S8E5 - You Odyssey This: The Breathless Dead

The stories featured in Greaking Out are original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features upsetting pig facts, still mooing beef, the burdens of leadership, hungry sea monsters, and that feeling you get when one of your sailors die but you didn't know he was dead, and you summon a ghost from the underworld, but instead of the ghost you summon, it's your dead sailor who you didn't know was dead, but now you have to talk to him and he really lets you have it for letting everyone die.

Greaking out the greatest stories in history were told in Greek mythology.

Breaking out gods and heroes' amazing feats.

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out.

We're in the middle of our series on the Odyssey, the epic poem by Homer and one of the most famous stories in Greek mythology.

So we last left off with our hero Odysseus and the remainder of his crew finding the island of Aeia, home to the magical sorceress Circe.

We discussed Circe's story in great detail back in season five.

She is one of the most famous women in Greek mythology.

Right, but before we dive into Circe and Odysseus, I want to remind everybody that these events aren't happening in real time.

We're still in flashback mode.

Odysseus is recounting his tale to the Phaeacians after escaping from a different island.

So this is kind of a story within a story.

This technique is common in storytelling and is often used to cast doubt on the truthfulness of the story.

It can be found in several famous works, including Frankenstein, The Princess Bride, and even the movie Titanic.

But at this point in the flashback, things were not looking so great for our buddy Odysseus.

He had just lost 11 of his ships and almost all of his men to a tribe of giant cannibals called the Lystragonians.

He'd also tricked a Cyclops, discovered an island filled with hypnotic fruit, and angered the sea god Poseidon.

Yeah, it's been an eventful and not very pleasant journey so far.

Odysseus was really hoping that was about to change as he sailed up to the island of Aeia.

And while we know that this island was Circe's home, Odysseus had no idea.

He just thought it was a deserted island, so he sent his men off to find food and shelter.

He didn't think anybody lived there, and he certainly didn't think a goddess with magical powers and the ability to provide immortal life would be there.

We already talked a lot about Circe Cersei on this podcast, so I'll just give you the highlights.

Cersei was exiled to Aeia by her father, Helios, the Titan sun god.

Right, and she was actually she was sent there after turning a human man named Glaucus into an immortal.

Yeah, right, but then Glaucus decided Glaucus declared he was in love with a nymph named Scylla.

Yeah, exactly, which upset Cersei so much that she was actually gonna poisoned Scylla and turned her into a terrifying sea monster

anything else you want to add there oracle circe or kirki means bird in ancient greek okay i will keep that in mind so at this point in her story circe was a little jaded she'd trusted men before and it hadn't ended well And when Odysseus' men found their way to her home on Aeia, they were more than a little rude.

Now, to be fair, they had just witnessed most of their closest friends getting eaten by giant cannibals, so yeah, maybe we should cut them some slack in the manner's department, but Cersei didn't know this, and she did not tolerate people being disrespectful in her home.

So, she did what most of us would do.

Since they were acting like pigs, she turned them all into pigs.

I'm kidding, of course, I have personally never turned anybody into a pig, but I'm also not an immortal goddess, so, you know, two each their own.

Pigs are often said to be more intelligent and easier to train than most dog breeds.

They are also omnivorous, meaning they can eat both plants and animals.

They can and have eaten humans.

Okay, good to know.

So when Odysseus' crew failed to come back to the ship, he went searching for them.

And when he learned that they had been turned into pigs by a goddess, he actually found a way to convince her to return his men back to their human form.

Even though she had turned his friends into swine, Odysseus actually found Cersei to be rather irresistible.

He was drawn to her clever mind and brave heart.

And her magic was, dare I say, rather enchanting.

Yeah, it wasn't long before the two fell in love.

Suddenly, this small pit stop on the way home to Ithaca became an extended vacation.

Odysseus and Circe were always together.

And while the crew had initially enjoyed staying on dry land for a little while and away from the wrath of Poseidon, they were starting to get concerned that they would would never leave the island of Aea.

When a year passed, they decided it was time to have a frank conversation with their smitten captain.

Odysseus, it's been a year since we first came to this island.

We've got to get back to Ithaca.

Yeah, come on.

Yeah.

But it's so nice here.

There's food and water and Cersei.

Odysseus, remember Penelope, your wife?

She's been waiting for you all these years.

You need to get home to her.

