YOU ARE ODYSSEUS Episode 10: Games and Glories

YOU ARE ODYSSEUS - the immersive, interactive audiobook podcast. EPISODE 10: Games and Glories The Phaeacians put on Games in your honour, and it's time to pay them back... with your name... This episode covers Book 8, the Phaeacian Games put on in honour of their unknown guest; Book 9, up to where Odysseus reveals himself and begins his tale; and the start of Book 13, when Odysseus leaves Scherie on his journey to Ithaca... Listen and become Odysseus, the many-minded man, the most famous adventure hero of all time. Enjoy this second-person retelling of Homer's Odyssey with a fully atmospheric audio backdrop, hear Odysseus' options at each story juncture, and see if you can make the same choices - based on the hero's own in the original epic. From the teacher (and illustrator) behind GreekMythComix http://greekmythcomix.com/ comes this beautiful retelling, featuring characterisations, literary features, scenarios and episodes directly from and inspired by translations of the original poem, from Troy to Ithaca. This audiobook podcast features the main Odyssey storyline from the interactive novel YOU ARE ODYSSEUS, in which you can read the story as your version of Odysseus, making the choices you think he should make, and seeing the outcome - original, alternative story elements based on suggestions from the original poem, the Epic Cycle, ancient authors and playwrights, and sparkling with additions from Ancient Greek mythology - find the book at laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk/publications/you-are-odysseus/ https://laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk/publications/you-are-odysseus/ Proudly part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective podcast collective, creators and educators dedicated to sharing knowledge that is accessible, contextualized, socially conscious, and inclusive. To find more from the Memory Collective, go to collectivemem.com https://www.mythsbaby.com/mnemosyne Sound effects courtesy of epidemicsound.com https://www.epidemicsound.com/, freesound.org http://freesound.org/, and the author’s own recordings. For show notes, references and credits go to laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk/you-are-odysseus-audiobook-podcast/ https://laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk/you-are-odysseus-audiobook-podcast/ Learn more about Liv's next group trips https://travelbugxlivalbert.my.canva.site/ to GREECE! Application deadline is November 30 (Subject to change due to demand). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

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• 1:45Speaker 05

  You Are Odysseus, a retelling of the Odyssey, written and read by L. Jenkinson Brown.

• 1:57Speaker 05

  Episode 10, Games and Glories.

• 2:07Speaker 05

  Tell me, oh listener, of that complicated man, let the muse of epic poetry Calliope inspire you to tell a tale worthy of the generations to come. Can you make the same choices as Odysseus?

• 2:34Speaker 05

  A note before we begin. When you hear this sound,

• 2:40Speaker 05

  you're about to hear the choices Odysseus can make at this moment. After a pause, you'll hear this sound,

• 2:49Speaker 05

  after which will follow the choice Odysseus actually makes in the Odyssey. If you want to know what could have happened if Odysseus made a different choice, you'll have to read the book of You Are Odysseus instead. Try and think like Odysseus.

• 3:07Speaker 05

  The ancient Greek heroes were guided by klos, glory and renown, a name that lasts forever. Kudos, the things one must do to get klos. Aidos, shame intended to circumvent wrongdoing. Nostos, the need for homecoming. Xenia, the act of hospitality protected by Zeus and their piety in respecting their pantheon of gods. Your story resumes.

• 3:50Speaker 05

  The whole port of guests and onlookers follows you and Alcinous out of the palace and back to the assembly place. Even Demodocus comes, led by the slave boy, and you find yourself wondering if these very events will come to be sung by him to future guests.

• 4:14Speaker 05

  By the time you have all reached the assembly place, there is an even greater crowd of onlookers and a buzz of anticipation. But your thoughts turn against you. You are instantly transported back to the funeral games of Achilles on the fields of Ilium, where you beat Ajax Telamon to win the divine shield of your dead friend, again with your trickery, this time the cleverness of your words. The pang of regret is still heavy. How could you know that poor Ajax, the poor meathead, would react so badly to losing to you?

• 4:51Speaker 05

  That, thinking he'd been unfairly cheated, he'd kill a herd of cattle in a madness that made him think they were you and the other Achian nobles. Then, ashamed of his actions and their implications, impale himself on Hector's sword.

