The Island of Circe

"So I spoke, and the inward heart in them was broken, as they remembered Antiphates the Laistrygonian and the violence of the great-hearted cannibal Cyclops, and they wept loud and shrill, letting the big tears fall, but there came no advantage to them for all their sorrowing."

The Odyssey of Homer, by Lattimore ~ Book X

Lost was I, and torn. I’m here stuck in an unknown island far from home. I have long awaited my homecoming, but now, that idea seems far-fetched. Oh what miserable life I have, stuck with the ill-fortuned Odysseus, doomed and never to return home. Elpenor is my name, and this was how my adventure with Odysseus ended.

I was scared, turmoil raged in my mind. My friends, all of them, were killed, left behind for the Laistrygones to feed on. Oh why have I ventured out with Odysseus, he who have brought the crew nothing but despair? Curse you Son of Laertes whom the god Poseidon hates, for it is your own foolishness that had us stranded on this island.

I was the youngest of them all, the weakest, and I consider myself as one not intellectually gifted. I had been very lucky to survive this far, but I should’ve stayed at home. As I had opened my eyes and wiped off my tears, I saw Odysseus, trudging towards the crew with a large stag on his shoulder. 

“We will not visit the house of Hades tonight, my men. Let us forget our sorrow and dine with meat and wine!” He said.

That night, we dined until darkness came over us, and in the morning, when Dawn with her rosy fingers came, we packed our things and got ready for our adventure that day. 

“I had seen a house in the forest glen, and I am unsure of who or what inhabits that house, so now, I shall divide you all into two groups with Eurylochos and I as your leaders.” His voice had authority in it, it was almost hard not to obey him. I’d give him credit for his leadership, but his rash thinking still made it hard for me to forgive him for what he had led the crew into.

I had been grouped with Eurylochos. Unfortunate was I, stubborn and unpredictable as Odysseus was, I trusted him more than the great Eurylochos for he surpasses him in both strength and intelligence. 

We departed the remainder of the crew who were still mourning for the death of their friends. How blinded they are, why don’t they just kill Odysseus to get this over with? If he was the cause of our misfortune, then eliminating him would resolve all our problems! I decided to keep this opinion to myself, these men fear him too much to strike him even when he is sleeping.

We ventured towards the house he referred to. I couldn’t keep my feelings inside.

“I’ve always respected Odysseus,” I started, choosing my words carefully for the fear of being struck by one who is loyal to him. “But aren’t we going a bit too far? We’re supposed to be home by now! Oh how I miss my family, my parents, my siblings, I had given everything up to gain fame and fortune for this trip, but it seems as if he gets all the credit! We experience the same pain and hardships as he does, but why is he the one being honored? What is he without us?”

“I agree with Elpenor. We have witnessed our companions dying, every one of them. Odysseus has brought us nothing but misery, all those decision of his that led us farther and farther away from our homeland. I think it is time to act as we really should,” Eurylochos concluded.

“Patience now, my friends, I’m sure we will get our fair share of fortune and fame once we get back to our homes. But for now, let us bare the pain of his actions,” Polites, who had influence over Odysseus’ men said. Not another word was spoken until we reached the house because all feared Polites who was the dearest friend of Odysseus.

We arrived at the house that the Godlike Odysseus was talking about. It was one of the most beautiful sites I had seen, how intricate was the architecture and the designs of the house! It was as if a goddess made it.

As we entered, the great Eurylochos decided to stay out.

“I do not trust whoever owns this house, and for fear of that, I shall stay outside,” he said.

“Suit yourself, you don’t know what you’ll be missing out,” replied Polites.

I myself wanted to stay out, but my curiosity led me inside. We saw countless wild beast and they seemed tamed, but we didn’t want to take chances, we took an alternate route to the front door. Polites, who had seen fair maiden inside, decided to call her out. She saw us, and let us in. 

She introduced herself, telling us her name was Circe. She gave us food to eat, and wine to drink, but as we took those in, nausea overtook our senses. I suddenly felt dizzy and I fell to the ground. The last thing I remembered was the fair maiden standing over me, waving a stick and chanting words foreign to my ear.

I woke up to the sound of a snort. I couldn’t remember who I was, and everything I saw all around me were pigs. I smelt food near the door of the pigsty, and neared it to take a bite of what was given. As I ate, I tried to recall who I was, but I couldn’t. When I had my fill, I decided to rest, but something was bugging me deep inside my mind. There was something-- or someone trying to take over my head.

I played an intense game of tug-of-war, but when I was already winning, images of my past life as a human came back to me. I was Elpenor, and Odysseus was my leader. Oh that wretched man, I’d rather die than spend a longer time with him! I slowly let the other consciousness invade my mind, and the last thing I heard before fading into oblivion were the words: “Set my companions free.”

Image Sources:

http://www.trueghosttales.com/img/circe.jpg

http://www.hethert.org/Circe_-_Wright_Barker.jpg

http://www.wga.hu/art/p/parmigia/z_circe.jpg

Written by Bernell Go