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The Adventures of Odysseus
Homer

Wind in a bottle
Chapter Three

  • Chapter 3 Wind in a bottle Odysseus and his men ran back to their ships and set off again.

  • Before long they came to another island, which seemed to float above the water.

  • Odysseus and his men pulled their ships up onto the beach and walked towards a golden palace.

  • A tall man with red cheeks and golden hair like a lion came to the door.

  • I am King Aeolus, he said, come into my palace and have some food with me.

  • King Aeolus and his family made them very welcome and they stayed in the golden palace for many days.

  • Each night Odysseus told the king about his adventures in Troy.

  • But one day Odysseus started to think about his home in Ithaca and his wife Penelope.

  • It is time for us to leave, he said to King Aeolus.

  • The king looked surprised.

  • Leave, he asked, and then I look after you well.

  • You do, said Odysseus, but I have not seen my home or my wife for a long time.

  • Very well, said the king, but let me do one last thing for you Odysseus.

  • Let me put the winds into a bottle and then they will not blow your ships off their course.

  • The next morning King Aeolus put a leather bottle into Odysseus's hand.

  • Here you are, he said.

  • I have counted them.

  • They are all in here, all except one light wind to help you on your way.

  • Goodbye, my friend.

  • That night when Odysseus was asleep on his ship, one of his men found the leather bottle.

  • What has Odysseus got in here, he said?

  • More treasures from Troy?

  • Perhaps this bottle is filled with gold, gold that he does not want to share with us.

  • Let's open it and see, said another man.

  • As soon as the bottle was open, the winds escaped and rushed out with a mighty sound.

  • The twelve ships started to rock.

  • One wind blew them one way, another wind blew them another way.

  • Odysseus woke up and was angry with his men, but he could do nothing to stop the winds.

  • By the time their battered ships were blown back to King Aeolus's island, they were all exhausted.

  • And this time King Aeolus was not happy to see them.

  • You are a fool Odysseus, he said.

  • I gave you the winds in a bottle, but you did not look after it.

  • You went to sleep.

  • Off you go, you will get no more help from me.