Chapters 1
Ships and Men
Trojan War lasted 10 years
Ulysses starts his journey home to Ithaca. 3 ships 50 = 150 total

Chapter 2
The Ciconians
Eurylochus Ulysses' second in command convices his to attack an unwalled city.  Its inhabitants run to their cousins in the hills.  Ulysses is successful in stealing the towns people's loot. However, the Ciconians of the hills attacked them back, and he leaves the loot on the beach after they have a feast. The Ciconians attach vicously with in war chariots of brass and bronze.  The wheels had blades that were deadly.  After fleeing to the ships and losing eighteen of his men, Ulysses' and his men are forced to fleet. However, the ships are damaged and have holes, slowly sinking them, so Ulysses and his men have to throw the treasure from Troy into the water. The treasure attracts beautiful water nymphs who swam around the ships happily. However, these Nymphs / mermaids were Poseidon's and Poseidon sent a gust of wind, sending Ulysses and his men to Lotusland.
 

In Chapter 3
The Lotus Eaters, Ulysses' men were becoming extremely hungry and tired, so they docked their ships onto the island of Lotusland. As they slept, the Lotus-eaters put food by them (Lotus flower black/purple/red petal). Morpheus, son of Hypnos god of sleep, nephew of Persephone and Hades, was extremely intrigued by dreams, watched over the men as the slept.  Morpheus disliked the warriors nightmares so he decided to make their  dream happy and of home. When he reached Ulysses, he realized that Ulysses was a hero, and therefore could not fix his dreams. Ulysses then woke up out of his awful nightmare, and realized that the flowers were making them sleepy, so with one last effort after placing splinters in his eyes to keep them open, he pulled his men back onto the ships and set sail again.

Chapter 4
Cyclops Cave
Ulysses men are becoming so hungry that their hunger is turning into anger. His men are mad at him because they are mad at Ulysses that he took them away from Lotusland. Ulysses fears that there is going to mutiny, so he docks his ships to the closest island. This was probably the worst island that Ulysses could have docked on. This is because a group of Cyclops lived on this island, and their favorite food is human flesh. so, the largest Cyclops, Polyphemus, couldn't believe his luck when he saw a group of large men docking their ships on his island. As bait, he roasted goats on a large fire. When Ulysses' men smelled the goats cooking, they were immediately drawn to the smell, and started running towards it. When they got to the goats, Polyphemus closed them in his den, and ate three of the men.   Ulysses wisely names himself "no-man" and deceives the cyclops with this false name,  As a last resort, Ulysses offered the cyclops wine, in hopes of getting him drunk. The cyclops soon passed out, just at Ulysses had hoped. Ulysses then told his men to hold down Polyphemus, and stabbed him in the eye. Polyphemus, then, waking up blind, started a huge fit and ran around. Ulysses and his men held on to the bottom of the goats, and as the cyclops opened the cave door, all the goats and Ulysses men ran out. As Ulysses and his men ran towards the shore and got on their boats, Polyphemus threw a boulder at Ulysses' ship, almost sunk the ship and killed a bunch of Ulysses' men. Ulysses then makes a great mistake as he proudly boast his name is "Ulysses".  Polyphemus promptly prays to his father Poseidon to punish Ulysses, which he does for the remainder of his life.

In Chapter 5
Keeper of the Winds
Poseidon guides Ulysses' ships toward the island fortress of Aeolus, keeper of the winds, a demi-god with 12 children 6 boys and 6 girls, one for each month of the year.  After an enchanted sleep, Ulysses, his men and Aeolus meet for a feast. During this feast, Ulysses pleases Aeolus with his war stories and adventure stories. In return, Aeolus gives Ulysses a bag of wind that would change the direction of his ships if he opened it. However, Aeolus warns Ulysses that only Ulysses can open it, or there will be great consequences. Aeolus then sets Ulysses and his men on their journey with a steady west wind that sends them on their way home. After nine days and nine nights, in which Ulysses does not sleep, or leave his post, guarding the bag of winds at all times, Ulysses and his men see home. After 9 days of sailing Ulysses, seeing that in an hour they will be safely home, Ulysses finally goes to sleep. However, two of Ulysses men become very greedy and curious, and thinking there is treasure inside, cut open the sack of winds with a sword. The winds are released, swirling and sending Ulysses ships back in just 2 days to where they started, even more damaged than they were before.

