The document summarizes events from Books V-IX of Homer's Odyssey. It describes Zeus ordering Hermes to tell Calypso to release Odysseus from her island. Calypso reluctantly agrees and helps Odysseus build a raft. However, Poseidon causes a storm that shipwrecks Odysseus. He is rescued by Nausicaa and taken to the Phaeacians, who treat him kindly. Odysseus recounts his journey, including being trapped in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, who eats his men until Odysseus blinds him, allowing their escape.

1. Odyssey
Book V

2. Next morning, Athena again plead
Odysseus’ case to Zeus

3. Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso

4. Zeus tells
Athena that
Odysseus,
along with
many gifts,
will be taken
home by the
Phaecians.

5. Hermes flew over the ocean to Calypso’s
cave

7. Hermes tells Calypso that Odysseus is fated
to return home

8. Calypso is furious
that a double
standard exists
among the gods.

9. She has cherished Odysseus, and hoped to
keep him with her

10. Still, she cannot
disobey Zeus.
She has no ship
or rowers, but
she will do what
she can to see
him safely off.

11. Calypso went to
the beach to
find Odysseus.

12. She found him staring out to sea

13. Calypso tells
him to build a
raft and she
will give him
provisions.

14. Odysseus fears
Calypso is
tricking him.

15. Calypso swears a great oath, then lunches
with him in her cave

16. Calypso offers to make him immortal and
ageless if he stays with her

17. Surely, she points out, she must be more
attractive than old Penelope

18. Odysseus answers VERY carefully, and
insists he must go home

19. They cuddle one last night

20. Odysseus builds
his raft.

21. Calypso provides fine clothing and
provisions

22. He sailed for 18 days until he saw the
Phaecian coast

23. Angry at
seeing
Odysseus
close to
land, Poseido
n brews up a
storm.

27. Sea goddess Ino comes to the rescue

28. She tells Odysseus to get naked

29. Then put on her veil of immortality

31. Odysseus swims for his life

32. He barely makes it to shore

34. Ino needs her
veil, Odysseus
returns the veil.

35. Odysseus had to decide between spending the
night on the cold beach or braving beasts and
sleeping in the woods
He chose the woods

36. Odyssey Book VI

37. Athena goes into the bedroom of
Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous

38. She chides Nausicaa about all the dirty
laundry on the floor, and suggest a washing
day

39. Nausicaa asks her dad for a cart so she can
do the family wash

40. As the laundry dries, the girls play ball

42. Athena makes sure Odysseus is wakened

44. Odysseus holds a branch in front of his
package

46. He compliments and reassures Nausicaa

47. Nausicaa gives him something to wear

50. She devises a plan to get him into the city
and palace

51. For both their sakes, she cannot be seen
with him

52. She gives him directions to the palace, and
tells him to go straight to her mother Arête

53. Odysseus prays to Athena for help, then
heads after Nausicaa

54. Odyssey Book VII

55. Nausicaa returns with the laundry and goes
up to her room

56. Odysseus arrives at the palace

57. The palace was splendid, and the gardens
magnificent and magical

58. Hidden in Athena’s fog, Odysseus enters the
palace and kneels at the feet of queen Arête

59. He asks her for help getting home

60. Then he sits in the ashes

61. All were in shock until an elderly servant
reminded Alcinous of his duties as host

62. Odysseus was seated properly and brought
food and wine

63. Alcinous promises to have a feast and then send
this stranger, who might be a god, home in style

64. Odysseus protests that he is only a mortal
man who has suffered much

65. Arête, who notices Odysseus is wearing family
clothing, asks him who he is and where he is
from

66. Odysseus tells of his 7 years on Calypso’s
island, the raft, the storm, and his gift of
clothing from Nausicaa

67. When Alcinous criticizes his daughter for poor
hosting, Odysseus lies to take the blame

68. Alcinous would like the stranger to stay and
marry his daughter, but will provide a ship gladly

69. A bed is provided for Odysseus in the
palace

70. Odyssey Book VIII

71. At dawn, Odysseus and Alcinous meet at
the place of assembly

72. Athene urged the citizens to come see the
marvelous stranger

73. Alcinous calls for a ship and 52 men to be
got ready

74. Then, a feast

75. Demodocus, the blind singer, sang of the quarrel
between Achilles and Odysseus

76. The song made Odysseus weep

78. Alcinous notices his sorrow and begins
sporting events

79. Footraces first, then wrestling

80. Jumping,

81. Discus, and boxing

82. Prince Laodamus invites the stranger to
participate

83. When Odysseus declines, Euryalus accuses him
of being a mere merchant

84. Odysseus scolds him, then picks up a disc

85. He throws it the furthest of all

86. Odysseus boasts of his sport skills

87. Alcinous calls for music

88. And a display of dancing

89. The Phaecians excelled at dance

90. The singer returned

91. He sang a comic song about Ares and
Aphrodite

92. Aphrodite and Ares were infamous for
their adultery

94. Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus, but
had lots of sex with Ares

