Odyssey (Book XI)

In Book XI of The Odyssey, Odysseus depicts his journey to Hades. He describes his conversations with the dead including the blind prophet, Tiresias. The prophet tells Odysseus how to return home safely. He warns Odysseus with bad news about his men and family. Tiresias's prophecy relates closely to three themes of the epic, the wandering of Odysseus, the household issues, and the power struggle in Ithaca. All three of these themes are evident throughout the epic and are linked to Tiresias's prophecy, proving their importance in Greek life.

Odysseus has been absent from his family for twenty years. He spends ten years fighting in the Trojan War and another ten years wandering the Mediterranean. When he arrives in Hades he has already experienced many strange happening and encounters mystical creatures. After being under Circe's control for a year, Odysseus's men convince him to return to Ithaca. Odysseus asks Circe the way back to Ithaca. She replies, ."..sacrifice and vow/ to the lord Teiresias, apart from all,/ a black lamb, handsomest of all your flock-/ thus to appease the nations of the dead./ Then slash a black ewe's throat, and a black ram,/ facing the gloom of Erebos; but turn/ your head away from the Ocean. You shall see, now/ souls of the buried dead in the shadowy hosts...Meanwhile draw the sword from hip, crouch down, ward off/ the surging phantoms from the bloody pit/ until you know the presence of Teiresias" (X, 566-580). Once in Hades, Odysseus sees many people he knows. Teiresias then tells him what he must do to get home. Odysseus's wanderings aren't over yet. He still must prevent his men from killing the cattle of the Sun in Helios. Teiresias also tells him he is going to lose all his men and return home alone. Although he learns the way home, Odysseus is disappointed to realize that his hardships are far from finished.

Throughout his wanderings Odysseus comes into contact with many different households. The household of Arestos is in disarray. Agamemnon's wife and her lover murder him. Orestes, the son, then avenges his father's death by killing his mother and her lover. The house of Nestor contrasts Arestos's by building strong family relationships. Teiresias tells Odysseus that he will return and reclaim his household from the suitors.