Chapter 6
Island of the Racing Sun / Cannibal Beach / Isle of the Racing Sun

After seeing what rough shape the ships are in after the crew releases the bag of winds, Ulysses heads for shore on an island (called Island of the Racing Sun) *a day 24 hour period lasted about 20 minutes*. After sending a man up to keep lookout and see if there was anyone else on the island, the man does not return. So, Ulysses sends a second man up. Again, the man does not return. After sending three men up with none of them coming down, Ulysses decides that he needs to go up for himself. After going halfway up, Ulysses discovers that what he is climbing up is not a tree, but actually a large giant. When he and the crew try and run back the shore, the large giants chase Ulysses and crush two ships, killing two thirds of Ulysses' men.

Chapter 7
Circe
Ulysses and his men dock on an island with a large castle in the middle. Ulysses stays at the beach with a group of men, and sends Eurylochus with another group of men to look around the castle. When Eurylochus and his men arrive at the castle, they discover lions and dogs(Circes former husbands) in the courtyard. However, these were tame lions and dogs that had a look of longing and sadness in their eyes. They heard beautiful singing, and after following the sound of it, found a beautiful woman weaving. Her name was Circe.



She gives the men baths and feeds them wonderful scented yellow porridge in a red bowl. They eat like pigs and Circe soon turns them into swine with her wand. Eurylochus runs back to Ulysses, telling him everything. Ulysses then goes to the castle to see for himself. Before he goes in, he sees Hermes, the messenger god, who gives him a flower (moly) that protects him from Circe's magical powers. Because of his protection from Circe, Circe is enchanted and believes that Ulysses is magical. She quickly makes him her husband and tells him that all the other animals on the island are her past husbands, that she kept immortal in animal form. She then says that he is her favorite husband she's ever had, and gives him a choice. Immortality with her and only her, or mortality and he can go home. Ulysses chooses mortality, and Circe sends him back to sea, but not home, to the land of the dead, Tarturus, so the souls there can create the fate of Ulysses and his men.

Chapter 8
Land of the Dead
When Ulysses entered the area that was said to be near Tartarus, The Land of the Dead, nighttime fell over the sky, creating a blackness that would not lift, no matter how much time passed. The ship sailed along the waters blindly and the men hardly spoke. Ulysses never slept, sticking wood chips in his eyes so that his eyelids would stay open. Finally, after a week, a tiny bit of light peeked through the dark sky, but it wasn't sunlight, it was a thickening gray fog. He sent a sailor named Elpenor to climb the mast. They heard a giant scream then gurgling. Elpenor had fallen into the water and died quickly. Right after, a gull came up from the ocean. The men said it was the spirit of Elpenor, and Ulysses decided to follow it. There was a strong roaring of waters, until they found themselves in a strange place. A river, called the Styx. At this, Ulysses knew he had sailed into the Kingdom of the Dead (Taurtarus). He led his men to a field with black goats. He slit two of the goats throats and let their blood drip into a trench, because he knew that fresh blood attracts the ghosts. He soon saw steam coming his way, and the steam separated into figures that leaned over the trench to drink the blood.
 

The first ghost he saw was Anticleia, his mother. Then Achilles, another war hero who warns of the Sirens. Then Ajax who advises Ulysses to take his own life and stay in the underworld, then Elpenor, who told Ulysses that he was to haunt him until he buried him and put his oar on top of the tomb. All the ghosts told him that there were to be a strait he has to pass through, and on one side, there was a monster, Scylla who would eat six of his men if they got to close and on the other side, there was another monster, Charybdis, who would create a whirlpool and suck up the whole ship and men if Ulysses got to close to that side. He meets Elpenor his recently dead soldier/sailor who tells him to bury his oar when they reach shore, so he may rest in peace. Finally, the ghost Teiresias, the master of prophecies, came. He told Ulysses that they would reach Sicily, the island of the Sun-Titan, and by that point all of there food would be out. But, he warned, that Ulysses could not let his men take one of the beef (cattle of the sun god) on the island, or they would never return home. After this, Ulysses took his men and headed back to the sea, ready for the perils that would come his way.

Chapter 9
The Wandering Rocks
As Ulysses was back out sailing after being at Tartarus he began to wonder if he could set a course around all the adventures (the island of Sicily) he had been warned about in the Underworld and avoid the danger altogether. But on the way he heard a weird noise. Although, he could only see tiny black things in the water that he wasn't sure were real or not. When they were close enough to see, Ulysses could tell that they were actually rocks, jagged boulders floating like corks on the misty water. To his horror, the rocks started circling around the ship. When he turned south, they stopped circling. So, he set his course for Sicily, the Island of the Sun-Titan.