• 5:09Speaker 05

  But you have cried about the past enough already. You allow the warmth of the day and the excitement of the crowd to drive out the chill in your bones and the heat in your mind.

• 5:22Speaker 05

  As you settle yourself into a marble seat, Alcinous is announcing a footrace and the names of the competitors. Apart from his sons, Leodamas, Hylus, and Clytoneus, there is a list of young men whose names actually seem to be references to part of a ship. You distinctly hear names meaning top ship and poop deck and even paddle, among others. They really must take their sailing extremely seriously here.

• 5:53Speaker 05

  Clytoneus easily wins the footrace, leaving his competitors in a cloud of dust, an entire field's length between him and his nearest rival.

• 6:04Speaker 05

  After this, Alcinous announces the wrestling, and after a painful-looking, sweaty bout, a chap called Urialus easily wins. He's as wide and strong in the shoulders as his name suggests.

• 6:19Speaker 05

  Then, a young man called Amphialus wins the long jump. Another called Elatreus wins the discus, and Alcinous's son Leodamas wins the boxing.

• 6:32Speaker 05

  It has been an exhilarating afternoon watching these fine young men compete, and for a while you were able to forget where you were and the circumstances that brought you there.

• 6:44Speaker 05

  Leodamas stands with his friends in a huddle, sneaking looks at you. After a while, he appears to pluck up the courage to come and speak to you directly. Sir, will you shake part in our games? The young man asks. If you're any good at sports, that is. That's how a man wins fame in his lifetime, achieving great feats with his hands and his feet. How will you show us what you can do? It won't be long before you're off on your ship. Is that how a man wins fame in his lifetime in your experience?

• 7:19Speaker 05

  Rise to the challenge. Tell Leodamas you will join in. Or, these poor boys, they do not know the horrors of war in which you performed your own great feats. The thought makes you tired, and you decline.

• 7:41Speaker 05

  You shake your head and address Leodamas. Young man, why are you and your friends trying to goad me with a challenge? I'm too heartsore and weary to take part in your games. I've been through so much, and all I wish now is to be taken home, which is why I'm sitting here with you and your king and all your people in the assembly place, awaiting your aid. Leodamas looks crestfallen, but before Alcinous can speak, Urialus, the wrestling champion, steps forward. You're quite right, sir, not to compete. You certainly don't look like an athlete. You don't have the bearing. You look like...

• 8:24Speaker 05

  He is clearly choosing his words carefully, as there is a smirk on his face. A merchant captain-like, only concerned with his cargo, keeping a sharp eye on it alone, coming home from his trading journey with extortionate profits. Everyone can see or know athlete-like. You, Odysseus, noble, much-enduring, resourceful Odysseus, have just been compared to a greedy trader. Clearly the worst thing this boy, born into a sailing empire at peace with the world, can think of. He's trying to get a rise out of you.

• 9:04Speaker 05

  Give him a show, impress him with your actions, and put him to shame.

• 9:09Speaker 05

  Or, use your words, insult him back, then impress him and put him to shame.

• 9:20Speaker 05

  You give Uriahalus a hard stare. That, sir, was an inappropriate thing to say. And you've just proven what I assumed by looking at you, that you're an arrogant fool.

• 9:38Speaker 05

  You speak more loudly now, so that some more of the crowd look round. And it goes to show that the gods often favor us with good looks, strength and eloquence, but not always at the same time.

• 9:53Speaker 05

  You wait a second for the implication to filter through to Uriahalus, and just as his smile tightens, you continue. For example, a man can be quite unimpressive to look at. Here you gesture to yourself, and there are a few titters from your growing audience. But he can be blessed by the gods with charming words. The people watch him with delight as he speaks fluently and calmly. He stands out among the rest of the gathering, and when he passes through town, people stare at him like he is a god. You pause and grin before continuing. Another man might be beautiful in looks, firm of body, and handsome as an immortal

• 10:38Speaker 05

  god, but entirely without the graceful art of speech. Now, sir, you indeed are handsome. The god of craft himself could not make any improvement, but you are completely devoid of any brains.

