The Odyssey Book 5 Summary

Athene implores her father Zeus to have mercy on Odysseus, who is trapped on Kalypso’s island and sorely homesick.
Zeus reassures her that Odysseus will be safe.
But he does send the messenger Hermes to Kalypso’s islands with instructions to let Odysseus go and, adding insult to injury, to help him build a sturdy escape raft.
He then prophecies that Odysseus, after some trials at sea, will reach the island of Scheria alone, where the Phaiakians will befriend him and provide transport home.
Hermes takes Zeus’s message to Kalypso. Her island home is exotic and lovely, and we’re guessing she is too, but after seven years Odysseus is blind to all. Instead, he roams the shore looking broken-heartedly out to sea.
Kalypso, recognizing Hermes as a God, greets him with hospitality…
…Until he delivers his news. Kalypso, afraid of losing Odysseus, gets quite spiteful. She accuses the gods of hating it when immortal women (like herself) lay with mortal men (like Odysseus).
The elephant in the room, or rather, in Kalypso’s speech, is that Zeus and other immortal men sleep with mortal women all the time, and no one ever gets upset over that.
She points out that she rescued Odysseus before she decided to imprison him.
Hermes does the wise thing and lets Kalypso run herself in circles griping until she gets exhausted and gives in. She grudgingly agrees to let Odysseus go and provision him for his journey.
When Odysseus hears the news, he is suspicious of Kalypso’s motives and won’t accept her help until she vows not to work any more magic against him.
She obeys, and everything’s dandy between them again. No hard feelings. Really.
Together, the couple builds a sound raft and supplies it with food and water. It takes them four days.
On the fifth day Odysseus departs, having been given directions by Kalypso.
Then trouble comes. Poseidon returns from hanging out at the end of the world and sees Odysseus roaming the open seas again.
He is not pleased.
So Poseidon draws up a storm which annihilates Odysseus’s raft and almost drowns him.
Odysseus despairs, wishing he could’ve died a glorious death at Troy rather than alone and dishonored at sea.
Just in the nick of time, divine help arrives. The nereid (a.k.a. sea-nymph) Ino springs up and gives Odysseus some advice.
Unfortunately, the advice is to abandon the raft and swim solo.
To help Odysseus, Ino gives him her veil. If he wears it as a sash, it will keep him afloat and prevent him from drowning. Kind of like a life vest.
Odysseus doubts her (not that you can blame him) and doesn’t jump ship (raft?) after Ino leaves.
But then a big wave crests over him (like a sign from above!) and he decides he’d better listen to the pretty lady.
It’s looking pretty bad for Odysseus, and Poseidon seems content to just let the storm do its thing.
Athene very wisely waits for a self-satisfied Poseidon to leave before she arrives and calms the seas. She then sets up a wind to blow Odysseus toward land.
This is what those English majors call a deus ex machina, when a god comes out of nowhere and helps like that. (Technically, the phrase means “a god out of the machine.” This is because, in ancient theatrical performances, they would sometimes use a “machine”—basically an elevator operated by a pulley—to have a god descend from the “heavens.” Whoa… special effects! Of course, if you want to get REALLY technical, since Athene is the one doing the appearing here, this is a dea ex machine: “a goddess out of the machine.”)
Odysseus floats for two days at sea, presumably getting blown via Athene’s devices before spotting land.
Unfortunately, it is some very rocky land and Odysseus is afraid he might cut himself on the jagged edges, so he holds out for smoother shores.
Athene guides him to the mouth of a stream, since streams make for cushy landings.
Odysseus prays to the river god to let him rest there and is accordingly granted safe passage.
As he climbs ashore, he complains about how much he suffered.
He’s still complaining. OK he’s done. But only because Athene eases his mind and helps him find some thick bushes under which he digs and falls asleep exhausted in a bed of leaves. Nice and cozy.

Book 6

Book 4