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After Odysseus sleeps in Alcinous’ palace, he is led by Alcinous the next day to Phaeacia’s meeting grounds. Meanwhile, Athena disguises herself as a herald and encourages people to come see the stranger who has arrived on their shores. Soon, the assembly seats are filled. Athena makes Odysseus look taller and stronger to the eyes of the Phaeacians in the hope that Odysseus will be shown respect. Alcinous stands and introduces Odysseus to the people, and explains that he has asked for their help. He commands that a ship be prepared by fifty-two young sailors for Odysseus’ return home. Once it is prepared, Alcinous will give them a banquet before their departure. Alcinous also requests that sceptred princes in attendance come to his palace to welcome Odysseus properly.
The sailors prepare the ships and then go to the feast as commanded. Meanwhile, another feast is prepared for Alcinous’ own guests. A dozen sheep, eight boars and a pair of oxen are slaughtered. Demodorus, the blind bard, is led into the hall. After everyone has eaten, he begins to sing a song about the events of the Trojan War. His song causes Odysseus to weep. He tries to hide his tears but Alcinous sees them. Alcinous appears to want to avoid causing Odysseus any more pain. He suggests they engage in a series of games, instead, that will bring the Phaeacians glory when Odysseus speaks of them when he reaches his own land. The herald leads Demodorus away.
Alcinous’ guests and Odysseus move to the meeting grounds, where men like Broadsea, said to be a match for Ares, and Alcinous’ sons, Laodamas, Halius and Clytones prepare to compete. Clytones wins the footrace, Broadsea wins at wrestling, Seagirt wins at jumping, Rowhard at discus and Laodamus at boxing. Laodamus then proposes that Odysseus joins in the games. He admires Odysseus’ physique and clearly thinks he will be a worthy opponent. Broadsea encourages Laodamus to challenge Odysseus, himself. But Odysseus does not wish to compete. He feels weighed down by his troubles and his desire to return home. Broadsea interprets the refusal as a sign of Odysseus’ low character. He suggests Odysseus is little more than a low-level merchant. This angers Odysseus, who calls Broadsea a “reckless fool”. He says the gods could not improve Broadsea’s looks, but “the mind inside is worthless”. Odysseus has been angered and he now accepts the challenge to compete in the games. He picks up a discus, larger than those used by the Phaeacians, and hurls it much farther than any of them. Athena, now disguised as a man, marks his throw and declares it an obvious winner. Having proved himself, Odysseus challenges the Phaeacians in return. He says he will beat them in any sport except running, since his legs have suffered in his adventures. He also boasts of his own skill with a bow. He says only Philoctetes was better with the bow at Troy, though he does not claim to be as great as Heracles, Eurytus or Oechalia.
When Odysseus finishes speaking Alcinous replies. He says Odysseus’ rebuke of Broadsea was justified. He says he wishes to give Odysseus a chance to tell his story. He admits the Phaeacians may not be the best at boxing or wrestling, but takes pride in their ability as sailors. He says they also excel at dancing, warm baths, changes of clothes and bed. He encourages the Phaeacians to dance for Odysseus. Demodocus plays the lyre and nine men get up to dance. The bard now sings a song about an affair between Ares and Aphrodite.
Ares and Aphrodite had an affair in Hephaestus’ mansion. Helios, the sun god, saw this and told Hephaestus that his wife was unfaithful. Hephaestus decided to forge many chains which were strong, but so fine they could not be seen. He hung them from a roof beam over the bed to form a trap. When Ares and Aphrodite next took to the bed to make love, Hephaestus sprung his trap. The chains were dropped like a net upon the lovers, and they were unable to move beneath them. Helios had been keeping watch and told Hephaestus what had happened. Hephaestus returned to find the lovers trapped. He cried out to Zeus that he was treated poorly by his wife because he was crippled. He was determined the lovers would remain trapped until his father was given back the bride gifts. The gods heard his calls and came crowding around to see what had happened. The female gods refrained from coming out of modesty.
The gods who were present make fun of the two lovers. At Apollo’s encouragement, Hermes expressed his own desire for Aphrodite. The gods laughed, but Poseidon asked that Hephaestus release the lovers, promising to pay the price for Ares if he should escape. Hephaestus was eventually persuaded to let them go. Ares sped off to Thrace while Aphrodite left for Cyprus.
After Demodocus finishes this song, Alcinous next asks Halius and Laodamus to dance. They do a complicated athletic dance with a ball between them and Odysseus praises their skill. Alcinous is pleased. He now proposes they prepare parting gifts for Odysseus. He proposes that the peers of the realm each present Odysseus with a cloak, a shirt and a bar of gold. He also asks that Broadsea makes amends. Broadsea willingly agrees to do so. He wishes Odysseus well and presents him with a sword as a gift. Odysseus wishes him well in return.