• 10:57Speaker 05

  There was a roll of laughter around you, but Uriahalus's smirk is still on his face. Yeah, right. And you have not yet won. Your face grows hot. You've made me angry now. I'm no novice at any sports like you suggest, but instead was first among the best when I was a young man. Now, though, I have endured much hardship, the pain of warfare, and have fought my way through dangerous seas. And yet, as you wish, I shall compete. Your blood is up, and you really need to put him to shame, prove you have both words and deeds at your disposal. You jump up from your seat and, with one movement, pick up the biggest discus in the

• 11:42Speaker 05

  pile. Without even removing your cloak, you hurl the enormous discus as hard as you can towards the target. It leaves your hand so fast, you can practically hear it humming as it cuts through the air. The entire crowd, having been pulled in by your clever taunt to Uriahalus, seems to duck as the discus sails right down the course, past the collection of already thrown weights. It spins fast and true, and finally lands a fair distance away from the others. There is an awed hush. Then, a sparkling voice in the crowd breaks the silence. Look, it shouts. Even a blind man could tell his throw.

• 12:26Speaker 05

  It's so far out in front compared to all the rest. None of the Phaeacians can throw that far, let alone beat that.

• 12:36Speaker 05

  Pleased with this response, you turn back to the young men, hands on your hips. You hear that? Go on, try and beat me. Or, now that you've got me riled, take me on in boxing, wrestling, or even the running race. I don't care. I won't back out from challenging any of you, except Leodamas, of course. No one should be foolish or rude enough to challenge a friend who has given you hospitality in a foreign land. The young men don't miss your pointed remark about rudeness and xenia, and look abashed, especially Uriahalus, who blushes to his chest and looks away. You feel a pang of pity.

• 13:19Speaker 05

  They're just boys, like your own son, still learning about the world. You decide to give them a hint about who you are, to change the subject and lessen their embarrassment. I am not bad at any kind of sport you young men play, although you'll have to take my word for it if you're not going to challenge me. In particular, my skills at archery have allowed me to pick off many enemies. When I was on the battlefield of Troy, of the Achaeans, only Philoctetes was a better archer than me.

• 13:58Speaker 05

  Despite the smile on your face, that name stings your tongue for a moment. Another rush of memory brings back the whole affair of his abandonment on Lemos and his subsequent rescue, both by you. The former, you deemed necessary because of his seemingly fatal and stinking snakebite wound, the latter deemed essential after the revelation that the Greeks would need Heracles's bow to win the war, which Heracles had gifted to Philoctetes on his pyre. Again, you brush these intrusive thoughts away and enjoy the hushed silence that fell as you spoke the word Troy. Then you continue.

• 14:38Speaker 05

  I'm probably the best archer now of those left alive, although I could never compete with the real greats, such as Heracles and Euritus of Oecalia, although he challenged Apollo himself, and that was the end of him. I'm also able to sling a javelin as far as I can shoot an arrow, but you'd beat me in the running race. I'm afraid I was weakened on the high seas when my raft supplies ran out. The young men have looks of amazement and excitement on their faces from your tales of Troy and adventure, and of course, your epic name dropping. Alcinaeus has also been listening intently.

• 15:20Speaker 05

  My friend, he smiles, you were of course angry with this young man for insulting you. No one who had any sense would have poked fun at you. But when you go home to your wife and children, and the topic of Phaeacian prowess inevitably comes up, I want you to be able to talk about our other impressive skills. We might be fine at fighting, but our running and seamanship are first rate, and the things we love most are feasting: the lyre, dancing, clothes, baths, and our beds.

• 16:00Speaker 05

  There are cheers and laughing at this list, and you can't help but nod along, smiling at your host's joviality. And, Alcinaeus finishes, now I want our brilliant dancers to come forward and show us your steps, so that our guest can tell his friend all about our amazing abilities when he gets home. He turns to his stewards and gives them orders to clear the assembly area, and a slave runs off and returns with Demodocus's lyre. Before long, the nine official stewards have solemnly swept and marked out a dancing ring for the troupe of young boys that begin to dance to the music of the bard. You watch the dancing with delight.

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  The boys, just on the cusp of adulthood, dance beautifully and expertly, their quick feet flashing across the impromptu dance floor. You are full of admiration for their skill. The entertainment continues as Demodocus picks up his lyre again, but this time the song isn't personal to you. Demodocus has read the atmosphere well, and instead sings of the comic love story of Aphrodite and Ares. Hephaestus gets his revenge on their affair by first trapping them naked in bed together with his ingenious net, then getting the rest of the gods to come and look, hoping that Zeus will give him back the bride price he paid to make Aphrodite his wife.

