Odyssey: A Daily Odyssey through Homer’s The Odyssey

Defiance hardens into dismissal, and the will of the few overpowers the voice of justice. What was called before the people is now cast aside.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Book II, Leocritus answers Mentor with open contempt, mocking the idea that the wooers could ever be restrained—even by Odysseus himself. He urges the assembly to disperse and predicts that Telemachus’ journey will come to nothing. The people comply, abandoning the gathering, while the wooers return unchallenged to Odysseus’ house.

Left without public support, Telemachus withdraws alone to the seashore. There, apart from the crowd, he washes his hands in the sea and prays directly to Athene, reminding her of her command and confessing his frustration at being delayed by the arrogance of the wooers.

 

This moment matters because public justice has failed. With the assembly dissolved and Ithaca silent, Telemachus’ hope turns fully toward divine aid—and the journey he was promised must now be secured in secret.

 

⸻

 

New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com

 

Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm

 

Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod

 

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw

 

⸻

 

Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

 

If you like this show, be sure to check out The Countdown of Monte Cristo — wherever you listen to podcasts!

The argument gives way to intention, and Telemachus sets his course aloud. With the assembly listening, he turns from protest to preparation.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Book II, Telemachus asks plainly for a ship and companions so he may sail to Pylos and Sparta in search of news of his father. He lays out his resolve with care: if Odysseus lives, he will endure; if Odysseus is dead, he will return to honor him properly and bring his mother’s waiting to an end. His words are met by Mentor, Odysseus’ trusted companion, who rises to rebuke the people of Ithaca for their silence and their failure to restrain the wooers’ abuse.

This moment matters because Telemachus publicly commits to action, and the blame widens beyond the suitors. Ithaca itself is called to account for allowing injustice to stand unchallenged.

 

⸻

 

New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com

 

Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm

 

Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod

 

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw

 

⸻

 

Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

 

If you like this show, be sure to check out The Countdown of Monte Cristo — wherever you listen to podcasts!

A warning is answered with contempt, and prophecy is met with scorn. Where the gods have spoken, the wooers choose defiance.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Book II, Eurymachus dismisses the omen of the eagles and openly ridicules the seer Halitherses, rejecting both divine signs and the possibility of Odysseus’ return. He escalates the threat against Telemachus, insisting the wooers will continue their courtship without restraint and will not be deterred by youth, prophecy, or fear of the gods. Penelope’s marriage is framed not as choice, but as a prize to be won through endurance and force.

This moment matters because it seals the wooers’ guilt. Having heard prophecy and mocked it, they knowingly choose excess and injustice, hardening the path toward the reckoning that has now been plainly foretold.

 

New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com

Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm

Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw

 

Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

 

If you like this show, be sure to check out The Countdown of Monte Cristo — wherever you listen to podcasts!

Defiance meets warning, and the gods answer words with signs. Telemachus refuses to surrender what little authority he has left—and the heavens respond.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Book II, Telemachus rejects Antinous’ demand that he force Penelope from the house, invoking both human law and divine consequence. As he calls upon Zeus for justice, two eagles appear above the assembly, tearing at one another in a terrifying omen that leaves the people stunned. The seer Halitherses interprets the sign plainly: Odysseus is near, and ruin is coming for the wooers.

This moment matters because divine judgment enters the conflict openly. What was argued in words is now sealed by prophecy, and Ithaca is warned that the cost of inaction will soon be paid.

 

New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com

Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm

Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw

 

Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

 

If you like this show, be sure to check out The Countdown of Monte Cristo — wherever you listen to podcasts!

The charge is completed, and delay is named as defiance. Antinous finishes his account with a mixture of admiration and accusation, turning clever endurance into a weapon against the house of Odysseus.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Book II, the wooers recount how Penelope prolonged their courtship by weaving a burial shroud by day and secretly undoing it by night, deceiving them for years before her ruse was uncovered. Antinous frames her intelligence and craft—gifts of Athene—as both remarkable and ruinous, arguing that so long as Penelope refuses to choose a husband, the suitors will continue to consume Telemachus’ inheritance without restraint.

This moment matters because it exposes the standoff at the heart of Ithaca. Penelope’s ingenuity preserves her autonomy and loyalty, yet it also entrenches the siege of her household, leaving Telemachus caught between admiration, loss, and an ever-narrowing path forward.

 

New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://theodysseypodcast.com

Want to talk theories, themes? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm

Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each book: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC036TeD3DkuF1VSCQJfKGtw

 

Odyssey is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Homer’s classic epic — every day. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Odyssey.

 

If you like this show, be sure to check out The Countdown of Monte Cristo — wherever you listen to podcasts!