Odysseus holds a funeral for Elpenor and then spends another night with Circe who tells him how to navigate what is to come. When Odysseus leaves Circe, he does as she says and puts wax into the ears of his crew and has them tie him to the ship. After they pass through the Sirens, they pass between a monster with six heads which eats six men at a time and a whirlpool goddess. When they arrive on an island to rest, Eurylochus persuades the crew to kill the sacred cows, even though Odysseus commanded them not to. This act angers the gods, so Zeus strikes the ship with lightning and everyone is killed except for Odysseus, who is taken to the island where Calypso lives.
My men are usually so obedient. I am both angry and disappointed with them. Although they followed my orders throughout the rest of our journey, they failed me when it was the most important that they follow my instructions. They killed the god’s cows and now we must fear his wrath. Even before we left, Circe said “If you leave these unharmed and keep your mind/on your journey, you might yet struggle home/to Ithaca”(book 12 line 142-145). If only they had listened, we would have all made it home quickly, but instead, I alone survived and it even though many years have passed, I still not home.