• 21:22Speaker 05

  It's a classic. You particularly like the bit where cunning Hephaestus gets his revenge and even gets Poseidon to promise to pay Ares his adulterous fine if he reneges. But the way Apollo and Hermes are said to ogul Aphrodite and talk about how they love to sleep with her while Aphrodite is trapped and her husband Hephaestus is standing right next to them has always made you uncomfortable.

• 21:50Speaker 05

  Then Alcinous calls for more dancing, and this time his son Leodamas and his friend Halius walk into the ring together. Alcinous leans in. These two are simply sublime, the best dancers of all the Phaeacians, and you will be impressed. With such pride in it, you wonder if it will turn out to be some kind of war dance, such as that which Achilles danced around the pyre of his beloved Patroclus, the pirouette dance said to be invented by Athena. Leodamas is holding something in front of him, and it turns out to be a shimmering purple ball. Once the young men are facing each other,

• 22:32Speaker 05

  Leodamas bends himself backwards as far as he can, then throws the purple ball directly into the air. Halius leaps into the air and catches the ball before landing gracefully on his feet. He then repeats Leodamas's bend and throw, and his opposite catches the ball. There is some cheering, and the two young men acknowledge the crowd. Then, clearly having completed the interlude, they begin to throw the ball to each other whilst completing complicated steps on the ground. They move faster and faster, the ball shooting through the air back and forth with speed, and the rest of the youths begin beating the ground in time.

• 23:15Speaker 05

  Before too long, the ball and their feet are a blur, and the air is filled with incessant drumming, until suddenly the boys stop, Leodamas holding the ball in the air, and the audience breaks into rounds of cheering and applause. You turn to your host. Lord Alcinous, most honoured of all your people, I can honestly say I have never seen anything like that. Alcinous is pleased and proud. Listen, my nobles and countrymen, this guest of ours has excellent taste. Let us all make him guest gifts. There are twelve chieftains here, and I make thirteen. We will all offer him a new cloak, a fine tunic, and a whole talent of gold.

• 24:00Speaker 05

  There are cheers, and slave boys run off to do their master's bidding, fetching the gifts at once. Alcinous turns to the young man that insulted you earlier. And you, Eurialus, you must make amends for the incorrect hospitality shown to our guest by your insult, with some kind of apology and a gift. The youth is mortified. He hangs his head shamefully before making answer to Alcinous, agreeing with him. He puts his hand on the sheathed sword at his belt, starting to unbuckle it. Lord Alcinous, I shall make atonement. I shall give the sword with the silver hilt and this new carved ivory sheath.

• 24:43Speaker 05

  It will make a very valuable gift. He places the sheathed sword carefully in your hands and steps back. O honoured guest, I apologise. The offensive words that flew from my lips, let them now be lost in the storm winds, and may you reach home and be with your family again soon, sure after such a long parting from them. His words sounded genuine enough, and there is a look of pleading in his eyes. My friend, you say in return, I thank you and bless you. And I hope that you will not have reason to miss this fine sword now that you have made amends with it.

• 25:24Speaker 05

  He nods and smiles, taking your subtle warning to heart. It is getting dark, and the whole party of Phaeacian sportsmen and their audience walks back to the palace. By the time Helios's chariot is nearing the edge of the world in its downward arc, you reach the palace's hall and find that a pile of beautiful gifts for you has been built at Arete's feet while she weaves. Alcinous calls to her, suggesting she get her maids to pack the finest cloak and tunic she has made into a beautiful chest and add it to the pile, so that she will also have made a present to you. Then he suggests she also arrange a bath to be readied for their honoured guest,

• 26:09Speaker 05

  so you can relax and cleanse yourself before viewing your gifts and enjoying the evening meal and entertainment. And, Alcinous announces with pride, I shall give you my own golden cup, so that whenever you make libations in your own home, you will remember us for the rest of your life.

