💡 This is a chapter from The Wanderings of Odysseus, by C. Witt & F. Younghusband ← Go there to read the full book free online; it is also available in paperback and Kindle editions.
The next morning, when Menelaus came out, he found Telemachus already seated on the stone bench in front of the house; and placing himself beside the young man, he asked him kindly what had brought him to Sparta. Telemachus answered that he wished to ask the king whether, in the course of his travels, he had heard anything of the fate of his father, and then he went on to describe the wretched state of things at Ithaca in consequence of the absence of Odysseus.
Menelaus shook his head angrily and said, “Mad fools they are who dare to intrude into the lair of the strong hero. They will be like so many young fawns who have ventured into the den of a lion. Presently the lion comes back and devours the helpless creatures. Are they then so certain, the fools, that Odysseus will never return? Woe lies in store for them, and bitter will be the wedding to which they are looking forward. By a wise old sea god I have been assured that thy father is still alive. I will tell thee how I met with him.
“I had sailed with my ships from Egypt to the island of Pharos and had landed there to take in fresh water. From that place I hoped that I should quickly reach home, but suddenly the wind stood still — there was not enough breeze to stir a leaf on a tree. Day after day passed by, and still there was not a breath of wind. At last, our provisions began to fail, and my companions sat down despondingly on the shore to fish, in order to allay the pangs of hunger. I did not know what to do.
“One day, as I was wandering sadly along the coast, I met with the nymph Eidothea, who entered into conversation with me and asked why I remained so long upon the desert island. In reply, I told her all about it and begged her to reveal to me which of the gods it was who was angry and prevented the wind from blowing. She answered, ‘I do not know, but my father, the sea god Proteus, knows everything, and he can tell thee, not only what thou must do in order to get away from hence, but also what has become of thy friends. But he will not tell thee unless he is compelled to do so.’
“I asked her how I could get this information from him, and she said, ‘About midday, my father comes out from the sea and lies down to sleep in a grotto on the shore; his faithful seals come also and sun themselves in front of the grotto. Tomorrow I will find a safe hiding place close by for thee and three of thy companions whom thou mayest choose. As soon as the sea god is asleep, seize him and hold him fast, and do not let thyself be frightened by any of his tricks. He will change himself into all kinds of animals, yea even into fire and water; but when he sees that he cannot escape from thee, he will ask thee what thou wouldst have of him, and will give thee the information of which thou standest in need.’
“The nymph dived into the sea again, and I returned to my companions. The next morning, I took the three strongest with me to the grotto, and the nymph came out of the sea with the skins of four seals that had just been killed. She dug four shallow trenches in the sand, each one just big enough for a man to lie down in. When we had placed ourselves in them, she spread the skins over us, but we could never have endured the dreadful odor, if she had not given us also a little of the fragrant ambrosia of the gods, wherewith to overpower it.
“Towards midday, the faithful seals of Proteus came up out of the water and laid themselves down beside us, and soon afterward the sea god himself appeared above the waves. He counted his followers, ourselves among the rest —for he did not perceive that we were not real seals— and then he went into the shady grotto and lay down beside the animals, just as a shepherd rests among his sheep. As soon as we thought he was asleep, we rose up and fell upon him with a shout and held his hands and feet so fast that he could not move. Then he began his tricks and changed himself by turns into a furious lion, a horrible dragon, a panther, and a wild boar; after that, there was nothing but a stream of water, and lastly he became a tall, spreading tree. But all the time we never let go our hold of what we had seized at first, and, when he saw that he could not frighten us, he became once more the sea god and asked, ‘What would ye have of me?’
“I answered, ‘Thou knowest well the trouble that now oppresses us. Tell us therefore which of the gods it is who detains us here and how we may turn away his anger.’
“He replied, ‘Before thy departure from Egypt, thou shouldst have offered sacrifices to Zeus and the other gods, and never wilt thou see thy home again unless thou returnest to Egypt to make up for the neglect.’
“It was tiresome enough to have to make the journey over again, for it was a troublesome one, but I comforted myself with the prospect of a speedy return home, and hastened to ask concerning the fate of my old friends with whom I had fought before Troy.
“The sea god answered, ‘Better had it been that thou hadst not enquired, for it will make thee sad to hear what has befallen them. Two have perished, and the third, though he is indeed alive, is a prisoner in a distant island. The Lesser Ajax, that dauntless hero, drew upon himself the wrath of Athena and almost perished in a violent storm. He succeeded, however, in reaching a solitary rock, and might yet have arrived in safety at his home had he not, with presumptuous folly, cried aloud in tones of defiance, “Even against the will of the gods have I saved myself from the storm.” This Poseidon heard, and with his trident he cleft the rock, so that the upper part on which Ajax was seated fell into the sea, and he perished in the waves.
“‘Better at first it seemed that thy brother would fare. He landed happily on his own shores and was so rejoiced that he threw himself upon the ground and kissed it with tears in his eyes. But treason was lurking close at hand. For more than a year, a spy had been on the lookout for the ships of Agamemnon —a great reward had been promised him for timely notice of their approach— and, when Aegisthus heard that thy brother was about to land, he met him with assumed friendliness and invited him to a banquet, but, while Agamemnon and his comrades eat and drank, suspecting no evil, he fell upon them with a band of armed followers, and not one remained alive.’
“When the sea god told me this, I was filled with overpowering sorrow and rolled myself over and over in the sand, wishing I had never been born. But the sea god upbraided me and said, ‘Thy weeping avails nothing. Haste thee rather to return to thy home, then mayest thou perchance find the murderer still alive and be able to avenge thy brother.’
“This prospect assuaged my grief, and I proceeded to ask him which it was of the heroes who was detained upon a distant island. He told me it was thy father, and added, ‘I saw him sitting upon the shore, weeping bitterly. The nymph Calypso keeps him there against his will, and there is no ship in which he can make his escape.’ After the sea god had told me these things, he disappeared under the water with his faithful seals.”
Thus spoke Menelaus, and Telemachus was filled with joy, for he had now good reason to hope that Odysseus was still alive and that, by the help of Athena, he might yet reach his home.