RHAPSODY Κ (Windbag of Aeolus)
Odysseus and his companions reached their next stop after the island of the Cyclops, and this was the island of Aeolia, whose king was the legendary Aeolus. Aeolus had the favor of the gods, such that Zeus entrusted him with the guardianship of the winds. Apart from him, his twelve children and their families lived in his palace. There they enjoyed themselves daily in opulence and wealth, eating and drinking.
Aeolus welcomed Odysseus with honor and opened the palace doors to him hospitably. Odysseus then told him about his adventures, the Trojan War and the arduous journey back. He begged him to accompany him on this journey, which Aeolus gladly accepted. He supplied him with food and other supplies and gave him a special gift.
So he lent him a bag, in which he had closed all the winds. The only condition he set for him was that he should under no circumstances reveal the contents of the bag to the rest of his companions. So Odysseus' ship set sail for Ithaca with a favorable wind. Odysseus had given orders that no one should approach Aeolus' bag.
But Odysseus's companions took this prohibition as a sign that the sack must contain a treasure that Odysseus wanted all for himself. As they approached Ithaca, out of curiosity they decided to open the bag secretly from Odysseus. Then all the whirling and clashing winds from all directions poured out into the sky and sea, causing tremendous storms. The ship drifted away from Ithaca, fighting the waves like a nut shell with the winds pushing it away until it reached the island of the Laistrygons.
The Laistrygones resembled the Cyclops in that they too were fierce giants. When they found the Ithacians gathering supplies inland, they began to chase them, even capturing some before they could return to their ship. Odysseus cut the rope with his sword to free the ship from the harbor, thus saving the lives of the rest of his men.