Alcinous next encourages his wife to prepare a personal gift for Odysseus from them: a chest with a fresh cloak and shirt. He also offers a golden cup for libations. The queen presents Odysseus the gifts. She tells him to be sure to secure them against theft once he leaves them. Odysseus is then bathed. When he is clothed, he sees Nausicaa, who looks at him “wonderstruck” and bids him farewell. Odysseus bids her farewell and expresses his gratitude that she saved his life.
Next, Odysseus carves a strip of loin for the blind Demodocus and expresses his admiration for the bard’s performance. He praises Demodocus’ account of the Trojan War. He now encourages Demodocus to sing of the Trojan Horse and the fall of Troy.
Demodocus begins his song at the point where the Achaeans have boarded their ships to sail away from Troy, while Odysseus’ men await silently inside the horse. The Trojans sit debating what to do with the horse. They could hack it open. They could throw it over a cliff. Or they could let it stand. The third plan is adopted and the Achaean troops eventually emerge from the horse to attack Troy. Demodocus sings of Odysseus’ role, and how he marches to Deiphobus’ house to fight him.
The song leaves Odysseus weeping again. He is heartbroken, Again, no one notices this except Alcinous, who sits beside him. Alcinous asks Demodocus to cease his singing. He points out the pain the story has caused Odysseus. He says that as a guest, Odysseus should be entertained in a manner that makes him as happy as everyone else.
Alcinous turns to Odysseus and asks to be told who he is and where he is from. He will need to know this so that the Phaeacian ships, which can be guided by the minds of their sailors alone, can take him home. He once again falls to boasting about his people’s seafaring ability. He says that Nausithous used to say that their people’s skill thwarted even the attempts of Poseidon to do them harm. Alcinous presses Odysseus to tell his own story: where he has been and how he came to them, and why does stories of Troy upset him so much? Alcinous wonders whether Odysseus lost a family member or a friend at Troy.
In this book Demodocus, a blind bard, is called upon to sing to Alcinous’ court three times while Odysseus is their honoured guest. Odysseus’ identity remains a mystery to Alcinous and his court during this book, and so Alcinous cannot fully understand why Demodocus’ songs have such an impact on Odysseus. The first and the third songs take the Trojan war for their theme, and on both occasions Odysseus breaks into tears and Alcinous feels compelled to cut the song short.
We are told by Homer that Demodocus is inspired by the muse when he sings, and his singing has an impact on Odysseus’ mood on all three occasions. His first song is the shortest recount of the three songs. It recalls an argument between Achilles and Odysseus:
Emily Wilson’s translation of the same passage reads:
I can find no scene in The Iliad that these lines allude to. It seems probable that the scene is meant to take place after the conclusion of The Iliad, and it may allude to a part of the Epic Cycle now lost to us. The reason for placing this scene so late is that the argument between the two men is the subject of a prophecy that predicts the end of the war. Agamemnon’s rejoicing may be because he is happy that Achilles’ ire is turned against someone else, but it seems more likely that he understands the significance of the argument for the end of the war because of the prophecy.
However, Emily Wilson’s translation puts a different light upon it. In her translation the quarrel does not prophesise an imminent Achaean victory. Instead, it prophesises the beginning of “suffering” that both sides will endure. This, and the allusion to the plans of Zeus, make the passage seem just as likely that the scene is early in the story of the Trojan war, as it might be late: the suffering on both sides is yet to come.
As for the nature of the argument between the two men, there is a chapter you can read, if you wish a fuller account, on Harvard’s Centre for Hellenistic studies, (from Gregory Nagy’s The Best of the Achaeans: Concepts of the Hero in Archaic Greek Poetry, Chapter 3. A Conflict between Odysseus and Achilles in the Iliad) Nagy argues that the conflict, though it seems specific, might characterise a broader difference in approach between the two men. Achilles is a man of action and violence, while Odysseus uses his brains and has a reputation for being crafty and tricky. Nagy states:
. . . we may note again that the reference in Odyssey viii 78 to the quarreling Achilles and Odysseus as the “best of the Achaeans” seems to be based on an epic tradition that contrasted the heroic worth of Odysseus with that of Achilles in terms of a contrast between mêtis and bíē. The contrast apparently took the form of a quarrel between the two heroes over whether Troy would be taken by might or by artifice . . . Achilles is advocating might and Odysseus, artifice, as the means that will prove successful in destroying Troy.
Here ‘mêtis’ is ‘artifice, stratagem’ according to Nagy, and ‘bíē’ is ‘might’ (that is, physical superiority).