• 26:31Speaker 05

  You are overwhelmed by this wonderful hospitality received from these generous, splendid folk. To think that you worried that they were proud and high-handed. Although you are still extremely glad you did not offend them when you arrived, they take the ritual of xenia so seriously here, as do you, that you hate to think how you might have been treated should you not have appeared as an honourable guest in return. Meanwhile, Arete has set her slave women to warming water for your bath in a tripod cauldron over the embers of the fire, while she readies the chest and clothing Alcinous suggested. She follows the slaves as they bring it out to you

• 27:15Speaker 05

  and offers it with a smile. You should tie the knot to close the lid now yourself, to ensure you are not robbed of it and its contents while you sleep on the swift journey home, she advises. You can hardly imagine one of the Phaeacians' own sailors would possibly rob you. Then you think of your own crew, now all lost. You tie a very tight knot in the leather thong, one that you were taught once by a certain goddess. The housekeeper leads you to your bath, where the slave women wash you and rub you with oil, a delight you have not experienced for some time, before dressing you in a fine tunic and cloak

• 27:59Speaker 05

  yet another new set of clothes and leave you. You head back to the hall to find Alcinous and his sons and the feast. A face appears from behind a pillar. It is Nausicaä, the daughter of Alcinous and Arete, looking beautiful as a goddess and gazing at you from behind a pillar at the corner of the hall. She glances over at her father and brothers to check they haven't seen her, then steps forward and addresses you. Good luck, my friend. Don't forget me. It is, after all, because of me that you're alive, she adds, teasing.

• 28:43Speaker 05

  Knowing her father is right behind you, you reply to her from a modest distance. Daughter of great-hearted Alcinous and Arete, I do indeed pray to Zeus, the husband of Hera, that I will be allowed to return home safely. Because then, when I do, I shall worship you with prayer, like a goddess, for the rest of my life, owing that life to you. Having thus made a speech acknowledging the sanctity of her family, of marriage itself, and of Nausicaä herself, you bow to her.

• 29:23Speaker 05

  She still blushes deeply and lowers her eyes as you walk away. You head to where her father sits, knowing that if anyone has seen or heard your interaction, that Nausicaä's reputation is still perfectly intact. You take your seat next to Alcinous, nodding politely to Arete. The food and drink are already being served. You spot the cup bearer Pontonous across the room, and the little slave boy is again leading Demodocus in by the hand. The room is full of cheer and laughter. Safe in the knowledge that you'll be heading home soon under Phaeacian sail, you feel relaxed and happy

• 30:07Speaker 05

  and so grateful for the incredible hospitality you've received in the home of Alcinous and Arete. Only one thing remains for you as a guest: to reveal your identity to those who have treated you as if you were a visiting Olympian, and now would be a good time. Ask Demodocus for another unrelated story about the gods, then reveal your identity to the gathered Phaeacians. Or, ask Demodocus for another story of Troy that will heighten the tension before you then reveal your identity to the Phaeacians after a dramatic introduction.

• 30:54Speaker 05

  You lean forward and, taking a knife from the serving plate, carve a rich fatty section from near the chine of the roasted boar on the table. Calling over one of the slaves, you tell them to take this portion and give it to the bard, telling him it's from you, with a message that, "The Muse loves all bards and teaches them her songs", to show your respect. You watch as he does so, and Demodocus, unable to see his benefactor, nods to the room in general, then takes the meat, eating it with pleasure. Once the rest of the assembled Phaeacians have eaten and drunk their fill, you make a move on the next part of your plan.

• 31:37Speaker 05

  You speak sweet words to Demodocus in earshot of the rest of the diners. "Demodocus, I admire you above all other men. You must have been taught your craft either by the Muse or Apollo himself. Your songs are so accurate. It's like you were there, among the Achaeans at Troy, all heard stories directly from someone who was." The blind man nods in thanks at your compliments, and waits for the request he knows you are about to make. He knows his trade. "But now, but now please sing a different story of the Trojan War. The story of the wooden horse, built by Apeus with Athena's help, and which Odysseus schemed to have taken into Troy,

• 32:22Speaker 05

  secretly manned by warriors who would take the town in an ambush." Demodocus's eyebrows raise at your choice of story, but you continue. "If you can tell the story as it really happened, I shall proclaim you the most blessed of all the bards." Smiling, you settle in to listen to the bard's song of your finest and most famous achievement. However, despite yourself, you cannot hold back the tears when he gets to the part where the Trojans argued about what they should do with the giant wooden horse. Should they leave it as an offering to the gods or destroy it? When you and your friends inside the horse's wooden belly

