News of Troy's fall quickly reached the Achaean kingdoms through
phryctoria, a
semaphore system used in ancient Greece. A fire signal lit at Troy was seen at
Lemnos, relayed to
Athos, then to the look-out towers of
Macistus on
Euboea, across the Euripus straight to
Messapion, then to
Mount Cithaeron,
Mount Aegiplanctus and finally to
Mount Arachneus, where it was seen by the people of
Mycenae, including
Clytaemnestra. But though the message was brought fast and with ease, the heroes were not to return this way. The gods were thought to be very angry over the destruction of their temples and other sacrilegious acts by the Achaeans and decided that most would not return. A storm struck the returning fleet off
Tenos island. Also
Nauplius, in revenge for the murder of his son
Palamedes by Odysseus, set up false lights at
Cape Caphereus (also known today as Cavo D'Oro, on
Euboea) and many were shipwrecked. •
Agamemnon had made it back to his kingdom with
Cassandra in his possession after some stormy weather. He and Cassandra were slain by
Aegisthus (in the oldest versions of the story) or by
Clytemnestra or by both of them.
Electra and
Orestes later avenged their father, but Orestes was the one who was chased by the
Furies. See
below for further details. •
Nestor, who had the best conduct in Troy and did not take part in the looting, was the only hero who had a good, fast and safe return. Those of his army that survived the war also safely reached home with him. smites
Ajax by
Bonaventura Genelli (1798–1868) •
Locrian Ajax, who had endured more of the wrath of the gods than the others, never returned home. His ship was wrecked by a storm sent by Athena, who borrowed one of
Zeus' thunderbolts and tore it to pieces. The crew managed to land on a rock, but
Poseidon smote it and the Lesser Ajax fell in the sea and drowned after he boasted that even the gods could not kill him. He was buried by
Thetis on
Myconos or
Delos. • The archer
Teucer (son of
Telamon and half-brother of
the other Ajax) stood trial by his father for his brother's death. He was acquitted of responsibility but found guilty of negligence because he did not return his dead body or his arms. He was disowned and was not allowed back on Salamis Island. He left with his army (who took their wives) and was at sea near
Phreattys in the
Peiraeus, where he later founded
Salamis on
Cyprus. The Athenians later created a political myth that his son left his kingdom to
Theseus' sons (and not to
Megara). •
Neoptolemus, following
Helenus' advice (who accompanied him) traveled over land, always accompanied by Andromache. He met Odysseus and they buried Achilles' teacher
Phoenix on the land of the
Ciconians. Then they conquered the land of the
Molossians (the
Epirus) and had a child by Andromache, Molossus, to whom he later gave the throne. Thus the kings of the Epirus claimed to be descended from Achilles, as did
Alexander the Great, whose mother was of that royal house (Alexander and the kings of
Macedon also claimed descent from
Hercules). Helenus founded a city in Molossia and inhabited it, and Neoptolemus gave him his mother
Deidamia as wife. After
Peleus died, he succeeded to
Phtia's throne as well. He had a feud with
Orestes, son of Agamemon, over Menelaus' daughter
Hermione, and he was killed at
Delphi, where he was buried. In Roman myths, the kingdom of Phtia was taken over by Helenus, who married Andromache. They offered hospitality to other Trojan refugees, including Aeneas who paid a visit there during his wanderings. •
Diomedes was first thrown by a storm on the coast of
Lycia, where he was to be sacrificed to
Ares by King
Lycus. Lycus' daughter Callirrhoe took pity upon him, and assisted him in escaping. Then he accidentally landed in
Attica at
Phalerum. The Athenians, unaware that they were allies, attacked them. Many were killed and the
Palladium was taken by
Demophon. He finally landed at
Argos, where his wife
Aegialia was committing adultery and, in disgust, left for
Aetolia. According to Roman traditions, he had some adventures and founded a colony in Italy. •
Philoctetes, because of a sedition, was driven from his city by a revolt and emigrated to Italy, where he founded the cities of
Petilia,
Old Crimissa, and
Chone, between
Croton and
Thurii. After making war on the
Leucanians, he founded there a sanctuary of Apollo the Wanderer, to whom also he dedicated his bow. Another tradition was formed later. After the war, his ship ran into a horrible storm. He promised
Poseidon that he would sacrifice the first living thing he saw when he returned home if the god would save his ship and crew. The first living thing was his son, whom Idomeneus duly sacrificed. The gods were angry at the sacrifice of his own son and they unleashed a plague on Crete. His people sent him into exile to
Calabria in
Italy, and then
Colophon in
Asia Minor, where he died. Among the lesser Achaeans, very few reached their homes. •
Guneus, leader of the
Aeneanians (the exact location is unknown but is believed to be in the Epirus), went to
Libya and settled near the
Cinyps river. •
Antiphus, son of
Thessalus from
Cos, settled in
Pelasgiotis and renamed it
Thessaly after his father
Thessalus. •
Pheidippus, who had led an army from Cos, settled on
Andros,
Agapenor from
Arcadia settled in
Cyprus and founded
Paphos. •
Prothous from
Magnesia settled in Crete. • The army of
Elephenor (who had died in front of Troy) settled in the Epirus and founded
Apollonia. •
Tlepolemus, king of
Rhodes, was driven by the winds and settled in the
Balearic islands.
