PRAISE FOR GLYN ILIFFE
‘The world of this novel appears as many scholars see that of Homer: a rich melange of different eras … It has suspense, treachery and bone-crunching action … It will leave fans of the genre eagerly awaiting the rest of the series’
Harry Sidebottom,
author of the best selling Warrior of Rome series
‘Iliffe is a talented storyteller’
Times Literary Supplement
‘A ripping swords-and-sandals treatment of The Iliad’
The Telegraph
‘A thrilling adventure full of bloody battles, vibrant characters and the heart-stopping romance that makes ancient Greece so universally appealing. Dazzling drama on a grand scale’
Lancashire Evening Post
‘A must read for those who enjoy good old epic battles, chilling death scenes and the extravagance of ancient Greece’
Lifestyle Magazine
‘The reader does not need to be a classicist by any means to enjoy this epic and stirring tale. It makes a great novel and would be an even better film’
Historical Novels Review
‘Another gripping and thrilling tale from the new demi-god of the genre, one which fans will relish getting stuck into’
The Catholic Herald
THE VOYAGE OF ODYSSEUS
Glyn Iliffe studied English and Classics at Reading University, where he developed a passion for Greek mythology. Well travelled, Glyn has visited nearly forty countries, trekked in the Himalayas, hitchhiked across North America and had his collarbone broken by a bull in Pamplona.
He is married with two daughters and lives in Leicestershire. King of Ithaca was his first novel, followed by The Gates of Troy, The Armour of Achilles and The Oracles of Troy. He is currently working on the concluding book of the series.
For more information visit www.glyniliffe.com
1st ePub Edition
Copyright © Glyn Iliffe 2015
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
This book is a work of fiction. It has been written for entertainment purposes only. All references to characters and countries should be seen in this light.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-910100-73-8
ebook formatting by EBooks by Design
www.ebooksbydesign.co
Also by Glyn Iliffe
King of Ithaca
The Gates of Troy
The Armour of Achilles
The Oracles of Troy
GLYN ILIFFE
THE VOYAGE
OF ODYSSEUS
FOR KATIE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Richard Sheehan for editing the original text and suggesting improvements.
I am also indebted to Justine Elliott for designing the cover and her patience with my constant tinkering.
Finally, for their proofreading skills, I would like to thank Saleh Abdulhadi, Kevin Beard, Maureen Corderoy, Jane Davies, Simon Jenson, Kenneth Kiffer Fong, Pierre L’Eplattenier, Sebastian Lockwood, Prashant Malikpuria, Kevin Marlow, Steven A. McKay, Nick Metcalfe, Nicholas Oxman, Dean Rodgers, Joseph Sofaer, Daniel Southall, Sam Stockdale, Rhys Thatcher, Sherwin Titus and Bruce Villas.
GLOSSARY
A
Achilles
–
renowned Greek warrior
Acheron
–
greatest of the rivers in the Underworld
Aeaea
–
island home of Circe
Aeolia
–
island of Aeolus
Aeolus
–
ruler of the Winds
Aethiopes
–
peoples from northern Africa
Agamemnon
–
king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks
Ajax (greater)
–
king of Salamis, killed himself after being sent mad by the gods
Ajax (lesser)
–
king of Locris
Alybas
–
home city of Eperitus, in northern Greece
Androcles
–
eldest son of Aeolus
Antenor
–
Trojan elder
Anticleia
–
Odysseus’s mother
Antinous
–
Ithacan noble, son of Eupeithes
Antiphus
–
Ithacan guardsman
Apheidas
–
Trojan commander, father of Eperitus
Aphrodite
–
goddess of love
Apollo
–
archer god, associated with music, song and healing
Arceisius
–
Ithacan soldier, murdered by Apheidas
Artemis
–
moon-goddess associated with childbirth, noted for her virginity and vengefulness
Astynome
–
daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo
Athena
goddess of wisdom and warfare
Aulis
–
sheltered bay in the Euboean Straits
Autonoe
–
Penelope’s body slave
B
Baius
–
Ithacan helmsman
C
Calchas
–
priest of Apollo, adviser to Agamemnon
Calypso
–
island-dwelling demi-goddess
Charybdis
–
a monstrous whirlpool
Cicones
–
northern allies of the Trojans
Circe
–
witch possessing the power to turn men into animals
Clytaemnestra
–
queen of Mycenae and wife of Agamemnon
Cocytus
–
the River of Lamentation found in the Underworld
Cyclops
–
one-eyed giant
Cythera
–
island off Cape Malea
Chelonion
–
flower native to Ithaca
D
Dia
–
daughter of Aeolus
Diomedes
–
king of Argos
Dolius
–
Ithacan slave
Drakios
–
Ithacan soldier
Dulichium
–
one of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule
E
Elpenor
–
Ithacan soldier
Epistor
–
Ithacan soldier
Eperitus
–
captain of Odysseus’s guard
Eupeithes
–
member of the Kerosia
Eurybates
–
&
nbsp; Odysseus’s squire
Eurylochus
–
Ithacan soldier, cousin of Odysseus
Eurymachus
–
Ithacan noble, henchman to Antinous
H
Hades
–
god of the Underworld
Halitherses
–
former captain of Ithacan royal guard, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseus’s absence
Hecabe
–
Trojan queen, wife of King Priam
Hector
–
