Odysseus 'Home at Last‪'‬

When we hear the name ‘Odysseus’ what do most people think of?

Some long ago character from myth and legend? The infamous war between the ancient Greeks and the city of Troy? A ten year long boat ride home that tells of a hero fighting three headed sea monsters, one eyed giants, sorcerers, witches and the sea god Poseidon?

All these things and more are part of the tale of Odysseus. Weird, wild, fantastical stories that we ‘modern day’ people think of a ancient fantasy. In this re-telling of the tale I try to make the ‘larger than life’ hero (and the world that he actually lived in) ‘more normal’ --- something that we can relate to.

Many historians believe that the stories of Odysseus and the Trojan War are derived from a real, historical conflict that took place in the 12th or 11th century BC. That is over a thousand years before the birth of Christ. Well over three thousand years from ‘our time’!

Was the world different then? Not really. The weather was much the same. People worked for a living, built farms, towns and even cities. Technology however was very different. Horses not cars, manual labour not machines, sailboats not airplanes --- but human nature was the same! People dressed differently back then, but they acted exactly the same. All the ‘good and the bad’ that is in us, was in them.

In short, they were ‘human’ --- and that is what I have tried to do with Odysseus in this book. Make him more like ‘us’. Whether I succeeded or not I will leave up to you. Kindly listen now while Odysseus tells in his own words what ‘really’ happened.