Whether the argument is specific, or encompasses a broader philosophical approach cannot be known for certain, but the dichotomy certainly characterises the two men accurately.
However, it is also pertinent to the events of Book 8. When Alcinous sees Odysseus weep he stops Demodocus singing and proposes they hold games instead, “so our guest can tell his friends, / when he reaches home, how we far excel the world / at boxing, wrestling, jumping, speed of foot.” [lines 119 – 121]. As in war, there is reputational honour involved in physical competition, which is a form of martial training, anyway. In fact, what Alcinous proposes is a round of common sports useful for training and fitness, but also, as a demonstration of ‘bíē’ or ‘might’. This becomes most evident when Broadsea breaks with the usual deference shown to guests to challenge Odysseus. Laodamus argues, “It is fit and proper for you to know your sports”, and when Odysseus tries to refuse to participate, expressing his distress at the delay to his return home, Broadsea interjects, “I never took you for someone skilled at games, / the kind that real men play throughout the world.” [lines 184 – 185] Failure to show physical prowess, somewhat akin to cowardice in battle, draws Broadsea’s contempt. In this, if we accept Nagy’s broad categorisation of the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles, Broadsea now stands in parallel with Achilles.
The challenge, therefore, gives Odysseus a chance to demonstrate his physical capabilities, not only to his hosts, but to Homer’s audience as well. Odysseus throws a discuss, heavier than any other available, further than all his Phaeacian competitors. He also challenges them to any other sport except running. In this way, though we cannot be certain of the provenance of Demodocus’ first song, we can see that it provides a narrative opportunity for Homer to help characterise Odysseus not only as a man of wit and cunning, but also remind his audience that Odysseus is a man of action, too. In fact, Alcinous is forced to withdraw his earlier boast and concede, “We’re hardly world-class boxers or wrestlers, I admit”.
Demodocus’ second song – the longest as it is recounted in The Odyssey – is a change of tone which elicits a happier response from Odysseus. We are told “Odysseus relished every note”. [line 412] The story of Hephaestus trapping Aphrodite and Ares during their amorous tryst is one that also has some parallel with Odysseus’ response to Broadsea, though there is no element of the plot that resembles another between the two stories.
There is an association made between Odysseus and Hephaestus in the narrative. Odysseus is confident in excelling at every sport, he tells the Phaeacians, except a foot race:
Hephaestus attributes Aphrodites’ infidelity to the state of his own crippled legs:
Both Odysseus and Hephaestus face an opponent who does not respect them because of perceived physical deficiencies. Hephaestus overcomes Ares through his skill as a blacksmith, as well as his cunning, a trait normally associated with Odysseus. Conversely, Odysseus deflects Broadsea’s rude challenge through his physical skill and courage, attributes normally associated with Achilles.
Now, Ares becomes the subject of ridicule as the gods gather to mock the lovers trapped on the bed – “Slow outstrips the swift”, “[the] limping Hephaestus conquers War” – while Broadsea is made to make amends to Odysseus. He willingly does so and presents him with a sword to honour Odysseus.
Demodocus’ third song again draws tears from Odysseus, and Alcinous again notices and stops the recitation. Demodocus sings about the Wooden Horse used to trick and defeat the Trojans. He does this at Odysseus’ request. Odysseus has come to respect Demodocus’ skill. The song tells of the tense wait of the Achaean soldiers hidden inside the horse before the attack is launched, and moves on to an account of Odysseus’ own role, as he fights grimly inside Deiphobus’ house with Menelaus at his side.
The Trojan Horse is first mentioned in Book 4 of The Odyssey. Menelaus recalls a story he has heard, that Helen tried to make the men inside the Horse betray themselves by calling out to them. Prince Deiphobus accompanied Helen around the Horse as she did this. Deiphobus was Priam’s son, brother to Hector and Paris, and after Paris’ death he married Helen. This explains why Menelaus was in Deiphobus’ house alongside Odysseus, and why the melee was so intense.
Apart from recalling details not available in The Iliad, the significance of this last song is that it provides a narrative bridge. This is the second time Alcinous has seen Odysseus weep while hearing a story about the war, and he realises it is significant:
Alcinous’ curiosity is piqued. Under the customs of hospitality, he has taken Odysseus into his home, fed him, given him a place to sleep and honoured him, but he neither knows Odysseus’ name, where he is from nor what story he might have to tell. The effect of Demodocus’ last song is that it gives Alcinous licence to more forcefully ask for Odysseus’ story:
In this way, Demodocus’ storytelling in Book 8 not only relates to Homer as a storyteller (stories within stories – but he is also blind, which Homer is traditionally), it also provides the opportunity for Odysseus to tell his own story to the Phaeacian court of King Alcinous: a story which will recounts some of the most famous scenes in The Odyssey.