By the end of his journey, Penelope had waited for Odysseus for 20 years.

Throughout this time, she devised cunning ways to hold off the many suitors who tried to marry her and claim Odysseus' throne and power as king.

Yeah, Penelope was at home trapped in a game of thrones while Odysseus was out here playing house with Circe.

So in the end, Odysseus realized that his men were right.

He needed to get back to his wife and son, and he needed to uphold his responsibilities as king of Ithaca.

He couldn't stay on the island of Aea forever.

It was time to have a conversation with Circe.

Even though it was hard to hear, Circe understood that Odysseus needed to leave.

She had always known that he was on a quest and didn't truly expect him to stay forever.

And although her heart burned with jealousy at the thought of him returning to his wife, she was able to swallow her pride and help him survive the journey home.

It's not going to be an easy trip, she warned him.

For some reason, you aren't getting very far on the water.

Yeah, it's almost like someone hates me or something, Odysseus said, bewildered.

Odysseus does not know how much Poseidon hates him.

Just that he keeps having horrible luck.

Cersei nodded.

I can't tell what obstacles you will face in your journey, so I can't tell you what you must do to survive it.

You are going to need the help of another, someone with the gift of sight.

Who?

asked Odysseus.

Lysia, Tiresias.

Tiresias is one of the most famous seers in Greek mythology.

Longtime listeners might remember him from the episode titled Prophets and Seers.

Great.

Where can I find him?

Odysseus replied.

Well, that's the problem, Cersei explained.

He's dead.

You're going to have to go to the underworld.

That's right.

Odysseus was going to have to go into the realm of Hades, the most visited off-limits place in all of Greek mythology.

Odysseus was a skilled captain and a war hero, but even he was intimidated by the idea of going into the underworld.

This is the only way, Circe said.

Otherwise, your trip will end in death, and you will never make it home.

Privately, Odysseus thought it might be better to die trying to get home than just sailing himself and his crew right up to the underworld itself, but the next day, he told the crew to set sail.

Circe directed Odysseus to sail to the home of the Cimmerians, a tribe of people who lived in a dark place at the edge of the world.

The ship sailed right up to the edge of where the waters of death pulled them closer.

This was as close to the underworld as Odysseus could get without actually going inside.

The Sumerians actually existed in history, but did not live on the edge of the world because the world is a sphere and there is no edge.

Yes, it is.

So Circe had given Odysseus a spell to summon the dead from the underworld and when the ship arrived in the land of the Sumerians he set about reciting the enchantment.

If it worked, the ghosts could only stay for a few minutes before they were called back to the underworld, but Odysseus was hoping Tiresias could tell him how to safely navigate the seas and what challenges he would face.

As the spell ended, the crew held their breath.

There was a white mist rising out of the very ocean itself, and the eerie quiet gave no indication what was going to happen.

Brace yourselves, men, Odysseus said to his crew.

The ghost of Tiresias is on his way.

The air grew cold, and the mist stirred as a figure made its way towards the ship.

But as the form grew closer, The men began to recognize the ghostly face staring back at them.

It wasn't Tiresias.

It was Elpinor.

We have not discussed Elpinor in this story.

Oh, right.

Well, he was one of Odysseus' sailors, and Odysseus was just now realizing that he wasn't alive and on the boat with them.

Elpinor?

Elpinor?

How did...

Why?

What?

How did...

I was asleep on Circe's roof when you left.

When I realized you had gone, I rolled off the roof and fell to my death, the man said sadly.

My body is still there on that island.

Now, while this is a pretty silly way to die, Odysseus was suddenly confronted with how careless he was with the people he was supposed to be protecting.

He hadn't even known Elpinor was dead.

I am so sorry, my brother.

What can we do?

Well, there's nothing to be done except return to Aea and give me a proper burial.

That way, my spirit will be at peace.

Unlike all the others who have died on this journey, I I swear it, Odysseus said as the rest of his crew nodded.

We will not abandon you twice.

Good luck, Odysseus, the ghost said.

I hope you make it home.

And with that, the spirit of Elpinor vanished, fading into nothing but silver mist.

But in the distance, another figure began to appear over the water.

As he got closer, Odysseus gasped in shock.

Agamemnon?

Is that you?

I thought you were alive and well.

Agamemnon was the king Odysseus served during the Trojan War.

