Show BOOKS IN BRIEF a i ulysses ulyses made great hero in ill hornets Homers saga by ELIZABETH C JAMES W VE E FORGET 70 per cent 0 of all we have ever learned so the scientists say but unfortunately never entirely forget anything the path Is still in the brain though not plain enough tor for use no doubt you remember ulysses as a former acquaintance but perhaps his story as told by the immortal homer is vague when paris tole helen ot of troy from greece all the kings of greece were held to their oaths to fight in her behalf ulysses noted for his wisdom refused to go into such a war his life die was happy with penelope his beautiful wife so he feigned madness and went about the countryside sowing seeds that had been cooked the councilmen of greece suspected cunning so s 0 they placed the young I 1 son of ulysses in the path of his plow when the mad man reached the child he turned the elizabeth plow P aside thus dis james closing his sanity the ten years of siege at the walled city of troy were tedious to ulysses who ever longed for penelope and who feared for her safety after his long ab sence in olden days a beautiful woman was none too safe without a husband to protect her glad was he indeed when troy fell into the hands of the greeks after the trick of the wooden horse with light heart he sailed away but ill winds beset him and ulysses wandered over the whole sea suffering disappointments and narrowly escaping death on many occasions ca it was even necessary tor for him to make a trip into hades land of departed souls once he be and his men found themselves on the island ruled by the one eyed giants known as cyclops they hid in a cave which they discovered to be the home of a gaint who gleefully shut them in his cave and killed two men each day for his dinner while he slept one afternoon ulysses heated a staff and put out the eye of the giant hoping then to escape but the passageway was narrow and the giant carefully felt each animal as he let his sheep out to pasture with cunning the greeks killed all the sheep and skinned them in the morning they walked out holding the skins over them other adventures beset the men there was the island of the sirens the lovely women who sang divinely luring men to their island where the men were then powerless by stuffing cloth and wax into the ears of his men and having himself lashed securely to the mast ulysses passed the sirens being the first man to hear them and to escape their charm another adventure was the island where an enchantress turned men into animals but ulysses gained power over her and freed all the men whom she held penelopep Pen ren elopes troubles after wandering long and far ulysses reached greece he had heard of the suitors who had fastened themselves to the household of penelope on the assumption that her husband had long been dead they had stolen her substance until she had much ado to protect her husbands home to evade them she had said that as soon as she completed the web which she was weaving she would choo choose se a husband each day she wove and each night she unravelled but now they had discovered her trickery and had forced her to set a date for choosing a husband from among them disguised as a be beggar begar gar ulysses went to the back of his home the only living thing that recognized him was his dog and it died of joy his old servant now a swineherd recognized a scar on ulysses and rejoicing and sorrowing together told his master of the situation in his home he praised penelope penelle s skill in handling the lecherous men ulysses sent for his son now a man and they two planned revenge As a beggar ulysses went to the banquet while the revelry was vas high he removed the weapons from the hall leaving the suitors without arms the time came and with his I 1 son ulysses killed the suitors Q bell syndicate service |