλαψ –απος ἡ: a tempest, furious storm, hurricane

    θύω: to rage, seethe, cover

    Νότος –ου ὁ: the South Wind

    ὦκα: quickly, swiftly, fast

    ἄλγος –ους τό: pain

    ὄφρα: while; until; so that; ὄφρα … τόφρα, while … for so long

    ὀλοός –ή –όν: destroying, destructive, fatal, deadly, murderous

    ἀναμετρέω ἀναμετρήσω ἀνεμέτρησα ἀναμεμέτρηκα ἀναμεμέτρημαι ἀνεμετρήθην: to retrace one's journey (+ acc.)

    Χάρυβδις –εως ἡ: Charybdis, the whirlpool opposite Scylla

    παννύχιος –ον: all night long

    ἄνειμι: go up, reach; return

    Σκύλλη –ης ἡ: Scylla, a cave-dwelling sea monster 430

    σκόπελος –ου ὁ: a look-out place, a peak, headland

    Χάρυβδις –εως ἡ: Charybdis, the whirlpool opposite Scylla

    ἀναρροιβδέω ἀναρροιβδήσω ἀνερροίβδησα: to suck back down

    ἁλμυρός –ά –όν: salt, briny

    ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet

    ἐρινεός –οῦ ὁ: the wild fig-tree

    ὑψόσε: aloft, on high, up high

    ἀείρω ἀρῶ ἤειρα ––– ἤερμαι ἠέρθην: to lift, heave, raise up

    προσφύω προσφυήσω/προσφύσω προσέφυσα προσπέφυκα – προσεφύθην: to grow onto; to attach oneself to (+ dat.)

    νυκτερίς –ίδος ἡ: a bat

    πη πῃ: somehow, to some place

    στηρίζω στηρισιῶ/στηρίξω/στηρίσω ἐστήριξα/ἐστήρισα ––– ἐστήριγμαι ἐστηρίχθην: to make fast, prop, fix, set

    ἔμπεδος –ον: firm-set, steadfast, constant, unchanged; (in neuter as adverb) firmly, steadily

    ἐπιβαίνω ἐπιβήσομαι ἐπέβην ἐπιβέβηκα ––– –––: to go on, enter, step up, mount, board (a ship) + gen.

    ῥίζα –ης ἡ: a root 435

    ἑκάς: far, afar, far off

    ἀπήωρος –ον: high in air

    ὄζος –ου ὁ: a bough, branch, twig, shoot

    κατασκιάζω κατασκιῶ κατεσκίασα: to overshadow, cover over

    Χάρυβδις –εως ἡ: Charybdis, the whirlpool opposite Scylla

    νωλεμές: without interruption, continually

    ὄφρα: while; until; so that; ὄφρα … τόφρα, while … for so long

    ἐξεμέω ἐξεμέσω/ἐξεμῶ ἐξήμεσα ἐξεμήμεκα ἐξεμήμεσμαι ἐξημέθην: to vomit forth, disgorge

    ὀπίσω or ὀπίσσω: backwards, behind; in the future

    ἱστός –οῦ ὁ: mast, beam; loom

    τρόπις –εως ἡ: a ship's keel

    αὖθις: again, in turn

    ἐ(έ)λδομαι – – – – –: to wish, long

    ὀψέ: late; too late; at last

    ἦμος: when, while

    δόρπον –ου τό: the evening meal

    ἀγορῆθεν: from the Assembly

    ἀνίστημι ἀνστήσω ἀνέστησα (or ἀνέστην) ἀνέστηκα ἀνέσταμαι ἀνεστάθην: make stand, set up; stand up

    νεῖκος –ους τό: a quarrel, wrangle, strife 440

    δικάζω δικάσω ἐδίκασα δεδίκακα δεδίκασμαι ἐδικάσθην: to judge; (mid.) to seek one's cause, seek a judgement

    αἰζηός –ά –όν: strong, lusty, vigorous

    τῆμος: then, thereupon

    δόρυ δόρατος τό: spear; timber, beam (of a ship)

    Χάρυβδις –εως ἡ: Charybdis, the whirlpool opposite Scylla

    ἐκφαίνω ἐκφανῶ ἐξέφηνα ἐκπέφηνα ἐκπέφασμαι ἐξεφάν(θ)ην: to shew forth, bring to light, disclose, reveal, make manifest

    καθύπερθε (Ion. κατ–): from above, down from above

    ἐνδουπέω ἐνδουπήσω ἐνεδούπησα ἐνδέδουπα: to fall in with a heavy sound

    παρέξ or παρέκ: beyond, past; outside, before; out and away; beside, alongside

    περιμήκης –ες: very tall

    δόρυ δόρατος τό: spear; timber, beam (of a ship)

    ἕζομαι – – – – –: to sit down

    διερέσσω διερέσω διήρεσα: to row about

    Σκύλλη –ης ἡ: Scylla, a cave-dwelling sea monster 445

    εἰσοράω εἰσόψομαι εἰσεῖδον εἰσεόρακα/εἰσεώρακα/εἰσόπωπα εἰσεόραμαι/εἰσεώραμαι/εἰσῶμμαι εἰσώφθην: to look into, look upon, view, behold

    ὑπεκφεύγω ὑπεκφεύξομαι ὑπεκέφυγον ὑπεκπέφευγα ––– –––: to escape

    αἰπύς –εῖα –ύ: steep, high; total

    ὄλεθρος –ου ὁ: ruin, destruction, death

    ἔνθεν: from here, from there

    ἐννῆμαρ: for nine days

    Ὠγυγία –ας ἡ: Ogygia, a mythical island in the Mediterranean, the abode of Calypso

    πελάζω πελάσω ἐπέλασα ––– ––– ἐπελάσθην: (trans.) to bring, carry, conduct (to an indicated place); (intrans.) to draw near, approach

    Καλυψώ –οῦς ἡ: Calypso, a goddess, daughter of Atlas

    ναίω – – – – –: dwell, inhabit, be situated

    ἐϋπλόκαμος –ον: fairhaired

    αὐδήεις –εσσα –εν: speaking with human voice

    φιλέω φιλήσω ἐφίλησα πεφίλημαι ἐφιλήθην: to love, hold dear; to entertain as a guest 450

    κομέω κομήσω ἐκόμησα: to take care of, attend to, tend

    μυθολογεύω – – – – –: to tell word for word

    χθιζός –ή –όν: yesterday

    μυθέομαι μυθήσομαι μεμύθημαι ἐμυθήθην: to speak or talk of, describe, explain, relate

    ἴφθιμος [–η] –ον: strong, robust, vigorous

    ἄλοχος –ου ἡ: wife

    αὖθις: again, in turn

    ἀρίζηλος [–η] –ον: conspicuous, very distinct

    ἐρῶ εἴρηκα ἐρρήθην: to say, tell, speak

    μυθολογεύω – – – – –: to tell word for word

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    Suggested Citation

    Thomas Van Nortwick and Rob Hardy, Homer: Odyssey 5–12. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-947822-17-7 https://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-odyssey/xii-426-453