• 33:07Speaker 05

  were on a sword edge of coming to a sudden grisly end. As the bard continues and the Achaeans in your memory flood out of the horse and ravage Troy, your tears also begin to flow out. Suddenly, something inside you fails. You are now weeping. You are like a wife embracing her husband, but he has been fatally wounded trying to protect his family and city from the day of their defeat, and, breathing his last before the enemy come, she knows she will soon be captured and beaten until she submits to be a slave to live a life of miserable torment forevermore. It's not the reaction to the story you expected or intended to have, but it doesn't harm your plan.

• 33:52Speaker 05

  If anything, it has enhanced it. As the audience, now both watching Demodocus and you, already know you were at Troy, they will be starting to gas. Alcinous hears your groans of grief and stands up. "Listen to me now, Phaeacian nobles. Let Demodocus cease singing as his song is not entertaining everybody. Since the feast began and the bard started his song, our guest has been crying his eyes out." "But he was the one who asked for us." You hear Demodocus grumble. "Let us all now be merry", Alcinous continues. "Guests and hosts alike. This was all in our guest's honour, and it will not do to have him upset.

• 34:37Speaker 05

  A guest is as close as a kinsman for a sensible host." He turns to you, arms open wide. "Now, our friend, you must not delay any longer, or hide for any cunning reason, in answering the question we ask you. What name do you go by? Everyone has a name. And from where do you come? To what city do you belong? Our sentient ships need to know in any case, so that they can take you there, for they have no pilots or rudders, but know every land and city by instinct, and travel without fear of loss or shipwreck."

• 35:17Speaker 05

  Wait, did he just say that his ships know where to go on their own? "However", Alcinous continues his amazing tangent. "I should also mention the prophecy my father gave me, that one day we might anger the earth-shaker Poseidon with our tradition of giving every stranger safe passage over the seas, saving them by not coming to grief ourselves. The god has promised that one day he will wreck one of our ships on the way back from delivering a guest home, and then surround our homeland with a ring of mountains." This is getting more strange and more foreboding. "Poseidon may well do that,

• 36:00Speaker 05

  but it is up to him to decide whether our friendly custom angers him. And now, stranger, tell us who you are. Where have you travelled? What lands have you seen? Did you meet strangers with no sense of right or wrong? Or did you meet god-fearing people who gave you great hospitality? And tell us what tragedy befell you to make you weep listening to the details of Troy. Did you lose a kinsman? A dear friend? Tell us, tell us." It is finally your moment. The entire hall is silent as you stand and begin.

• 37:21Speaker 06

  Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, emails, spreadsheets, and our shared Google Doc, the Headline Hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle/workspacewithGemini. That's goo.gle/workspacewithGemini.

• 37:54Speaker 07

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• 38:35Speaker 07

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• 38:45Speaker 04

  When demand slowed for Hydrojug, Amazon Ads' rising star Hayden Wadsworth pivoted. When our bank account hit near zero, my brother Jake and I had one last shot to save Hydrojug. So we engineered The Traveler, a leak-proof, cup holder-friendly tumbler. Amazon Ads enables a business to be able to expand their product shelf because of the visibility and the reach you can get. Each week, our new-to-brand customers make up about 95% of all of our sales.

• 39:11Speaker 05

  Watch Hydrojug's story at advertising.amazon.com/rising-stars.

• 39:20Speaker 05

  "King Alcinous, it is truly a wonderful thing to hear a magnificent bard such as this, with a voice like the gods, whilst at a banquet with bread and meat and wine. Perfection. But your great heart has finally prompted you to ask me my story, and now I am full of sorrow, as I remember all I have been put through by the gods. Where shall I start? And where shall I end my tale? I shall start by telling you my name, so that you may remember me and I will always be your friend.

• 40:03Speaker 05

  I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known throughout the world for my trickery and my clever plans. My home is Ithaca, with Mount Nerriton above its shimmering forests. The islands nearby are Dulycium and Sarmi, but Ithaca lies to the west of them, away from the rising sun. It is a rough land, but a hardy land, which yields fine people. And I for one know of no sweeter sight to a man than his own country. Certainly, the goddess Calypso sought to keep me from it, wanting to marry me and keep me in her cavern home.