While he left Troy alive, he was later killed when he got home.

I was betrayed by my so-called wife, Clytemnestra.

I came to tell you, Odysseus, of the treachery of women.

You need to be careful, or Penelope will do the same to you.

Clytemnestra was mad that Agamemnon had killed her daughter, Iphigenia, for better winds while heading to Troy.

Well, this was disturbing, to say the least.

Odysseus had not for one moment thought that Penelope would betray him.

That's

not gonna happen, Odysseus said confidently.

Oh, you're so sure, then?

Well, just don't tell her everything when you get there.

Get the lay of the land before you do.

Odysseus had a lot more questions, but Agamemnon left and faded quickly into the mist.

There seemed to be a line of ghosts summoned to Odysseus' call.

The desolate ghost of Achilles, the furious ghost of Ajax, and the ghost of his own mother, who he had also not known was dead.

Penelope is waiting for you, you know, she said to him as she was fading away.

Don't let her die of grief for you like I did.

Well, to say the least, this was an emotional day for Odysseus, and he was about ready to lose it when finally, Tiresias appeared in the mist.

Tiresias, I come to you for guidance.

The oceans have turned against me, and I need to get home.

I cannot afford to lose any more men.

What can I do to ensure our safety?

Tiresias paused as he took in the famous hero.

Odysseus, I have heard a lot about you, he began.

You survived so much, and yet have learned so little.

You angered Poseidon greatly, which was a big mistake.

He is furious and will make your journey nearly impossible.

To avoid Poseidon, you will have to take the most treacherous route to make it back to Ithaca.

This way, Poseidon won't be looking for you.

You must sail past the Sirens, the Simplegades, and even Charybdis and Scylla.

If you can survive all of that, you will arrive at the island of the sun god Helios.

You may stop and rest there, but do not.

I repeat, do not kill or eat one of the sun gods' cattle.

If you can make it that far, the rest of the journey will be easy.

If not, I am afraid it will be nearly impossible to make it home.

And with that, the ghost slowly started to fade away.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, Odysseus cried.

I have so many more questions.

I mean, how do we get...

Wait, wait!

Good luck, Odysseus, Tiresias said as he slowly disappeared back into the underworld.

Odysseus howled in frustration.

The information was helpful, yes, but he needed to know so much more.

How was he supposed to make it past the sea monster and the sirens?

Where was this island of the sun god, and how could he make amends with Poseidon?

He took a deep breath and steadied himself.

First things first, Odysseus said.

We go back to Aea and give our friend Elpinor a proper burial.

And although none of the men were eager to retrace their steps, they all willingly agreed.

It was the least they could do for their fallen comrade.

The Greeks placed a very high importance on providing the dead with a proper burial service.

Many believe that the soul of the deceased would not be able to rest if the body was left unattended.

Right.

I mean, we don't want restless spirits running around.

And they had another reason to go back to the island.

Circe.

Maybe she could help them figure figure out how to survive their journey home.

So when Odysseus told her what Tiresias had said, Circe went straight into planning mode.

She and Odysseus stayed up all night talking about how to survive the trip back to Ithaca and what he would need to do.

The next morning, Circe hugged Odysseus tightly and wished him luck.

The men finished the burial service for Elpinor and headed off into the sunset once more.

But before we get to sunset, we're going to take a little commercial break, okay?

We'll regroup on the other side.

Nat GeoKids Greaking Out Tales of the Underworld is coming to a bookshelf near you on October 7th, 2025.

Greaking Out, Tales from the Underworld brings you spooky, scary, and fun stories from all over the world.

You'll encounter ill-advised kidnapping, measurements of goodness, and literally death-defying heroes.

Available for pre-order now, wherever you get your books.

See, that wasn't so bad.

And just like that, we're back with more Greaking Out.

First up, the sirens.

Sirens are creatures with the head of a woman and the body of a bird.

They use their beautiful voices to make sailors believe they are beautiful, friendly women.

The song mesmerizes the sailors enough that they jump into the sea.

Yeah, right.

And then the silence just sort of attack them and eat them.

Yes.

That must be some song.

It is.

This is where the commonly used phrase, siren, song, comes from.

Well, luckily enough, Cersei had prepared Odysseus for this moment.

She knew that the men would not be able to resist the sirens' beautiful voices, so she told Odysseus to make his crew stuff their ears with beeswax to cut off all sound, like ancient noise-canceling headphones.

