140 GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY companions. Next they came to Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, who, being graciously disposed towards them, shut up all contrary winds in a bag ; and so they might have reached home safely if the comrades of Odysseus had not secretly opened the bag. 185. Then all the ships except the one on which Odysseus himself was sailing were wrecked by the gi- gantic Laestrygones. With the one remaining ship he reached the island of the enchantress Circe, who at first metamorphosed a part of the crew into swine ; but on being threatened by Odysseus, she restored them to their human form, and they were then all gladly re- ceived by her. On her advice Odysseus proceeded to the entrance of the lower world, to ask the shade of the seer Tiresias about the way homewards. Past the islands of the bird-formed SIrenes (< Sirens '), who charm men by their singing in order to kill them, and between the abode of the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, he sailed to the island Thrinacia ('three-pointed 7 ), where his comrades, constrained by hunger, slew some cattle out of the sacred herds of Helios. In punishment for this the lightning of Zeus shattered the last ship, and only Odysseus, who had taken no part in the sacrilege, saved himself, reaching the island of Calypso after drift- ing about on the mast for nine days. 186. Alcinous, touched with sympathy at this narrative, now gives the much-tormented sufferer many gifts and sends him to Ithaca on a swift vessel. That he may not be recognized at once, his protectress Athena gives him the appearance of a beggar. In this form he hunts up his shepherd Eumaeus, and from him learns of the arrogance of his wife's suitors. Odysseus tells nobody