Chapter 10
The Sirens
When Ulysses realized they were reaching the island where the Sirens dwelt, he prepared for the singing. He plugged his ears with the beeswax used for keeping the rope slick. However, he did not plug his own ears, because he felt, as a captain, that he should be able to hear everything so that he can hear what is up ahead. Then he tied himself to the mast. He told his crew to not, under any circumstance, untie him. When the singing starts, it is the most beautiful and joyous thing Ulysses had ever heard. He broke free of the ropes, but his two best men, Eurylochus and Perimedes, stopped him and tied him up to the mast again. This time, however, with a stronger rope from the anchor. Then, as they were passing extremely close to the island, he saw the actual sirens. They were disgusting, sitting on bones with the bodies of birds and the face of young women. Their horrific appearances blocked out the singing, and after they passed the island, Ulysses' crew let him down. Right as he got down, he heard a whirlpool, and knew that they were approaching Scylla and Charybdis.

Chapter 11
Scylla & Charybdis
When Ulysses reached Scylla and Charybdis, he realized that the only way to get passed the two monsters safely, was through a narrow straight that was just barely wide enough for him to slip by unharmed. He realized that the distance was so large that he would have had to sail perfectly straight, not going off course for even a tiny bit. When he started, Ulysses sailed almost perfectly. But, he had overlooked something, when measuring the distance.

 While they were right between the two monsters, Scylla grabbed the oars,  slanting the boat sideways. Ulysses held on and Scylla took six of the  men. Ulysses tried to fight her off, but he was too late. Scylla swallowed  the men whole, and Ulysses and the other men barely got by. 

Chapter 12
Cattle of the Sun
Ulysses docks his boat on the island that belongs to the Sun-Titan, Hyperion. He tells his crew what the spirits in the underworld had warned him of. How, if the men ate even one of the sun-cattle on the island, they would never see home again. For thirty days and thirty nights, the crew ate boiled pigs they had found on the other side of the island, until all of them had been killed and eaten. The men were desperately hungry. They ate anything that was remotely edible. One night, when Ulysses was asleep, Eurylochus brought the men together and slaughtered six of the fine sun-cattle. Ulysses awoke, smelling the food. The crew convinced him that they had found a group of stags on the other side of the island, so Ulysses ate up. He then saw the leg of the stag and realized that it was actually one of Hyperion's sun-cattle.



When Hyperion saw Ulysses and his crew eating his beef, he prayed to Zeus, who swore vengeance against Ulysses. Then, a strong north wind came, the kind that would take Ulysses and his crew home, and they rushed to the boat. As they were on the water, Ulysses saw a strange sight. A large mass of dark clouds. By the time he realized, it was too late. A huge wind came hurdling in. The mast snapped and a lightning bolt came from the sky. Huge amounts of choking yellow smoke arose. The heat was so unbearable, all the men jumped out of the ship, dying instantly when they hit the water. He found a small raft and held on. However, he could feel himself being dragged back to Scylla and Charybdis. Holding onto the rocks, he stayed away from Charybdis. For nine days and nine nights Ulysses was on the raft. When he reached an island, a huge mass of black mist arose, engulfing Ulysses and the raft.

Chapter 13
Calypso
When Ulysses awakens, he sees a demi-goddess who tells him that he is on the island of Ogygia, and that she is Calypso. She gives Ulysses food and wine and is extremely hospitable. She tells him that she is of the Titan breed, daughter of Atlas, and that she had watched Ulysses throughout his whole
 

voyage. Calypso then shows him images of his family back home. Of his wife Penelope, now a widow, and his grown son, Telemachus, who had just been a small infant when Ulysses left. She then shows him images of when he was heroic. She soon bans him from looking into her firelogs to view scenes of home.  In the cyclops' cave, during the Trojan War, and he feels that he is worthy enough to love her, a titan's daughter.

         

 Calypso shows Ulysses her birds, which were also her past husbands who she had  changed, much like Circe. Ulysses makes a crow fly back to Ithaca, and see how his  wife and son are doing. The crow comes back with news, that his wife stays faithful,  and same with his son. Calypso then tells Ulysses she can give him immortality, but  he prays to Zeus, asking him for help. Zeus convinces Calypso to let Ulysses off the  island, and she does,                                               however reluctantly.

