Splendor surrounds the table, but memory darkens the feast.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Telemachus quietly marvels at the wealth of Menelaus’ hall, likening it to the palace of Olympian Zeus. Menelaus hears him and responds with a long account of his own wanderings after Troy—through Cyprus, Phoenicia, Egypt, and distant lands—by which he gathered great riches only to return home to grief. He recalls the murder of his brother Agamemnon, the ruin of his house, and the companions lost far from Argos. Of all these sorrows, he says, none weigh so heavily as the fate of Odysseus, whose labors surpassed all others and whose absence still brings grief to Laertes, Penelope, and the son he left behind.

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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.

A moment’s hesitation gives way to remembered duty, and the strangers are received with full honor.

In this passage from The Odyssey, Menelaus rebukes his steward for even considering turning travelers away, recalling how he himself once depended on the hospitality of others. He orders the horses unyoked and the guests brought inside to feast. Telemachus and Peisistratus are led into the radiant palace, bathed, anointed, and clothed, then seated beside Menelaus and served rich food and drink. Observing their bearing, Menelaus declares that they must be of royal blood, for such presence could not belong to the sons of common men.

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.

A new city receives the travelers, and their arrival coincides with celebration.

In this opening passage of The Odyssey, Book IV, Telemachus and Peisistratus reach Lacedaemon and arrive at the palace of Menelaus, where a great feast is underway. Menelaus is hosting wedding celebrations for his children: his daughter is being sent to the son of Achilles among the Myrmidons, and his son Megapenthes is taking a bride from Sparta. The hall is filled with kinsmen and neighbors, music from a minstrel, and tumblers performing in the midst of the revels. As Telemachus and Peisistratus pause at the gate with their horses, the steward Eteoneus notices them and goes inside to ask Menelaus whether the strangers should be welcomed or sent on elsewhere.

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.