Chapter XVI: Book XI: Ulysses in the house of Hades

"When we were at the water side we got the lamb and
the ewe on board and put out to sea, running all that
day before a fair wind which Circe had sent us, and at
nightfall entering the deep waters of the river Oceanus.
Here is the land of the Cimmerians, who dwell in darkness
which the sun's rays never pierce; we therefore made our
ships fast to the shore and came out of her, going along
the beach till we reached the place of which Circe had
told us.

"Perimedes and Eurylochus then held the victims, while 23
I followed the instructions of Circe and slaughtered
them, letting their blood flow into a trench which I had
dug for it. On this, the ghosts came up in crowds from
Erebus, brides, young bachelors, old men, maids who had
been crossed in love, and warriors with their armour
still smirched with blood. They cried with a strange
screaming sound that made me turn pale with fear, but I
would let none of them taste of the blood till Tiresias
should have come and answered my questions.

"The first ghost I saw was that of Elpenor whose body was 51
still lying unburied at Circe's house. Then I said, 'How
now, Elpenor? you have got here sooner by land than I
have done by water.' The poor fellow told me how he had
forgotten about the stairs, and begged me to give him
all due rites when I returned to Circe's island--which I
promised faithfully that I would do.

"Then I saw the ghost of my mother Anticlea, but in all 81
sadness I would not let her taste of the blood till
Tiresias should have come and answered my questions.

"Presently Tiresias came with his golden sceptre in his 90
hand, bade me let him taste of the blood, and asked me
why I had come.

"I told him I would learn how I was to get home to 97
Ithaca, and he said I should have much difficulty;
'Still,' he continued, 'you will reach your home if you
can restrain your men when you come to the Thrinacian
island, where you will find the cattle of the Sun. If you
leave these unharmed, after much trouble you will yet
reach Ithaca; but if you harm them, you will lose your
men, and though you may get home after all, it will be
late, [on another man's ship,[18] and you will find your 115
house full of riotous men who are wasting your substance
and wooing your wife.

"'When you have got back you will indeed kill these men 118
either by treachery or in fair fight, and you must then
take an oar, which you must carry till you have reached a
people who know nothing about the sea and do not mix salt
with their bread. These people have never heard of ships,
nor of oars that are the wings with which ships fly; I
will tell you how you may know them; you will meet a man
by the way who will ask you whether it is a winnowing
shovel that you have got upon your shoulder; when you
hear this you must fix your oar in the ground, and offer
sacrifice to Neptune, a ram, a bull and a boar; then go
home again, and offer hecatombs to the gods that dwell in
heaven.[19] As for your own end, death shall come to you
very gently from the sea, and shall take you when you are
full of years and peace of mind, and your people shall
bless you.'] 137

"Having thus said he went back within the house of Hades. 150
Then I let my mother's ghost draw near and taste of the
blood, whereon she knew me, and asked me what it was
that had brought me though still alive into the abode of
death. So I told her, and asked her how she had come by
her end. 'Tell me, also,' I continued, 'about my father,
and the son whom I left behind me. Is my property still
safe in their hands, or does another hold it who thinks
that I shall not return? Of what mind, again, is my wife? 177
Does she still live with her son and keep watch over his
estate, or is she already married to the best man among
the Achæans?'

"'Your wife,' answered my mother, 'is still at home, 180
but she spends her life in tears both night and day.
Telemachus holds your estate, and sees much company, for
he is a magistrate and all men invite him. Your father
lives a poor hard life in the country and never goes near
the town. As for me, I died of nothing but sheer grief on
your account. And now, return to the upper world as fast
as you can, that you may tell all that you have seen to
your wife.'

"Then Proserpine sent up the ghosts of the wives and 225
daughters of great kings and heroes of old time, and I
made each of them tell me about herself. There were Tyro,
Antiope, Alcmena, Epicaste the mother of Œdipus, Chloris,
Leda, Iphimedea, Phædra, Procris, Ariadne, and hateful
Eriphyle; with all these did I discourse, nor can I tell
you with how many more noble women, for it is now late,
and time to go to rest."

Here Ulysses ceased, and from one end of the covered 333
cloisters to the other his listeners sat entranced with
the charm of his story.

Then Arete said, "What think you of this man now, 336
Phæacians, both as regards his personal appearance and
his abilities? True he is my guest, but his presence is
an honour to you all. Be not niggardly, therefore, in the
presents that you will make him, for heaven has endowed
you all with great abundance." Alcinous also spoke urging
Ulysses to tell still more of his adventures, and to say
whether he met any of the heroes who had fought together
with him at Troy. Thus pressed Ulysses resumed his story.

"When Proserpine," said he, "had dismissed the female 385
ghosts, the ghost of Agamemnon drew near, surrounded by
those of the men who had fallen with him in the house of
Ægisthus. He was weeping bitterly, and I asked him how he
met his end; whereon he detailed to me the treachery of
Clytemnestra, which he said threw disgrace upon all women
even on the good ones. 'Be sure,' he continued, 'that you 433
never be too open with your wife; tell her a part only,
and keep the rest to yourself. Not that you need have
any fear about Penelope for she is an admirable woman.
You will meet your son, too, who by this time must be a 449
grown man. Nevertheless, do not let people know when you
are coming home, but steal a march upon them. And now
give me what news you can about my son Orestes.' To which
I answered that I could tell him nothing.

"While we were thus holding sad talk with one another, 465
the ghost of Achilles came up and asked me for news of
his father Peleus, and of his son. I said I could tell
him nothing about Peleus, but his son Neoptolemus was
with me in the wooden horse, and though all the others
were trembling in every limb and wiping the tears from
their cheeks, Neoptolemus did not even turn pale, nor
shed a single tear. Whereon Achilles strode away over a
meadow full of asphodel, exulting in the prowess of his
son.

"Other ghosts then came up and spoke with me but that of 541
Ajax alone held aloof, for he was still brooding over
the armour of Achilles which had been awarded to me and
not to him. I spoke to him but he would not answer;
nevertheless I should have gone on talking to him till he
did, had I not been anxious to see yet other ghosts.

"I saw Minos with his golden sceptre passing sentence on 568
the dead; Orion also, driving before him over a meadow
full of asphodel the ghosts of the wild beasts whom he
had slain upon the mountains. I saw Tityus with the
vulture ever digging its beak into his liver, Tantalus
also, in a lake whose waters reached his neck but fled
him when he would drink, and Sisyphus rolling his mighty
stone uphill till the sweat ran off him and the steam
rose from him.

"Then I saw mighty Hercules. The ghosts were screaming 601
round him like scared birds, flying all whithers. He
looked black as night with his bare bow in his hand and
his arrow on the string, glaring round as though ever on
the point of taking aim. About his breast there was a
wondrous golden belt marvellously enriched with bears,
wild boars, and lions with gleaming eyes; there were also
war, battle, and death.

"And I should have seen yet others of the great dead had 630
not the ghosts come about me in so many thousands that
I feared Proserpine might send up the Gorgon's head. I
therefore bade my men make all speed back to their ship;
so they hastened on board and we rowed out on to the
waters of Oceanus, where before long we fell in with a
fair wind.