House of Atreus , in an 1879 illustration from
Alfred Church's
Stories from the Greek Tragedians According to the
Odyssey, Menelaus's fleet was blown by storms to
Crete and
Egypt where they were unable to sail away because the wind was calm. Only 5 of his ships survived. Menelaus had to catch
Proteus, a shape-shifting sea god to find out what sacrifices to which gods he would have to make to guarantee safe passage. Proteus told Menelaus that he was destined for
Elysium (the Fields of the Blessèd) after his death. Menelaus returned to
Sparta with Helen 8 years after he had left Troy. Agamemnon returned home with Cassandra to Mycenae. His wife
Clytemnestra (Helen's sister) was having an affair with
Aegisthus, son of
Thyestes, Agamemnon's cousin who had conquered Argos before Agamemnon himself retook it. Possibly out of vengeance for the death of
Iphigenia, Clytemnestra plotted with her lover to kill Agamemnon. Cassandra foresaw this murder, and warned Agamemnon, but he disregarded her. He was killed, either at a feast or in his bath according to different versions. Cassandra was also killed. Agamemnon's son Orestes, who had been away, returned and conspired with his sister
Electra to avenge their father. He killed Clytemnestra and Aegisthus and succeeded to his father's throne yet he was chased by the
Furies until he was acquitted by Athena.
The Odyssey Odysseus (or Ulysses), attempting to travel home, underwent a series of trials, tribulations and setbacks that stretched his journey to ten years' time. These are detailed in Homer's epic poem the
Odyssey. At first they landed in the land of the Ciconians in
Ismara. After looting the land they were driven back with many casualties. A storm off
Cape Maleas drove them to uncharted waters. They landed in the land of the
Lotus-eaters. There a scouting party ate from the lotus tree and forgot everything of home. Odysseus had to drag crew members back to the ship. : Odysseus and his crew escape the Cyclops
Polyphemus. The rest then set sail and landed at the land of
Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. After a few were killed by him Odysseus blinded him and managed to escape, but earned Poseidon's wrath. They went next to the isle of
Aeolus, god of winds. Odysseus was received hospitably by the Aeolus who gave him a favorable wind and a bag that contained the unfavorable wind. When Odysseus fell asleep in sight of
Ithaca his crew opened the bag, and the ships were driven away. In the next of the
Laestrygonians next they neared, where the cannibalistic inhabitants sank his fleet (except Odysseus' ship) and ate the crew. Next they landed on
Circe's island, who transformed most of the crew into pigs, but Odysseus managed to force her to transform them back and left. Odysseus wished to speak to
Tiresias, so he went the river
Acheron in
Hades, where they performed sacrifices which allowed them to speak to the dead. They gave them advice on how to proceed. Then, he went to Circe's island again. '' (1909) by
Herbert James Draper From there he set sail through the pass of the
Sirens, whose sweet singing lure sailors to their doom. He had stopped up the ears of his crew with wax, and Odysseus alone listened while tied to the mast. Next was the pass of
Scylla and
Charybdis where he lost part of his ship's crew. The rest landed in the isle
Thrinacia, sacred to
Helios (the Sun) where he kept sacred cattle. Though Odysseus warned his men not to (as Tiresias had told him), they killed and ate some of the cattle after Zeus placed Odysseus in his sleep to test his crew. Under a threat from Helios to take the sun and shine it in the Underworld, Zeus shipwrecked the last ship and killed everyone except Odysseus. Odysseus was washed ashore on
Ogygia, where the nymph
Calypso lived. She made him her lover for seven years and would not let him leave, promising him immortality if he stayed. On behalf of Athena, Zeus intervened and sent
Hermes to tell Calypso to let Odysseus go. ;
Bavarian State Painting Collections Odysseus left on a small raft furnished with provisions of water, wine and food by Calypso, only to be hit by a storm and washed up on the island of
Scheria and found by
Nausicaa, daughter of King
Alcinous and Queen Arete of the
Phaeacians, who entertained him well and escorted him to Ithaca. On the tenth year of sailing, the twentieth year away from home, he arrived at his home on Ithaca. There Odysseus traveled disguised as an old beggar by Athena he was recognized by his
dog Argus, who died in his lap. Then he discovered his wife
Penelope had been faithful to him all these years despite the
countless suitors, including Antinous and Eurymachus, that were eating and spending his property all these years. With his son
Telemachus' help and that of
Athena and
Eumaeus the swineherd, killed all of them except
Medon, who had been polite to Penelope, and
Phemius, a local singer who had only been forced to help the suitors against Penelope. Penelope tested him by saying they'd move his immovable bed, which correctly Odysseus pointed out couldn't be done, and he forgave her. On the next day the suitor's relatives, led by Eupeithes, the father of the suitor Antinous, tried to take revenge on him but they were stopped by Athena. Years later Odysseus' son by Circe,
Telegonus came from the sea and plundered the island thinking it was
Corcyra. Odysseus and Telemachus, defended their city and Telegonus accidentally killed his father with the spine of a stingray. He brought the body back to
Aeaea and took Penelope and Telemachus with him. Circe made them immortal and married Telemachus, while Telegonus made Penelope his wife.[183] This is where the tale of the Trojan War for Greek mythology ends. According to a Roman tradition Odysseus did not die this way: when old he took a ship to sea and, crossing the
Pillars of Hercules he discovered the estuary of the
Tagus river and found there the city of
Lisbon. ==See also==