Matthew Jankowski > Recent Status Updates

The Beggar King of Ithaca: Odysseus fights Irus, ithacas town beggar. Amphinomus talks with Odysseus,who gives him a chance to leave and save his life. Penelope addresses the suitors, demands gifts. Eurymachus and his lover draw Odysseus's wrath.

Stranger at the Gates: Telemachus greets eurycleia, his old nurse. Penelope chides him about pylos. Euremous brings the stranger to Odysseus's castle. Antonius makes an ass of himself throwing a stool at a poor old beggar. Penelope summons the beggar to her.

Father and Son: Telemachus visits the Swineherd. He treats disguised Odysseus kindly and tells the Swineherd to go to Penelope. Pallas Athena undisguised Odysseus and father and son meet at last. They plot revenge on the suitors. Swineherd returns, Pallas redisguises Odysseus. Antonius and eurymachus plot Telemachus death. Amphinomus dissents. Penelope overhears and chides the suitors.

The Prince Sets Sail for Home: Telemachus sets sail for home. Theoclemuts some sort of seer, joins him. He pulls into Ithaca sending the seer with a friend. Odysseus readies to return home. Eumaeus relates the sad story of how he came to Ithaca.

The Loyal Swineherd: Eumaeus takes Odysseus in. Odysseus weaves a tale. He claims thesprotia's phidon saw Odysseus and that Odysseus was heading home to Ithaca. The Swineherd is suspicious but still lends the stranger a cloak before heading out to sleep with the hogs.

Ithaca at Last!: Poseidon repays the Phaecians by putting a mountain across their harbors. Alcinous mourns. Odysseus awakes on Ithaca. Pallas Athena meets him and persuades him he is indeed on Ithaca. From there, Athena and Odysseus plot revenge on the suitors.

Scylla and Charybdis: Odysseus returns to Aeaean Circe who warns him of Scylla and Charybdis and helios's cattle. Scylla takes 6 men while Charybdis takes all. Eurylochus mutinies, all against one, setting down on Helios island. Beset by strong southern winds the crew starves. Eurylochus persuades the men to eat helios's cattle. Zeus swears revenge, striking down the ship. Odysseus survives a revisit to Charybdis.

The Underworld: Odysseus meets the dead. Tiresias, of Thebes, advises him of the coming journey. Agamemnon relates his ignominious death, raging against Clytemnestra, warning Odysseus to arrive at home in the dark. Achilles wants to know of his son. Many heroes such as Oedipus, Heracles, Sisyphus are dead and visible to Odysseus. Eventually Odysseus becomes afraid and flees the place. Persephone.

The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea: Odysseus visits the aeolian island. King Aeolus gave Odysseus a sack of winds. Odysseus set sail, nearly within reach of Ithaca when his crew opened the sack and blew him back to aeolian island. This time Aeolus shunned Odysseus. Laestrygonians, or giants, kill all but one ship of Odysseus squadron. Then the lone ship moves to the island where Circe lives. She turns the crew to animals.

The Cyclops: Odysseus launches into his tale. After Odysseus and his men slaughter the cicones's holy city they are attacked by men from neighboring cicones's cities. Odysseus and his men flee to their ships and find their way to a strange island. Odysseus and his men happen upon polyphemous, poseidons son and a cyclops. Cyclops eats Odysseus's men two at a time. Odysseus cunningly escapes the cyclops.

A day of feasting and games: Phaeacians hold Olympics to impress visitors. Taunted Odysseus throws big rock to show his skill. Chastened taunters make amends. Phaeacians show their dancing skills. Alcinous foretells how Poseidon will close off their pets after a voyage. Possibly after winging Odysseus home? Odysseus weeps upon hearing tales of wartime suffering the death of husbands and the bondage of wives.

Phaecia's Halls and Gardens: Nausicaa reaches the city. Odysseus, surrounded by clear eyed Pallas Athena's mist, walks to the palace. Disguised Pallas Athena meets him and walks him past the potential louts to the king and queen. Odysseus throws himself on the mercy of the king and queen. They swear to get him back home. The queen notes his clothing and wonders why the princess did not escort him. Sly Odysseus.

Princess: Disguised Athena persuades Princess Nausicaa to take a day trip to the river. Odysseus awakes to find the princess. Sly Odysseus flatters the princess. She and her hand,aids clothe and feed him. Telling him to follow them into town.

Odysseus and the Nymph: Athena persuades Zeus to send Hermes to command Calypso to allow Odysseus to proceed to the Phaecian islands. Over four days Odysseus builds a seaworthy raft and sets out. Poseidon, returning from Ethiopia, notices Odysseus and sets the sea to boil. Ino, some sort of sea being, improves Odysseus's position and Pallas Athena gets him safely to shore. Odysseus collapses and begins to dream.