Chapter 14
Ino's Veil
Calypso lets Ulysses off the island very generously, with a ship suited for one man. However, Poseidon sees Ulysses on the water when heading back to Olympus. He is infuriated, thinking he had drowned Ulysses ages ago. He creates huge waves, completely demolishing Ulysses' boat. Holding on to the broken ship, he sees a final wave that he believes may be the last thing he ever sees. Suddenly, a woman appears. She is a nereid named Ino.



 She gives him a veil and tells him that it will keep him safe if he swims back to  shore. He puts the veil around himself, and swims to shore. The water becomes  calm and buoyant, and Ulysses swims to a near island. However there are rocks  along the shore, and he scrapes himself on them. He scales the rocks and finally finds beach. Ulysses get onto shore, throws the veil back into the water, and collapses in the reeds. 

Chapter 15
Nausicca 
It turns out that the island Ulysses found was the island of the King Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia. The King and Queen had a younger daughter named Nausicaa, who had been turning down suitors for two years now. When Nausicaa was out bathing with her servantgirls, one of them finds Ulysses in the reeds. Nausicaa lets Ulysses bathe and gives him clean clothes then takes him back to the castle.
 

  However, an oracle had come to the king at this time and said to beware of    strangers, shipwrecks, and storytellers, or his kingdom would feel the wrath of    Poseidon. When Nausicaa takes Ulysses back to her parents, the king is extremely worried, but the queen tells him not to do anything. At a gathering in  the kingdom, Nausicaa plays the harp to find out Ulysses' real name, so she sings of the Trojan War. When Ulysses tells everyone who he is, they forgive him and ignore what the oracles have said, because of how heroic he was in the battle. The king gives Ulysses a wish, and Ulysses asks to be taken back to Ithaca to see his wife and son. (some say Nauciscaa stowed away on Ulysses ship and lived with him and his wife sing tales of the Trojan War and Ulysses journeys home)

 

Chapter 16
The Return
Nausicaa and her family sends Ulysses back to Ithaca, where he lands on the far side of the island. He found a cave in the cliffside where he stored all of his treasure, then ripped his clothes and smeared mud all over himself so he could pose as a beggar.


He then found a swineherd, Eumaeus, whom he had trusted since childhood. Eumaeus let Ulysses in, gave him food, and let him rest. Disguised as a beggar, he told Eumaeus that he had talked to Ulysses, but Eumaeus did not believe him. When Telemachus, Ulysses' son, got home from his voyage to find his father, Athene, goddess of wisdom, changed herself into a swineherd and told Telemachus to go to the home of Eumaeus, who has news for him. When Telemachus reached the hut, Eumaeus said that the beggar had word of Ulysses, but at the word "father", Ulysses leaped from the seat in front of the fire and embraced Telemachus, explaining that he was actually Ulysses. Ulysses, Eumaeus, and Telemachus then concocted a plan to take down the suitors asking for Penelope (Ulysses' wife) hand in marriage.


 Upon his return to his home castle Ulysses is first identified by Argo his old dog still alive after all these years. Seeing/smelling since he long ago become blind Argo ran to his master licking him in the face and died, thus not giving Ulysses's identity away. Telemachus then took Ulysses to see Penelope, and although he did not  reveal who he was, he told her of how much Ulysses had said he loved her.  The time then came for the suitors' competition, and Telemachus  announced that they would have to shoot an arrow through twelve rings,  only something Ulysses had ever been able to do.
 

of the 100 suiters Antinious and Eurymachas were the main two suiters that Ulysses would have to overcome. But before he could he had to fight a huge ex blacksmith turned beggar.  A man named Iros.

The Bending of the Bow of Ulysses

Penelope then came to the baquet room and she challenged the men to a contest.  She said that if any man could bend the bow of Ulysses and shoot straight through 12 axe rings to the target as Ulysses had done when he had won her hand she would marry that man. Men after men attempted, but not one could even bend the bow.
 

        The Contest

Finally, it was Ulysses' the beggars turn. He shot the arrow straight through the twelve rings. He then revealed that he was Ulysses, and all the men, flabbergasted, tried to apologize, but Ulysses had none of it. He told them to either fight or flee, Anticleus and Eurymachas were to proud to flee and so died first and so Ulysses, Telemachus and Eumaeus fought of all the 100 suitors, and none of the suiters lived.

Ulysses and Penelope lived out their lives.

Alas, Ulysses had other children and other jouneys, but that's another story!

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