1. Odyssey book 10 Next Odysseus and his crew reach the island of the wind god Aeolos, where they stay 1 month, and Odysseus receives as a guest gift a bag of unhelpful winds to help them sail. They come after ten days within sight of Ithaca, but Odysseus' crew suspecting the bag contains treasure open it, releasing winds that blow him back to Aeolos’s island. This time Aeolos guessing Odysseus' journey is cursed by the gods refuses to help him further. They sail on without any wind and reach Lamos, land of the giant Laistrygonians, who eat one of them and they flee under a hail of boulders.

2. Odyssey book 10 Next they men arrive at the island of the goddess Circe. She meets his advanced party, feasts them, turns them into pigs with a potion. Odysseus goes alone to her house to rescue them. There her potion doesn't affect him thanks to a herb Hermes gives him but he is seduced by her & in exchange for sleeping with her she frees his men They end up staying for a year in the paradise until they finally remind Odysseus of their mission. Circe says they can only get home if he speaks to the blind seer, Teiresias, now in Hades, the land of Death, and gives them instructions on how. The night before they leave the youngest of his men, Elpenor, having drunkenly slept on the roof, falls and kills himself, but they depart without realising he is not with them.

3. Odyssey book 11 Odysseus and his crew make a blood sacrifice for Teiresias over a pit. Other shades emerge to feed on the blood, including Elpenor, who Odysseus promises a proper sailor's burial. his dead mother, Anticleia, who tells of home and her grief, and awaken Odysseus to the price his ‘kleos’. Achilles who foreswears glorious death in favour of even a slave's life. Again emphasising the emptiness of ‘kleos’ Agamemnon who warns him against women, and warns him of what might be in store even with Penelope. Finally, Teiresias appears tells that it is Poseidon's vengeance for the blinding of his son, Polyphemos, that keeps him from returning home. He warns Odysseus not to touch the oxen of Helios when he lands on Thrinakia, predicting doom for his crew if they do. He further predicts that Odysseus will make it alone to his house and slay Penelope's destructive suitors.

4. Odyssey book 12 Keeping his promise they sail back to Circe's island, where they make a funeral pyre for Elpenor, so he can enter Hades properly. The next day, They sail past the sirens, the crew with plugged ears, Odysseus listens to it but has his men lash him to the mast. Next, the men must sail between Scylla, a six-headed sea monster, and the treacherous whirlpools of Charybdis. Scylla seizes and eats six men. The survivors reach the island of Helios, the Sun God, & his cattle. The men insist on going ashore but promise not to harm the cattle. But they are becalmed for a month, and starving, his men ignore the prophesy and eat the cattle. Zeus whips up a storm for punishment and shoots a thunderbolt at the ship, wrecking it. All the men drown, and Odysseus alone survives holding onto some wreckage drifts to Calypso's island, where he remains for 7yrs more. As prophesied, he’s lost his 720 men & his 12 ships.

5. Odyssey book 13 Odysseus ends his story & the Phaeacians collect gifts and store them on a ship. Odysseus takes his leave and goes on board, & sleeps during the voyage to Ithaca The Phaeacians land in Ithaca, unload the goods, place Odysseus sleeping on the shore, and leave, but Poseidon complains to Zeus about them helping Odysseus safely home. He turns the Phaeacian ship to stone and put up a mountain range around their city. Amazed at the transformation of their ship king Alcinous recalls his father's prophecies, so they sacrifice to Poseidon, Odysseus wakes up on Ithaca but does not recognize the place. Athena visits him in the form of a young man & tells him he is in Ithaca. Odysseus, always cunning, makes up a false story about his identity. Athena transforms herself into a woman, reveals her identity, points out the features of the island, & the two of them plan how Odysseus will take his revenge on the suitors. Athena transforms Odysseus’s appearance so that he looks like an poor old beggar. She tells him to seek out the man who tends his swine, while she leaves for Sparta to fetch Telemachus.

