ODYSSEY RECONSIDERED

Ryuichi Nagao

An astronomer figured out, from the astronomical references in Odyssey, that the day Odysseus fought with the suitors was April 16, 1178, two years before the collapse of the Hittite Empire, which was probably Troy's patron (Los Angeles Times, 6/24/2008).  The decline of the Empire and the military isolation of Troy might have stimulated the Greek leaders to set about a military adventure.

Ithaca is a small island west of the mainland Greece.  It was reckless to take part in the far-off war in the Asia Minor.  Odysseus and many Greek soldiers might have supposed that the war would end soon (just as the European people at the beginning of the World War I).  According to Odyssey, however, it took ten years to destroy Troy.  Moreover, storms prevented Odysseus from returning home for a long time.

There was an absence of power in Ithaca after Odysseus departed.  A provisional council of aristocrats (called “suitors” in Odyssey) took the helm of the state.  As the absence of Odysseus prolonged, there was a discussion as to how to put an end to the provisional state of affairs in favor of a permanent one.  Many asserted that a kind of adjudication of Odysseus’ disappearance should be proclaimed and a new legitimate government shall be established.  There were some, including the queen Penelope, however, who adhered to the supposition that Odysseus was still alive and insisted on waiting his return. 

Perhaps there was a rule of the regal succession which stipulated that an outsider could succeed the throne if he married to the widow of the foregoing king.  Oedipus could become the king of Thebes because he was married to Jocasta, the widow of Laios (though afterwards he was found to be Laios’ legitimate son).  Thus the politicians of Ithaca asked Penelope to marry one of them to put an end to the provisional state of affairs.  In spite of Homer’s unfavorable description, the “suitors” were serious opinion leaders who worried about the power vacancy.  They could unite with each other because of their public mind.  If they only thought about their own private benefits, they had very small probability to get Penelope’s hand.  They were rivals with each other.

Suddenly Odysseus returned.  He was ill-advised about the situation by Eumaeus and Penelope and killed the suitors.  He had been the person who took the promising youths to reckless adventure and lost all of them.  Now he killed the aristocratic opinion leaders. 

Before he returned to Ithaca, he visited Hades where prophet Teiresias foretold his fate:

“when thou hast slain the wooers in thy halls, …then do thou go forth, taking a shapely oar, until thou comest to men that know naught of the sea and eat not of the food mingled with salt.” (XI118-123)

   This must have been what actually happened to him.  He began his second wandering, probably to the mainland Greece.  He might have visited old comrades and told his stories about his adventures.  The descendants of the people who remembered his stories emigrated to Asia Minor, where Homer lived.