Book XI of twenty-four · The Wanderings Told

Visit of Odysseus to the Land of the Dead

Odysseus descends, consults Tiresias

In Alcinoüs’ hall, Odysseus recounts descending to the underworld, where Tiresias foretells his hard return and Anticleia’s shade reveals his household’s fate. He reviews famed heroines, then meets Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ajax, and sees Minos and the torments of Tityus, Tantalus, and Sisyphus before fleeing the Gorgon.

Argument, 1871 Voyage to the land of the dead —Interview with Tiresias, the seer —The heroes and heroines whom Odysseus saw there —Interview with his mother, and with Agamemnon, Achilles, and others —Occupations of the dead —Punishments of the guilty.

Episodes of Book XI

1. Descent and Tiresias — Odysseus performs rite, hears prophecy
   • Voyage and the Rite
   • Elpenor’s Plea
   • Tiresias’s Prophecy
   • The Blood-Rite Secret
2. Mother and the Heroines — Odysseus embraces mother’s shade in vain
   • Reunion with Anticleia
   • Tyro’s Line
   • Theban and Pylian Queens
   • Further Heroines
3. The Phaeacian Court — Gifts granted, Alcinoüs seeks the tale
   • Arete’s Praise
   • Phaeacian Counsel
   • Odysseus Continues
4. Agamemnon’s Warning — Agamemnon’s ghost recounts murder, warns
   • Agamemnon’s Fate
   • Warning About Wives
5. Achilles and Ajax — Odysseus consoles Achilles, Ajax silent
   • Achilles Among the Dead
   • Achilles’ Lament
   • Ajax’s Silent Wrath
6. Judgment and Departure — Minos judges, Odysseus flees Gorgon
   • Judges and the Damned
   • Heracles and the Flight