6. Odyssey book 14 Odysseus leaves the harbour and walks to the farm of Eumaeus, his old swineherd. Eumaeus welcomes disguised Odysseus, prepares a meal for him, & talks about his absent master. Odysseus assures him that his master will return, but Eumaeus doesn’t believe. Odysseus tells a long made-up story about his identity and his adventures in Egypt and elsewhere, telling him he heard news of Odysseus' return Eumaeus still doesn’t believe him, but prepares a sacrifice and another meal while Odysseus tells another story about an incident in the Trojan War. Eumaeus prepares a bed for Odysseus, then goes outside to guard the boars.

7. Odyssey book 15 Athena visits Sparta to tell Telemachus to return home & to visit Eumaeus the swineherd when he gets back. Telemachus tells Menelaus & Helen he'd like to leave, and they give gifts and a farewell banquet. Telemachus and Peisistratus (after a favourable omen) leave Sparta and reach Pylos where he leaves Peisistratus, and he continues to Ithaca Meanwhile Odysseus and Eumaeus feast in the hut Odysseus asks Eumaeus about his parents, and is told the story of how he got to Ithaca and was sold to Laertes. Telemachus lands in Ithaca and tells the crew to take the ship on without him while he walks to Eumaeus' farmyard (as Athena has told him).

8. Odyssey book 16 Telemachus arrives at Eumaeus' farm who is overjoyed to see Telemachus back from his voyage. Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Odysseus (in disguise) talk. Telemachus sends Eumaeus off to tell Penelope of his safe return & Athena tells Odysseus to reveal himself to his son and transforms his appearance. Telemachus and Odysseus are reunited (only time he’s truthful) & they discuss how to deal with the suitors. Odysseus gives Telemachus instructions about hiding weapons and behaving in front of the suitors A messenger from Telemachus' crew tells Penelope & others the news of his return from Pylos The suitors are upset and discuss what to do. Penelope comes to the suitors and scolds Antinous for his behaviour. Eumaeus returns to O & T in the hut. Athena disguises O as the old beggar once again, and all 3 eat a meal and go to sleep

9. Odyssey book 17 Telemachus leaves Eumaeus the swineherd and Odysseus at the farm saying that the beggar (Odysseus) must go to the city. Telemachus is welcomed in the palace by his nurse Eurycleia and Penelope. He joins the suitors then he & a soothsayer he’d brought beck from Pylos dine with Penelope & tells about his journey. The soothsayer prophecies Odysseus' return. Eumaeus and Odysseus leave the farm for the city & en root meet Melanthius, the goat herder, who insults them. When they arrive at the palace, Odysseus' old dog, Argus, recognizes him and dies. Eumaeus joins Telemachus at dinner while Odysseus sits by the entrance way. Telemachus offers food to the disguised Odysseus, who begs from the suitors. Melanthius and Antinous insult Eumaeus and Odysseus, so Odysseus tells Antinous his “story”, they trade insults, and Antinous throws a foot stool at Odysseus. Penelope asks Eumaeus to call the disguised beggar to her. Odysseus tell Eumaeus that he'll meet Penelope in the evening, not now, which he tells Penelope, talks to Telemachus, then returns to the farm.

10. Odyssey book 18 Irus the beggar arrives at the palace and abuses Odysseus for begging in his spot. The suitors encourage them to fight & in the scrap Odysseus knocks Irus out. Odysseus warns Amphinomus (the best of the suitors) of trouble ahead. Athena makes Penelope want to appear before the suitors & she beautifies her in her sleep. Penelope wakes up and goes downstairs to mix with the suitors. She and Telemachus talk about the stranger. She encourages the suitors to bring presents for her, which they do, and they do so. Odysseus talks to the female servants, criticizing them for assisting the suitors. Odysseus holds up the lamps for the suitors at their feast Eurymachus (bad suitor) makes fun of Odysseus, and he answers back so Eurymachus throws a stool at him, misses and hits the wine steward. Telemachus and Amphinomus restore order – the suitors continue feasting and then leave, but the situation is growing ever more heated.