Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of the ancient Greek city of Sparta, was abducted by Paris, prince of Troy. This incident enraged all the Greeks, and the Greek army, led by Menelaus's brother, King Agamemnon, prepared to launch an expedition to Troy to reclaim the beautiful Helen.
Odysseus was king of Ithaca, one of the Greek city-states. Unwilling to get involved in this war, he feigned madness. He drove pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep onto the sandy beach, yoked them to plows, and tilled the barren land, then scattered salt as seed. Needless to say, such farming would yield no results.
A clever Greek named Palamedes, who invented dice and chess, saw through Odysseus's ruse. To prove it, he brought Odysseus's young son and placed him in the path where the plow would pass. True to form, Odysseus, unwilling to harm his son, steered the plow away when it reached that spot. His deception was thus exposed, and he had no choice but to abandon the act, bidding a reluctant farewell to his wife Penelope and leading a contingent to join the expedition. This journey would last nearly twenty years.
During that long and arduous struggle, Odysseus proved exceptionally brave and became a renowned hero of Greece. However, the warriors he brought with him were nearly all lost.
After the war ended, Odysseus set sail for home with his fleet. Along the way, they encountered violent storms and a devastating attack by the Cicones on the Thracian coast, suffering heavy losses. In the subsequent journey, they faced numerous hardships and dangers. In the end, Odysseus returned to his homeland almost alone.
Because he had been away for so long, no one could recognize him, and his homeland had changed greatly. He did not know whether his wife and child were still alive or whether they still longed for him. He decided to disguise himself as a wanderer, begging along the way while gathering information.
People told him that Odysseus had died on the distant battlefield of Troy, and his wife was currently being harassed by many suitors—wealthy and powerful men who lounged in his palace, feasting and drinking, consorting with his maids, and turning his home into a chaotic mess.
Odysseus was deeply distressed. He reached the gates of Ithaca but did not enter, instead heading to the house of his swineherd, Eumaeus, still pretending to beg.
Eumaeus did not recognize the beggar as his master and kindly invited him in, offering food and drink. From the swineherd's conversation, Odysseus confirmed that the stories he had heard about the situation in his home were true. His wife Penelope wept day and night for him, refusing to believe the rumors of his death. To stall and delay, she told the suitors that she must first weave a fine fabric in the palace to make a shroud for Odysseus's elderly father. Only after the fabric was completed would she choose a husband from among them. She wove by day and unraveled by night, using this method to delay them for three years. Now, the suitors had discovered her secret, sending someone to watch her and urging her to finish the weaving quickly, while they squandered the master's property, slaughtering cattle and sheep, drinking all the wine in the storeroom, and ruining the palace.
Odysseus listened quietly to the swineherd's account, his inner fury rising fiercely. He plotted how to punish those shameless suitors and the maids who consorted with them, while also feeling deep gratitude for the loyal Eumaeus.
That night, he slept on the bed of sheepskins that the old swineherd had prepared for him.
Early the next morning, as the swineherd was preparing breakfast for his guest, a handsome young man appeared at the door. Eumaeus, upon seeing him, cried out in joy. It was Odysseus's son, Telemachus, who had just returned from Pylos. After twenty years apart, he did not recognize the beggar before him as his father. On his journey, he had heard that the ruffians harassing his mother intended to ambush him, so he changed his route and secretly landed at another port during the night.
Odysseus claimed he was from Crete, saying that sailors had turned treacherous at sea, stealing his money, forcing him to wander all the way here.
Telemachus welcomed him to stay, offering to cover his living expenses. Then he asked the swineherd to inform his mother that he had returned safely.
After the swineherd left, Odysseus revealed his true identity to Telemachus. His son was astonished. But when Odysseus recounted his experiences over the years, Telemachus fully believed him, and the two embraced and wept. Then they planned how to eliminate the detestable suitors.
Eumaeus did not return until evening.
The next morning, Telemachus prepared to return to the palace. Before leaving, he instructed Eumaeus to take the guest to the city, as he might need his help.
Telemachus did not immediately tell his mother about his father's return, only saying that a seer had told him Odysseus would soon return to punish the villains.
Meanwhile, outside the palace, the suitors were noisy, feasting and drinking, and amusing themselves by throwing javelins and discuses. Odysseus, led by Eumaeus, approached them, still pretending to be a beggar and asking for alms. Some gave him food, while others shouted at him or threw small stools. Odysseus endured it all impassively. Others incited another beggar to challenge him. Odysseus effortlessly knocked the beggar to the ground, and the suitors laughed heartily.
Odysseus's maids also mingled with the suitors, mocking the foreign wanderer, insulting him, which he endured.
The suitors partied until late at night, then went to sleep. Telemachus secretly met with his father. Odysseus told him to gather all their weapons and hide them in a secret chamber, for the next day he would deal with these scoundrels.
Telemachus informed him that the queen had issued a challenge to all the suitors: whoever could string Odysseus's bow and shoot an arrow through the handle holes of twelve axes lined up in a row would become her husband. Only one who could draw the powerful bow and, from fifty paces away, shoot an arrow through all the axe handle holes could marry her.
