We put the ewe and ram on the ship and left, every single one of my men's faces wet with tears. We sailed all day, and by night we had reached the realm of the Men of Winter, where it is never light. There we touched land, and took the ram and ewe off the boat, and walked along the stream to a place where I dug a pit and poured libations to the dead round it. I then promised the dead that when I got home I would sacrifice my best cow and give them all the good parts, and the handsomest black lamb of my flock. Then I killed the lamb and ewe, letting their blood drain into the pit. At this the souls gathered around the pit, and I ordered my crew to burn the bodies of the ram and ewe in the name of sovereign Death and Persephone. In the crowd of lonely souls, I found that of young Elpenor and I asked how he had died and he told me; but he also told me how Telemakhos had left home. He then asked me to build him a cairn above the breakers when we got back home, and of course I said yes. In that crowd I also saw my mother, but, weaping, I had to keep her away from the blood. Soon the prince of Thebes came through the crowd, holding a golden staff and talked to me and told me that he would taste the blood on my sword to see if I was true. He licked it, and began to tell me of my future. He said I could pass, but anguish lies ahead from Poseidon because I poked out his son's eye. When I make landfall on Thrinakia I will see the herds of Helios grazing, but if I or any of my crew touched one of those sheep, we'd be dead in a second. I would carry on my journey alone, for my whole crew will die, and when I finally return home I'll have to kill the suitors who raid my home and court my wife. With that done, I will once more go on a journey to a place where barbarians live, and there I will sacrifice my best ram, bull, and buck boar to Lord Poseidon. And finally when I have lived my life through, I will die softly at the hands of the sea, with everyone at peace. I asked him why my mom's ghost hadn't talked to me, and he said that any ghost that drinks the blood will be able to speak the truth, but one who don't drink it will fade away once more, and with that he retired to the halls of Death. I allowed my mother to drink the blood, and at once she recognized me and asked why I came alive to this awful place. I told her that I came here for a prophecy from Teiresias' shade, and I hadn't managed to reach home since I left Troy. I then asked her how she died, and about my still living family back at home. She told me that my wife was still faithful and spent all night weeping for me to come home, and that Telemakhos holds the public honor of a magistrate, and that my father has retired as a hermit to the country waiting for me to come home as age slowly sets in. And finally, she told me that her pain waiting for me had finally taken over and killed her. I tried to hug her, but she sifted through my fingers and I cried. I let my mother go, and allowed those shades that Persephone sent to drink the blood, but in order and one by one so that I could question them. And an amazing lot of shades they were, many princesses who had lain with Gods and mothers of famous heroes. Once I had talked to all of them, I told everyone, human and shade, that it was time for us to sleep, " then, I fell silent, and the whole hall echoed my words. Alkinoos then stood up and told everyone that I should be allowed home, but to stay one more night for all my gifts to be given and stored. Alkinoos then asked me if I had seen any of my deceased friends from Troy in that underworld, and I replied that I had met Agamemnon, and when I asked how he died, he told of the treachery of his wife, and how she and her new husband had killed him as soon as he stepped on the mainland. And after I spoke to him, many of my companions from Troy appeared, recognized me, and talked to me. I then looked over the underworld, and saw all those condemned to everlasting pain for horrible things they had done in their lifetime, and along with them I saw the amazing heroes and people who were allowed a place over all the dead. I saw and talked to many more reat heroes from the past, and I was waiting to talk to more, but Persephone sent shades, so I hastily called my crew together and we borded the boat and set off, first with oars, and then with a following wind...
Picture from: http://www.sheep101.info/breedsB.html
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