Summary

Odysseus and his men landed on the island of Aeolus, master of the winds. After entertaining Odysseus and his men for a month, Aeolus gifted Odysseus with an ox-skin pouch of winds in order to speed his journey homeward. However, Odysseus’s men suspected that there were hidden riches inside the pouch and opened it while Odysseus was sleeping, releasing all the winds at once. Thus Odysseus’s ships were blown backward, undoing all the progress they had made.

Next, they encountered the cannibalistic giants the Laestrygonians, who brutally attacked and devoured Odysseus’s men. Odysseus’s ship was the only one to escape and landed on the island of Aeaea, home of the goddess Circe. When some of Odysseus’s men stumbled into Circe’s palace, Circe gave them an enchanted draught which erased their memories. She then transformed them into swine. Odysseus was visited by Hermes, who warned him about Circe and gave him moly, a the magical plant, for protection. Because of the moly, Odysseus remained immune to Circe’s enchanted draught, and at his request, Circe transformed his crew back into men.

Circe entertained Odysseus and his men for almost a year until Odysseus finally asked her permission to leave. Circe granted Odysseus’s request but informed him that he must first travel to the Land of the Dead and speak with the blind prophet Tiresias before journeying homeward.

Before they left for the Land of the Dead, one of Odysseus’s men, Elpenor, drunkenly fell from Circe’s roof and died, unbeknownst to his shipmates.

Analysis

In book 10, Odysseus is compelled to woo and make love to Circe in order for the goddess to show him and his men hospitality. This emphasizes the portrayal of hospitality as possessing a dual nature, as Odysseus is as much a hostage as he is a guest.