Telemachus Visits Menelaus in Sparta: T. And Nestor's son gust at Menelaus. Menelaus Odysseus's ally. Menelaus relates how he masqueraded as seal to capture Proteus, old man of the sea. There he heard Odysseus still alive, but captive. Pallas Athena comforts Penelope. Penelope's suitor, antonius, plots to kill Telemachus, all are in on it.

Telemachus Meets Nestor: Telemachus and Pallas Athena meet Nestor in pylos. Nestor is sacrificing bulls. Emboldened by Pallas Athena young Telemachus shows poise beyond his years, with one exception. Athena quickly rescues him. Nestor tells the tale of Orestes and tells Telemachus to go to Sparta to talk to Menelaus. Athena reveals herself as an eagle. Nestor makes a sacrifice; sends Telemachus on his way in chariot.

Telemachus sets Sail: Telemachus holds an assembly. The suitors blame Penelope for the long wasteful courtship. Antinous in particular. Pallas athenA assumes Mentors form and tells Telemachus to make ready. Athena puts the suitors to sleep and Telemachus is able to steal off to the hollow ship. Athena collected the crew, ship, and ensured a nice tailwind!

Athena inspires the Prince: Mt Olympus. Odysseus is trapped and suicidal. Aegisthus killed Agamemnon and stole his wife. Orestes, Agamemnons son, kills Aegisthus. Poseidon hates Odysseus for blinding his son the cyclops. Penelope, Odysseus's wife besieged by greedy suitors. Pallas Athena urges telemachus, odysseus's son, to throw out the suitors and travel to Sparta to see if he can learn Odysseus's fate

Athena motivates the Prince: Mt Olympus. Odysseus is trapped and suicidal. Aegisthus killed Agamemnon and stole his wife. Orestes, Agamemnons son, kills Aegisthus. Poseidon hates Odysseus for blinding his son the cyclops. Penelope, Odysseus's wife besieged by greedy suitors. Pallas Athena urges telemachus, odysseus's son, to throw out the suitors and travel to Sparta to see if he can learn Odysseus's fate.

Malachi: failure to tithe is robbing god. Good old elijah will return. Fittingly ends referring back to Moses. Referring to the children turning to their parents and the fathers to the children. An amazing journey from Genesis to Malachi. More than 2000 years later it resonates with me. There is little doubt why the bible has endured through the generations. So I leave, temporarily, my reading the Old Testament.

Zechariah: many angels. Build The Lord a house. Prophesy about what will happen to Israel and Judah's enemies. Young boys and girls will play inthe streets of Jerusalem.

Haggai: You have a house. You should build one too! Time of Darius.

Zephaniah: ok, now I am getting the sense that the lords plan is to kill everyone and everything because Judah/Israel did not get the job done. On the day of The Lord everything will be swept away. After that The Lord shall raise up Israel and Judah. I think there is an advantage to ones people not carrying around idols. Best carry The Lord in ones heart.

Habakkuk: complains to The Lord of great injustice. The Lord replies he is sending the Chaldeans to take vengeance for injustice. Habbukkuk complains this is a never ending vicious cycle. The Lord replies may, the Chaldeans shall be devoured. The righteous will make it through the earthly fire. Habbukuk praises The Lord.

Nahum: Nineveh under fire again! I am unsure how this relates to Jonah. But like locusts many princes and merchants devour the city. Killing babies and raping some and men. I think most people prefer The land described in judges, except the Canaanites.

Micah: priest take bribes. Prophets take bribes to prophesy. Yet say The Lord is among them. Wicked ways are celebrated. Judges partial to the rich. God will punish! Yet, one day god will show his love to the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Joshua. Really, there can be no doubt that walking with The Lord is all about impartial justice. At this point One might think God abandoned the initial Caanan strategy.

Jonah: The Lord tells Jonah to go to ninevah. Jonah goes to sea. He is thrown I to the water swallowed by a fish. Then Jonah goes to ninevah. Prophesies their destruction. Ninevah a king and peop,e repent. Jonah gets angry; he prophesied punishment for Ni Evan and wants to see punishment! God kills a plant Jonah Pities plant. God says: why should I not pity ninevah? Best bible story yet!

Obadiah: Edomites singled out for special attention. Edomites hated Jacob and so shall be forever spurned. beware the day of The Lord!

Amos: The Lord draws down on an entire geography. He once loved Israel but now their daughters be made prostitutes and sons and daughters killed by the sword. This because they are wicked, oppressing the poor, murdering, and adultering. But, eventually, God will love them again.

Joel: SwArming, cutting, biting locusts. People repent. The lords army marches the land, desolation before it and Eden behind. The Israelites/judge and repent and god then judges their enemies:Egypt,Edomites, etc. to the valley of Jehosephat!