Home at last—but not yet safe. In Samuel Butler’s classic prose rendering, Odysseus (Ulysses) is borne sleeping to Ithaca by the generous Phaeacians, while Poseidon exacts a terrible price. Shrouded in Athena’s mist, he awakens on unknown shores, hides his treasure in the Naiads’ cave, and receives the goddess’s counsel: endure, disguise, and strike when the hour comes. Transformed into a weathered beggar, Odysseus seeks refuge with the steadfast swineherd Eumaeus. Around the humble hearth, tales are traded, loyalty is tested, and news of the wasteful suitors and imperiled Telemachus sharpens the resolve for justice to come. William Johnston’s vivid narration captures the hushed conspiracies, the warmth of xenia, and the simmering promise of revenge, making these pivotal Books 13 and 14 an intimate, suspenseful passage between wandering and homecoming. Perfect for first-time listeners and lifelong lovers of the classics, this installment showcases the Odyssey’s enduring themes of identity, hospitality, and divine intervention as the hero steps quietly onto his own soil and prepares to reclaim it.