99. Aphrodite was in bed with Ares when the
sun told her husband Hephaestus what
was going on

100. Hephaestus forged a special net of chains
and hung it over the bed

101. Hephaestus feigned a trip, and Ares lured
Aphrodite into bed

104. The net fell, and Hephaestus called all the
gods to witness the infidelity

107. The male gods laughed and made crude
jokes

110. Hephaestus demanded payment, which
Poseidon guaranteed

111. Hephaestus let the pair go

112. Next, Alcinous had his sons dance for
Odysseus

113. When Odysseus complimented the Phaecians as the
best dancers in the world, Alcinous asked each of the
12 elders to donate gifts to the stranger

114. Arête arranged a warm bath and a chest of
gifts

115. Nausicaa bids him farewell

116. He thanked her for saving his life

117. At the feast, the singer again performs

118. Odysseus gives the singer food, and asks
him to sing of the Trojan Horse

119. Again, Odysseus weeps

120. Alcinous stops the singer, and urges the stranger
to identify himself

121. He asks if the stranger is sad because
he lost some dear one at Troy

122. Odyssey IX

123. Odysseus introduces himself by name to
Alcinous, and describes Ithaca

124. He mentions that two goddesses, Circe and
Calypso, desired him

125. After Troy, he took his 12 ships to Ismarus,
the city of the Cicones

126. They sacked the city, and Odysseus would
leave, but his men wanted to stay and enjoy
their takings

127. They were ambushed, and Odysseus lost
72 men

128. A series of strong storms took them next to
the land of the Lotus-eaters

129. Odysseys sent 3 men to check out the local
inhabitants

130. The men were given lotus to eat

131. The lotus made the men forget home, and
Odysseus had to go and get the men and drag
them onto the ship

132. They hurriedly sailed away

134. They came to the land of the Cyclops

135. The land was fertile, but the Cyclops had
no civilization

136. No cultivation, no buildings, no ships, no
organized governing system

137. The Cyclopes lived in caves

138. Odysseus and his men stay on an island in the harbor,
killing goats for food and drinking Circonian wine

139. Odysseus decides to take one ship, 12 men, and
a jar of exquisite wine to the land of the Cyclops

140. They enter a cave, find it empty except for lambs
and cheese, and help themselves to cheese

141. A huge Cyclops entered the cave and
rolled a boulder to block the entrance

143. Odysseus tells
the Cyclops
they return as
victors from
Troy and asks
for Zeus
ordered
hospitality.

144. Polyphemus picks up two men and eats
them

147. The Cyclops drank milk and went to sleep

148. Next morning, he ate two more men for
breakfast

149. Then he went out with his sheep and
goats, trapping Odysseus in the cave

150. But Odysseus had a plan, involving putting
out the Cyclops’ eye

151. He had his men
sharpen a club
into a sharp stake
and draw lots for
the four who
would help him.

152. When the Cyclops returned, he milked his
animals and ate 2 more men

153. Odysseus offered him wine

155. The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked
for more

157. Odysseus kept refilling the cup

158. Odysseus told the Cyclops his name was
Noman

159. When Polyphemus fell into a drunken sleep, the
plan went forward

166. The spear
was of
olive wood.

170. His neighbors heard screams of pain, and
asked who was hurting him

171. When he answered “Noman,” they went
back to their caves

172. When Polyphemus rolled the stone away from
the entrance, Odysseus devised a plan for
escape

173. The men hung under the bellies of the
sheep

175. Odysseus clung to a ram

177. They got away and raced to the ship

178. Polyphemus threw rocks after them

179. Enraged, he tried to smash the ship

180. Odysseus boasted, revealing his name and
homeland

181. Polyphemus called on his father
Poseidon, cursing Odysseus with a late and
pathetic homecoming

183. Odysseus makes it back to the island, and
all feast

184. Beware! Groan-producing cyclops
cartoons follow