• 40:46Speaker 05

  And Circe, the sorceress, tried to keep me from it too. It really is true that a man's heart is in his own country, with his family and his parents, even if he is ended up in some rich land far away. But let me tell you how it started, with the ruinous voyage we began as we left Troy." You draw upon your experiences, but are careful when it comes to how you present yourself throughout, as you now tell the Phaeacians your story. It is full of exciting adventures with enemy combatants, delicious fruit-wielding islanders, one-eyed man-eating giant shepherds,

• 41:30Speaker 05

  the king of the winds, cannibalistic giants, a punishing sorceress, the grove of Persephone, a necia at the mouth of the underworld, several perils and monsters of the sea, undead cattle, a controlling nymph, and several almost fatal storms. And throughout it all, you present yourself as consistently the only sensible character which is what leads to your sole survival. Or is it full of all the exciting adventures you just listed? But while you present yourself as mostly the sensible voice of reason, you also occasionally admit your bad decisions, a combination of which led to you being the only survivor.

• 42:18Speaker 05

  You tell your whole story over the course of the evening, winding your memory back around your experiences to produce your tale. You take care that you do not sound hubristic to this proud people, giving credit where it's due to the gods. And to yourself and your crew, you ascribe actions both positive and negative. Now, with hindsight inspiring you, your crew sound faithful but ultimately mortal and flawed. And your own character is told as modest and even self-deprecating, to a point anyway. You are still the hero of your own tale. How else can you justify your soul's survival?

• 42:59Speaker 05

  Your audience of Phaeacian nobles remain wrapped with attention throughout. And at one point, you notice that the slaves have sat down in the porch, potentially risking punishment by peeping round the columns to watch you speak. You stop speaking only once, feeling tiredness and the need for sleep overcoming you. And immediately, the queen, Arete, compels you to continue and hints at the other nobles to promise you more gifts if you do. Alcinous adds to this, that if you will stay a day longer, he will add to the pile and personally see to your escort home, especially now that you have proven yourself to be honest and truthful. And not one of these cheats and lawyers that comes to spin a tale.

• 43:42Speaker 05

  A man of good judgment and eloquence. Though tired, you cannot hide your pleasure at such a description or indeed ignore such an offer or insult the hospitality of your hosts, and you accept. In any case, it would be extremely beneficial for you to arrive home with more riches, seeing as you've lost all those you won at Troy. Finally, your story arriving at its most recent hurdle and thus its terminus. It is complete. Held by the spell of your words, the audience remains still and silent. Finally, Alcinous breaks the enchantment you were woven,

• 44:26Speaker 05

  rising from his throne and opening his arms. His face is racked with emotion. Oh, Odysseus, honoured guest. Now that you have visited us and sat here to tell us your tale, I do not think you will suffer much longer. You are sure to return home with our help. Alcinous faces his guests. My friends, those of you who drink wine in my house, listen now. The gifts we have already promised our guests are here, packed and ready. However, I now suggest we each add to the pile a tripod and a cauldron.

• 45:07Speaker 05

  We can recoup such losses from the people later, seeing as this is no small gift we offer.

• 45:15Speaker 05

  The audience cheers in unanimous agreement. As the guests begin to leave and the hall clears, many waves and nods are made to you. You nod in thanks to each, but you are exhausted. No rhapsode ever told such a long tale in one night. In fact, Demodocus has stayed for the whole thing, his guide slave asleep at his feet. And now, as his sleepy boy leads him from the hall, he pauses to offer you his own words of admiration. Arete calls the housekeeper to again make up your bed. And soon you and the rest of the palace are asleep. You sleep particularly well.

• 45:58Speaker 05

  You made such a brilliant impression on the Phaeacians with your tale that they have now given you a whole mount of treasures with which to return home in triumph. Do not forget their additional generosity. It may be important later.