Odysseus laughed when he heard this, saying, "Who else but me could accomplish this?" He knew Penelope had deliberately set a difficult task to discourage the suitors and make them give up.
Telemachus arranged for his father to bathe and rest, so he would be refreshed for their plan.
From early the next morning, the palace was bustling. The maids knew a test for the suitors would be held that day, so they cleaned the courtyard and prepared lunch. The swineherd Eumaeus was ordered to bring several fat sheep and a bull to be slaughtered by the servants.
As Eumaeus was about to leave the palace to return to his herding, Odysseus called him over and asked, "If your master Odysseus returns, would you still be willing to fight for him?"
Eumaeus replied, "Of course! I will fight for him."
"Excellent. Now I can tell you: I am Odysseus." So saying, he rolled up his pants leg, showing the swineherd the old scar on his knee from a boar hunt long ago.
Eumaeus suddenly understood why he had felt such affection for this wanderer upon first seeing him. Odysseus had aged, and his full beard concealed his true appearance. He embraced his master and wept uncontrollably.
Odysseus said, "Do not weep, Eumaeus. Stay here. When the contest begins, lock all the doors and let no one in or out. I will severely punish those villains."
After the suitors had eaten and drunk their fill, the queen ordered twelve battle-axes to be brought out and arranged neatly in a row like a ship's keel. Then she personally took Odysseus's powerful bow and, through a maidservant, handed it to the suitors. She declared publicly:
"Among you, whoever can string this bow and shoot an arrow through the handle holes of these battle-axes shall be my husband."
Some suitors, knowing they lacked the strength, remained silent, while others rolled up their sleeves, eager to try. But when they picked up the bow, they realized its weight. All who attempted it failed; not a single one could draw it.
At this moment, Odysseus stepped forward and said to them, "Noble suitors, I do not wish to compete with you, but I want to test whether my arm is still as strong as it once was. Please let me see the bow."
A suitor named Antinous rebuked him, "You insolent beggar, you have no idea of your place! We pity you and give you food and drink—don't indulge in such wild fantasies here!"
The queen said, "Antinous, do not speak so. Since he has come, he is my guest. It is wrong to treat my guest this way. Hand the bow to this stranger. If he truly can string this bow, I will give him a fine cloak, a spear, a sword, and send him back to his homeland."
With that, no one could object.
Antinous reluctantly handed the bow to the wanderer. At that moment, Eumaeus entered, carrying a quiver full of arrows, and quietly stood behind Odysseus.
Telemachus knew a massacre was about to begin. He said to his mother, "Leave this to me, Mother. Please return to the inner chambers and rest."
After the queen rose and left, Odysseus took an arrow and nocked it on the bow. Then, effortlessly, he drew the powerful bow. With a "whoosh," the arrow whistled through the twelve axe handle holes.
Everyone present was stunned.
Odysseus smiled at Telemachus and said, "I haven't disgraced your household, have I?" Then he walked toward the door, shedding his ragged clothes as he went, revealing his strong, well-built muscles.
Telemachus and Eumaeus also drew their swords.
Odysseus blocked the doorway and said to the petrified men, "I am Odysseus. You shameless lot probably never dreamed this would happen, did you? You have harassed my wife, squandered my property, and lorded over my palace. Now, your doom has arrived!"
So saying, he shot an arrow through Antinous's throat.
The suitors, panic-stricken, finally began searching for their weapons, but the weapons were already gone.
Odysseus swiftly shot arrow after arrow of vengeance, each hitting its mark. Telemachus and Eumaeus also swung their swords, and for a moment, the banquet hall was littered with corpses, blood flowed everywhere, and cries of agony and pleas for mercy filled the air.
Odysseus mercilessly killed all the suitors. Then he pulled out twelve maidservants—women he had personally seen consorting with the suitors—and ordered them to carry the bodies out of the hall and clean the blood from the floor. Then he had them all hanged in a row from a tree.
Queen Penelope, upon hearing that Odysseus had returned, at first could not believe it. When Odysseus, having washed the blood from his body, put on splendid clothing and appeared before her radiant and rejuvenated, she burst into tears, rushing forward to embrace him.
The couple recounted everything that had happened over the past twenty years and their mutual longing. Then Odysseus went to the orchard to visit his aged father, who was loosening the soil under a tree. Seeing his son, the old man no longer recognized him and took him for a passing stranger. When Odysseus told him he was his son, returned from the brink of death, the old man felt as if in a dream, showing neither joy nor tears, unable to believe the reality before his eyes.
At that moment, a commotion arose outside the palace. It turned out that Antinous's father, the first suitor Odysseus had killed, was inciting the people to revolt. His argument was that Odysseus had originally taken so many young men on the expedition, yet now returned alone; they should demand blood compensation from him and avenge the dead.
Odysseus immediately took up his spear and, with a few followers, rode out to confront them. The leaders were no match for him; he killed Eupeithes, the rebel leader, and the others scattered and fled. As Odysseus prepared to pursue, he heard his father shout, "Odysseus, be calm! This land has already seen too much bloodshed. Do not defy the will of the gods!"
Thus, Odysseus reined in his horse, and the rebels also laid down their weapons. From then on, king and subjects reconciled, and prosperity gradually returned to the land of Ithaca.