Summary 9-12

Book 9
Odysseus tells them about all that has happened on his ten year journey back home. He tells him about the Cyclops Polyphemos, and how they decided to take a sharpend pole and try to blind him. They then later find out that it is Poseidon's son which isn't good because now Poseidon is even more mad at Odysseus. Odysseus and his men finnaly get away from Polyphemos but has they are pulling away Odysessus can't help but taughnt Polyphemos. As he is taunting him he gives away his name so Polyphemos goes and prays to Poseinon hoping Odysseus won't make it home but if he does he will at least make it home with no companions.

Book 10
They reach the island of Aiolia, were they are welcomed and share their story of the Trojan War. The island is ruled by Aiolos the god of the winds, so on their way out Aiolos gives Odysseus a bag a winds. That way on their way home they will only have west winds to blow them back home. On their way back his men think he is lying to them so while Odysseus is sleeping they open the sack and all the winds come blowing out. They then have to go back to Aiolia and ask for help but Aiolos refuses so the row for six more days to land of Lamos but when they get there the King Anitphates greats them by falling on the first man and drinking his blood. They then went to the island Aiaia were we meet Circe. Odysseus sends his men out to explore but Eurylochos comes back saying she has turned the rest of the men into pigs. As Odysseus goes to save his men Hermes warns him about Molly and how he will have to agree to sleeping with her so she doesnt use any magic against him. He follows all the instructions and Circe turns all the men back into human form. They stay there for a year, but before they can all go home they have to visit the underworld to get directions from the prophet Teiresias. Odysseus also looses one of his crew member Elpenor because he fell off the roof. 

Book 11
In the Underworld Odysseus makaes the offereings like Circe told him to. The ghosts then drink blood and start talking to Odysseus. Odysseus realizes that Elpenor is dead and that she wants burial mound for his dead body. He also sees what looks like his mother and finds out that she has died. Teiresias then enters giving him tips he tells him not to eat Helios's cattle at Thrinakia and tells him that he will survive alone. Teiresias also warns him about the suitors that he will have to defend when he gets home. At the end he tells him that he needs to go to an area of earth which has never known the sea and he needs to pray to Poseidon in order for him to die pecefully surroned by his family. Odysseus then goes and talks to his mother and she tells him about what is going on back in Ithaka. Odysseus leaves the underworld with lots of treasure. He tells king Alkinoos about how he heard the stories of Agamemnon and many other people. Odysseus praises Achilleus for earning so much glory in his life and having like the greatest death ever. Achilleus hates being dead though and would rather be a poor country farmer. He then visits with many more people until he is overwhelmed and runs back to his ship. 

Book 12
Odysseus and his men return to Aiaia and do what they are told with Elpenor's body. Circe then warns Odysseus about his routes home the one with moving rocks that the ship won't be able to get through, the second the Skylla a six headed seamonster that eats men and Charybdis a whirlpool that sucks in and vomits out the sea three times a day. She tells him that the best rout would be to hug the rocks and sacrfice six of his men instead of all. The last tip she tells him is not to kill any of Helio's cattle unless he wants to loose all his men, they then set sail. They barely make it past the sea monster and finally reach the land Thrinakia, while they are there he doesn't listen to any of the gods and eats one of his biggest cattle. Helios then asks Zeus for revenage so Zeus destroies Odysseus's ship. All of the men die except for Odysseus. The sea then floats him back to Skylla and Charybdis, but he only manages by jumping onto a tree. Then after nine days he reaches the island of Ogygia were Calypso keeps him for seven years.