• 46:19Speaker 05

  The next morning, there is a banquet of a breakfast, attended by the nobles from the previous night. Alcinous orders the sacrifice of an ox to Zeus, and you all eat extremely well. Demodocus is also present, singing songs of the gods rather than songs of your past. While this is a wonderful send-off, you are eager to get going. Helios seems to have slowed in his passions through the sky. Though you try and keep your impatience to yourself out of respect to your host, anyone looking at you closely will recognize the longing in your eyes,

• 46:58Speaker 05

  like a tired farmer after a day of hard work, waiting for his evening meal. Finally, Helios begins his descent. You turn to Alcinous. Great lord, please make your libations to send me safely home. And all of you, thank you. I am most grateful to you for giving me my heart's true desire, my passage home, and all your gifts to accompany me. I only hope that the gods will bless our voyage and that I will find my wife and family just as I left them. You make sure to also honor your excellent Phaeacian hosts and their families, so that Alcinous and Arete and the rest of the Phaeacians

• 47:43Speaker 05

  do not feel affronted by your eagerness to leave. But you need not have worried. There is a murmur of assent and approval from those gathers closest to you. Alcinous calls over the cupbearer, the slave Pontonous, to mix the wine for the drink offering. He does so, then takes the wine to each of the guests so that they too can make an offering. When it is your turn, he offers you the cup with eyes downcast. You stand, holding the beautiful cup in your hands, and give your thanks in particular to Arete. She reminds you in her wisdom of your own wife, and you can hardly contain your excitement that you may now just be days away from seeing her.

• 48:26Speaker 05

  My queen, you address her earnestly. May you be fortunate your whole life long. I am leaving now, and may you be happy here forever in your children, your people, and your king. Goodbye, my friend, goodbye. Then, you step across the threshold of the hall and out of the palace. Alcinous's squire and some of Arete's slave girls escort you to the port, carrying the gifts you have been given, as well as food and drink for the journey, and yet another new set of cloak and tunic. When you reach the ship, an incredibly fine and sleek vessel,

• 49:07Speaker 05

  with space for fifty oarsmen, yet impossibly without a rudder, they give them to the sailors to stow carefully away for you. You watch them dutifully observe the crew before heading back to report to their master and mistress. Tentatively, you board. The wooden deck of the ship feels reassuring beneath your feet. Only briefly do you remember the last time you stood on a deck, the chaos and death of that moment. And you steady yourself by focusing on the sunset. Helios is dipping towards the horizon with his burning cargo, ready to set the sun into its coracle and send it back along Oceanos

• 49:49Speaker 05

  to where the sun god will collect it again as Eos heralds the new morning. You lie down on the fine purple rug that has been set out for you as a bed and pull the matching sheet over your legs. The sailors, capable and efficient, are loosing the ropes from the mooring stones, shortening them, and making ready the oars to get you out of harbor. At last, you are on board a friendly ship again, and a sea breeze is gently ruffling your hair. You let Hypnos, god of sleep, close your eyes. Your journey back to Ithaca has begun. But what awaits you there?

• 50:32Speaker 05

  You'll find out in season two.

• 50:45Speaker 05

  You Are Odysseus is an abridged reading of the book by L. Jenkinson Brown, a retelling of the Odyssey where you get to be the eponymous hero and see where your adventure takes you. Writing, recording, and sound design by L. Jenkinson Brown. All rights reserved. Go to laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk for show notes and references. You Are Odysseus is part of the Memory Collective, creators and educators dedicated to sharing knowledge that is accessible, contextualized, socially conscious, and inclusive. To find more from the Memory Collective, go to collectivemem.com.

• 51:35Speaker 01

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• 51:38Speaker 02

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• 51:40Speaker 01

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• 51:43Speaker 03

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• 53:09Speaker 05

  Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a historical romance novel set in the time of the late Roman Empire, where Alaric, a brutal Gothic warlord, and Julia, a Roman princess, with a love of good wine, team up to take down Rome.

• 53:27Speaker 03

  The much-awaited sequel, Game of Thieves, comes out December 8. In this sequel, Julia and Alaric must overcome centuries of conflict to work together or the turbulent riptides of rebellion and the demons of their past will tear them apart.

• 53:40Speaker 05

  And now, for a limited time, when you preorder Game of Thieves through Burning Pages Bookstore, you'll get a signed book plate and a free art print of one of Jenny's favorite spicy scenes from across the series.

• 53:54Speaker 03

  Get this amazing artwork only from Burning Pages at burningpagesnc.com/game-of-thieves. Don't wait. Order your copy from Burning Pages today at burningpagesnc.com/game-of-thieves.