Trojan prince, killed by Achilles
Helen
–
queen of Sparta and wife of Menalaus
Hippasos
–
Ithacan soldier
Hyperion
–
god of the sun
I
Ilium
–
the region of which Troy was the capital
Iphigenia
–
Ismarus
–
land of the Cicones
Ithaca
–
island in the Ionian Sea
K
Kerosia
–
Ithacan council meeting
L
Laertes
–
Odysseus’s father
Laestrygonians
–
race of giant cannibals
Lethe
–
the River of Forgetfulness found in the Underworld
Lotus Eaters
–
a people addicted to the lotus fruit
Lyrnessus
–
Trojan city sacked by the Greeks
M
Malea
–
cape on the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese
Maron
–
Cicone priest of Apollo
Melanthius
–
Ithacan goatherd and henchman of Antinous
Melantho
–
Ithacan maidservant
Menelaus
–
king of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon and cuckolded husband of Helen
Mentor
–
close friend of Odysseus, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseus’s absence
Moly
–
flower native to Aeaea
Mycenae
–
most powerful city in Greece, situated in north-eastern Peloponnese
Mydon
–
Ithacan soldier
N
Neoptolemus
–
son of Achilles and Deidameia
Neriton (Mount)
–
highest point on Ithaca
Nestor
–
king of Pylos
O
Odysseus
–
king of Ithaca
Oenops
–
member of the Kerosia
Oicles
–
Ithacan soldier
Omeros
–
Ithacan soldier and bard
Ophelestes
–
Ithacan soldier
P
Palladium
–
sacred image of Athena’s companion, Pallas
Paris
–
Trojan prince, killed by Philoctetes
Parnassus (Mount)
–
mountain in central Greece and home of the Pythian oracle
Peiraeus
–
friend of Telemachus
Peloponnese
–
southernmost landmass of Greek mainland, named after Pelops
Pelops
–
grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus
Penelope
–
queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus
Pergamos
–
the citadel of Troy
Perimedes
–
Taphian soldier
Phaeacia
–
island on the cusp of the known world
Philoctetes
–
Malian archer, deserted by the Greeks on Lemnos
Phlegethon
–
the River of Flaming Fire found in the Underworld
Polites
–
Ithacan warrior
Polyctor
–
member of the Kerosia
Polyphemus
–
a Cyclops, son of Poseidon
Poseidon
–
god of the sea
Priam
–
king of Troy
Proreus
–
Phaeacian sailor
Pylos
–
city in south-western Peloponnese
Pythoness
–
high priestess of the Pythian oracle
S
Samos
–
westernmost of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule
Scamander
–
river on the Trojan plain
Scylla
–
six-headed monster
Selagos
–
Taphian warrior
Sirens
–
monsters with the body of a bird and the head of a woman
Sisyphus
–
condemned to the Underworld for boasting he could outwit Zeus
Styx
–
the River of Hatred found in the Underworld
T
Talthybius
–
squire to Agamemnon
Tantalus
–
great-grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus, condemned to the Underworld for serving his son to the gods in a stew
Tartarus
–
the Underworld
Taphians
–
pirate race from Taphos
Teiresias
–
blind seer
Telemachus
–
son of Odysseus and Penelope
Telepora
–
wife of Aeolus
Tenedos
–
island off the coast of Ilium
Theano
–
priestess of Athena and wife of Antenor
Thrinacie
–
island where Hyperion keeps his cattle
Tityus
–
Giant condemned to the Underworld for attempting to rape the mother of Apollo and Artemis
Troy
–
chief city of Ilium
X
xenia
–
the custom of friendship towards strangers
Z
Zacynthos
–
southernmost of the Ionian islands under Odysseus’s rule
Zeus
–
the king of the gods
BOOK
ONE
Chapter One
DEDICATING THE ANCHOR STONES
Eperitus, son of Apheidas, looked across the Scamander valley at the ruins of Troy. Countless fires pumped slanted pillars of smoke high into the sky, where they congregated and drifted west to befog the late afternoon sun. The walls of the great city, which had stood for so long in defiance against the besieging Greeks, were now broken and charred, the once impenetrable gates stretched out in the dust like slain giants. Fr
om his viewpoint on the ridge, Eperitus could see the destruction within: the hovels of the lower city still burning the best part of a day after the first torches had set them alight, the mansions and temples of the citadel – Pergamos – blackened and roofless as the fires gorged themselves on the delicate furniture and rich tapestries that had filled the halls of Troy’s elite. King Priam’s palace had borne the brunt of the Greeks’ vengeance. One whole wing had exploded when the flames had reached the giant pithoi of oil and wine, blowing out the walls and killing Greek and Trojan without discrimination. Not satisfied with that, King Agamemnon had ordered his soldiers to tear down the walls of his enemy’s home stone by stone, so all that remained now was a pile of scorched rubble. Before it, in the centre of the courtyard, a huge pyre fed on the corpses of the fallen. There were other such pyres throughout the ruined city, for despite their hatred of the Trojans, the Greeks would not abandon their bodies to be feasted on by dogs and vultures, leaving their spirits to remain on earth instead of being led down to the Halls of Hades. Ten years of war had made savages out of the Greeks, but they were not yet monsters.