eus. For example, when the Odysseus and his men defeated Ismaros, the men stayed on the island to revel in their victory, although Odysseus exhorts them to leave the island. As a result, the people of Ismaros attacked the men and more lives were lost. Another example of this behavior is in Book X, when the Odysseus and his crew land of Aeolus, who holds control of the winds. Odysseus is welcomed there and showered with gifts by Aeolus. Aeolus also gives him a sack containing strong winds, except for the West Wind. The crew then sets sail back to Ithaca. After ten days, when the ship is nearly home to Ithaca, Odysseus falls asleep accidentally and the crew is jealous of Odysseus because of his wealth of gifts. They believe that in the sack contain more treasure, so they open the bag. The strong winds blow them off course and they are sent back to Aeolus’s island. As a result of their jealousy, Odysseus does not go home and is away from home another ten years. If they had not opened the sack, Odysseus and the crew would probably be home at the same time as Menelaos got home. Lastly, when the Odysseus and his crew went to the land of the Dead, Theiresias warned him about the island of Thrinacia, where the cows and sheep are plentiful and should not be eaten. Theiresias also told them to make a sacrifice to the gods. However, when they went to the island, they disobeyed Odysseus again and Eurylokhos urged the men to eat the cows rather than starve, while Odysseus was asleep. This resulted in the destruction of their ship by Zeus’s magnificent thunderbolts. The incessant disobedience of the crew teaches the audience of human foolishness and the punishments as a result. Another storyteller is the combination of Helen and Menelaos. Their stories told to Telemakhos form a composite picture of the hero, Odysseus. Each tells a story that reveals a different aspect of the hero. Their function is to add to the fame of Odysseus as well a...
