When the hero had left for the Trojan War , he had been warned that it would be twenty years before he returned home to Ithaca. He attempted to avoid the conflict, going as far as to feign madness, but ended up among the Greek forces at Troy anyway. When the Trojan War ended after ten long years, Odysseus was one of the many soldiers eager to return home. His wife, Penelope, would be waiting for him with their young son Telemachus, who had been just a baby when his father left for war.
Early in his travels, however, Odysseus had earned the enmity of Poseidon. When his crew tricked a Cyclopes and blinded it, Odysseus had called out his name in a brash display of arrogance. Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon.
The god of the sea was furious that a mortal had unjustly wounded one of his children. Poseidon swore that he would do everything in his power to keep Odysseus from reaching Ithaca. If the hero ever did make it home it would be after many years of hardship and to a home that was in disarray. The remaining ship, which the hero had been commanding, sailed on. The crew were waylaid for a year by the sea witch Circe, bypassed the monsters Scylla and Charybdis , and avoided the deadly Sirens.
Odysseus even travelled to the underworld to learn how to reach home again, encountering the ghosts of many great heroes. Their food supplies destroyed in a storm, the men hunted the sacred cattle of Helios that lived on the island. They did so when Odysseus was resting, knowing that he would forbid them from touching the animals. The offended god demanded justice. When the ship set sail again, Zeus sent a storm that destroyed it. After ten days, he washed up on the island of Ogygia. The lonely nymph nursed her visitor back to health, and soon made the man her husband.
With no ship or means of navigation, Odysseus had no choice but to stay with her. Calypso made her home in a spacious cavern on the island, and she shared this home with Odysseus for seven full years.
She had a lovely singing voice and spent her days weaving with golden thread in the comfortable home she had made on the island.
Her grace and beauty were enough to make even a god feel more peaceful and happy than he had anywhere else on earth. Calypso loved Odysseus deeply, to the point that she seemed rather obsessive. She even offered to make him immortal so he could be with her forever.
But, while the island had provided a welcome respite from his troubles, Odysseus would not remain happy with the nymph who lived there for very long. He still longed to return to his own home and human wife, no matter how lovely the nymph was. While Calypso sang to herself and worked at her loom, Odysseus established a new routine to fill his days.
He spent his time sitting on the shore, looking out over the ocean toward Ithaca and crying. The image of the Ithacan ruler crying alone on Ogygia was relayed to Menelaus, the king of Sparta, by Proteus. The ancient sea god knew he was on Ogygia and that Calypso held him under her sway. Odysseus had long been presumed dead, but Telemachus and his mother remained convinced that he was still trying to get home to them.
The story soon reached Athena , who had been a patron and protector of Odysseus throughout his long ordeal. She wished to see him return to his home, but she knew she would have to contend with Poseidon.
Athena waited until Poseidon was away from Olympus to receive a sacrifice, then she took her appeal to Zeus. She begged her father, in his position as king, to show mercy on the beleaguered human. She reminded her father that Odysseus had been a good king, but that goodness was already being forgotten. His just and kind rule would be wasted if his name faded out of memory too soon. His son was also in danger, as the many suitors who had come to woo Penelope were plotting to kill the young man to get him out of their way.
Even as Telemachus was hearing news of his father at the court of Menelaus, the jealous suitors were planning to kill him when he returned. The king of the gods sent Hermes to Ogygia to speak to the nymph that held Odysseus.
When the messenger god arrived, Calypso immediately knew who he was, and hinted that she cold guess why he was there. Odysseus was not destined to live out his life with Calypso, and Zeus ordered the nymph to obey the dictates of fate. Calypso was furious that Zeus had commanded her to send Odysseus away. She accused him, and the rest of the gods, of hypocrisy.
All of the Olympians, particularly Zeus, had enjoyed affairs with many mortal women. Now that she had taken a mortal husband he was jealous of her, as well. Still, she could not disobey the king of the gods without bringing his wrath down on her and her peaceful island. She had no choice but to obey destiny and her king and let Odysseus go. Even then, he had no ship or crew to help him reach Ithaca. Zeus had commanded that Odysseus was to build a raft to set off from Ogygia.
She called Odysseus home when Hermes had left and told him that he was free to leave. She omitted the demands of the Olympians, however, and tried to make him believe that she had decided it was time on her own. He feared it was a trick of some kind and would not begin work on a raft until she pledged an oath that she meant him no harm. No innocent could have mustered such words as those.
So be it then—let Earth be witness to me in this, and the arching Heaven above, and the downward water of the Styx—most solemn and most fearsome of oaths with the blessed gods—that I will plot against you no new mischief to your ruin. The Calypso was also used in criticism of the colonial government and was only understood by the Calypso natives thus could help them keep secrets and enable their communication when they are restricted.
Calypso also allows the audience to analyze the attitude towards the particular topic at hand which allows them to draw their judgment on their own. Calypso music is useful in communicating criticisms which cannot be talked about on daily basis because it could be offensive or sound blunt.
A vintage photo of a Calypso dancer and a contemporary Calypso drummer. Kenneth Kimutai too April 25 in Society. All About the "Stan" Countries. Most Dangerous Countries For Women. Simple but refreshing, an Isla. With island vibes full of flav.
Right Hand or Left Hand? How do you shake up those. Order up! Who else is ready for a Calypso or anot. Time to fall into island vibes TasteOfTheIslands.
Be Your Island Self with the B. To be a classic, you have to be original. Fall in love with the Apple Fi.
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