But Odysseus was intrigued by the idea of the sirens.

They were legendary creatures, and he was going to be be so close to them.

Could they really sing a song beautiful enough that he would abandon his entire crew?

He had to find out.

So Odysseus didn't follow Cersei's advice for himself and didn't plug his ears.

But maybe he was learning a little bit from all of his previous bad decisions because he had the men tie him to the mast of the ship just to be on the safe side.

Do not untie me no matter what I say, he told the crew.

The crew watched in dread as the terrifying sirens perched on the cliffs in the distance.

They could see the sirens' mouths moving, but they couldn't hear their song.

Why would anybody ever jump in the water?

The crew asked.

Those things are hideous.

But Odysseus's ears were wide open, and he could hear every word of their beautiful tune.

I am so lonely,

oh lone.

He He wanted desperately to abandon all responsibilities and just leap into the sea.

He wanted to swim to meet the beautiful bird women and live his life with them.

Undie me!

He cried to the crew.

Let me down.

I must go to them.

It was a joke.

Haven't you people ever heard a joke before?

I was joking.

Let me go.

Even though Odysseus' crew couldn't hear him, they could see him struggling and screaming.

His face was a picture of desperation.

But they had their orders and they kept on rowing.

In the end, that is what saved Odysseus' life.

Well, that and Circe's warning in the first place.

When they were finally out of range of the song, Odysseus quieted down and the men released him.

But then it was time to focus on the next task at hand.

The clashing rocks, also known as the Simpligades.

The Simpligades were two large rocks that moved suddenly to smash ships between them.

Once again, Circe had provided wisdom.

She told them to row, row as hard as they possibly could and not to stop, not even for a second, until they were past the terrible rock.

And so, when the ship passed by the two rows of sharp rocks, the captain yelled at his crew to row as hard as they could.

Water sloshed around them and the boat was pulled this way and that and the current getting dangerously close to the rocks raised their sharp edges.

Keep her steady, man!

Odysseus called over the spray of the water.

No, with everything you've done, you survived the Trojan War.

You can survive this.

No!

And the gods must have been smiling on them because somehow they did.

The crew was able to sail through the rocks without even a scratch on the ship.

They had been very lucky and had some good advice.

The men cheered in celebration, but Odysseus was still grim.

And that's probably because he knew the worst was still ahead.

They still had to face Scylla, one of the most dangerous sea monsters in all of Greek mythology.

Scylla was a sea monster with the tail of a sea serpent, several dog legs, and six heads filled with razor-sharp teeth.

Yeah, Scylla wasn't always a sea monster, but now that she was, she was terrifying.

And while she was a deadly threat in her own right, her real skill was choosing the perfect location to hunt.

She didn't just roam the seas blindly.

You see, Scylla set up shop in a cave off of a narrow strait that just happened to be directly across from Charybdis, a deadly whirlpool.

Sailors had to choose between sailing too close to Charybdis and being sucked into the whirlpool, or facing Scylla and her six heads.

Yep.

And like they say in the real estate market, location really is everything.

Most sailors decided to sail closer to Scylla rather than face immediate death in the whirlpool.

When discussing the journey with Odysseus, Cersei urged him to do the same.

You cannot survive against Charypdis.

She will bring your entire ship down.

Your only chance is to sail near Scylla, she said.

I'm not scared of a little monster.

We will cut off all of her heads, Odysseus said with arrogance.

You will not, Cersei replied.

Scylla is a killing machine and she will not rest until she is fed.

She will strike.

and when she does you must seize the opportunity.

When she feeds on your men, the rest of you must row as hard as you can until you are out of the narrow strait and safe in the open water.

If you try to fight or save the men she grabs, you will all perish.

There has to be another way, Odysseus protested.

These men had been through so much.

They had saved his life.

There is not.

This is the price you must pay.

You lose six sailors or you lose them all.

Odysseus recalled that conversation with a lump in his throat.

He knew he was dooming six of his men.

But he had no choice.

They would all die if he chose to sail near the Whirlpool.

Odysseus kept this secret to himself.

He didn't want the crew to panic.

As the whirlpool got closer and closer, Odysseus knew what was coming.

Focusmen, we need to steer away from the whirlpool as fast as we can!

Odysseus cried.