When Odysseus responds to the challenge to participate in the Phaeacian games, he asserts his skill in many physical disciplines, including with a bow and arrow, but he says:
Of Eurytus, he adds,
There is more than one version of the death of Eurytus. A second version has Heracles kill him. The story is that Eurytus had promised that anyone who could beat him and his sons in a contest of archery could have his daughter, Lole, in marriage. Heracles won, but Eurytus reneged on the promise, fearing that his daughter might suffer the same fate of Heracles’ first wife, Megara, as well as their children. Heracles had mistakenly killed them in a fit of madness induced by the goddess Hera. For this crime he undertook his famous labours. After being rejected by Eurytus, Heracles later returned with an army to Oechalia, defeated and killed Eurytas and his sons, and took Lole as his wife.
The appeal of the story told by Homer is that the bow Apollo uses to shoot Eurytas is given to Iphitus, one of Eurytus’ children, who gave it to Odysseus. It is this bow that is said to have been used to slay the suitors upon Odysseus’ return to Ithaca.
Francesco Hayez’s painting depicts one of the two scenes from Book 8 of The Odyssey in which Odysseus breaks down and weeps as Demodocus plays upon his harp and sings songs about the Trojan War. Domodocus is the seated figure in the foreground with his back turned towards us, holding the harp. Odysseus stands in a red robe, centre, with his hands held to his eyes and head bowed as he weeps. To the left of him, from our point of view, is King Alcinous with his arm outstretched. To the left of him is Arete, the queen, and to her left, seated, is Nausicaa.
As with many interpretations of scenes from Homer, the artist has taken some liberty for the sake of drama. In Homer, it is only Alcinous who notices Odysseus weeping the both times that it happens. He is able to stop Demodocus in order to preserve Odysseus’ dignity. In Hayez’s scene, Alcinous reaches dramatically for Odysseus, and it is clear from the reactions of other figures, that they see Odysseus’ emotion and are taken by surprise.
This first century Roman Fresco from Pompeii depicts the lovers, Aphrodite and Mars. There are two cupids, or cherubs, in the picture, symbolising the love between the two figures. However, the image also emphasises Mars’ vulnerability in this situation. Aphrodite holds his spear languidly in her arm, one cupid figure holds his sword, while the second holds his helmet. Mars has been divested of his tools of war and is left exposed by his desire.
Johann Heiss’ representation of the moment Hephaestus (Vulcan) exposes Aphrodite and Ares (Venus and Mars) is achieved with all the intensity of the baroque style. It is painted in bright colour and lavish detail, at a moment of heightened drama. There is also a clear relationship between the earthly and ethereal realms – the action moves vertically from the floor and then skyward – suggesting drama on a grand scale.
At the left bottom corner of the painting Hephaestus turns to the other gods and gestures at the two lovers, naked in bed. Ares clasps a curtain, clearly hoping to conceal himself and Aphrodite from the gaze and ridicule of the other gods. His sword, arrows, helmet and shield lie at the foot of the bed.
The group of gods who have come to gaze upon the lovers is more varied than in Homer’s narrative. Homer tells us, “modesty kept each goddess to her mansion”. It is only male gods like Poseidon, Hermes and Apollo who attend the scene in Homer, while in Heiss’ version, the female gods also attend and gaze unabashedly upon the scandal. Poseidon is easy to identify with his long hair and beard, holding his trident in the background of the group. We can identify Hermes by his winged heals and Helmet in the foreground. By a process of elimination, the central male figure, seated on a cloud and wrapped in a red robe, is possibly Apollo, although he appears as older than normal and bears no other signature item like a bow and arrow. However, Helios, who plays a crucial role in helping Hephaestus expose the two lovers, is also easily identified in his chariot at the top of the painting, drawn by his horses and holding his torch in his hand.
Tiepolo’s painting, though not physically large (only 38.8 cm x 66.7 cm) has a monumental sense of scale. It depicts the scene of the wooden Horse left by the Achaean forces into the city of Troy. The painting is inspired by Virgil’s description of the scene in The Aeneid, although the same scene is also described in the song by Demodocus in The Odyssey. On the side of the horse the Greeks have left the inscription ‘Paladi Votum’. ‘Paladi’ is a Latinised version of Pallas, another name for Athena: Pallas Athena. So, the message translates as “An Offering to Pallas”. When the Greeks left the Wooden horse, they sailed away in their ships to help support the ruse that the Horse was an offering left to Athena upon their departure.