And so they did.

The crew used every last ounce of strength they had left and narrowly avoided Charybdis' reach.

Just when they thought they were in the clear, they heard a rumble from the cave along the shoreline.

And just as Cersei predicted, Scylla emerged.

All six of her mouths snapping, ready for launch.

And because they had steered the ship straight towards the shore to avoid Charybdis, it was easy pickings for Scylla.

The men screamed as the monster thrashed in the water.

Row!

Odysseus called.

Row as fast as you can!

But rowing wasn't going to prevent Scylla from eating her fill.

Each of her giant heads grabbed a man from the boat.

The remaining crew members screamed in terror as they watched their friends meet their death, but like Cersei predicted, Scylla was so busy with her prey that she momentarily lost focus on the ship.

Come on, men, hurry!

Odysseus yelled.

By the time Scylla looked up again, the ship was out on the open sea.

And for a second, the crew breathed a sigh of relief.

But of course, being on the ocean again meant another danger.

Poseidon.

Yeah, Poseidon.

He was not going to let this go.

The storm hit the ship so quickly the crew didn't even have time to mourn their fallen comrades.

The wind and waves made it impossible to continue, so the crew had no choice but to stop at a nearby island, Thranacea.

Thranatia is an island off the coast of modern-day Sicily.

Yes, and this was the very same island that the prophet Tiresias had warned Odysseus about.

Thranatia was the island of the sun god Helios and it was a very beautiful place.

While the island belonged to Helios, he did not actually live there.

The only creatures that inhabited the island were his cows.

Hold on, an entire island just for cows?

Yes, cows were very important to Helios.

He considered them to be sacred.

This is why Tiresias warned Odysseus not to touch or kill one of the cows.

I guess he takes his cattle very seriously.

He does.

Roosters are also sacred to him because they greet the sun every morning.

But there were no roosters on this.

particular island.

Interesting, okay.

Well, Odysseus made it clear when they got to the island that the men were not allowed under any circumstances to kill or eat the cows.

And the men agreed.

But as the supplies they got from Aea started to dwindle and the storm showed no sign of letting up, well, emotions and appetites were high to say the least.

Now I know what you're thinking.

Somebody's gonna lose it and eat a god's cow and then everybody's gonna be cursed, right?

Yeah, but see, they were so close to Ithaca, right?

Do you really think they would risk it all just for some forbidden beef?

Well, if you answered yes, then you are correct, because that is definitely what happened.

Odysseus took a nap, and while he was out, the sailors went ahead and chowed down on some steak.

You would have thought he had learned his lesson about napping by now, but apparently not.

A nap in the middle of the day has been proven to decrease stress levels and increase alertness.

both of which are highly important to the success of Odysseus' journey.

Sure, but still, bad things tend to happen when the the guy takes a nap.

And this was no exception.

Odysseus woke up to the smell of fire, and he instantly knew what that meant.

Odysseus cried out in despair, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, now you have doomed us all.

The men just shrugged.

What joys did we have?

We were starving.

Just then, they heard a low, guttural sound.

It was not quite a groan, not quite a croak.

It was.

A moo.

And it got louder.

And louder.

Where is that coming from?

Odysseus whispered as he looked around.

There weren't any cows around the camp.

But the mooing continued.

The men looked around for the source until they realized there was a cow at camp.

The cow being roasted above the fire.

Ghost cow!

The men cried as they backed away from the mooing cow carcass.

Look for your lives!

Ghost cow!

Some research claims that cows do not moo if they are happy.

Rather, they moo to express a need.

It is fair to assume that the zombie cow was not happy with his current circumstances.

The men sprinted back to the boat and began to sail back to the open ocean straight into the storm.

You just had to kill a cow, didn't you?

said Odysseus.

As if in response, the wind howled, thunder boomed, and lightning cracked in the sky above them.

Take cover!

The captain yelled.

But it was no use.

A storm this size was something that could have only come from the gods.

When he realized that one of his beloved cows had been slaughtered, Helios asked Zeus to send a storm to wipe out Odysseus' ship.

Odysseus was right.

They never should have messed with those cows.

So at this point, there are several gods attacking the ship, and it didn't really stand a chance.

It wasn't long before a huge wave snapped the boat right in half.

Odysseus and his crew were flung into the thrashing ocean.

Odysseus held his breath as he was pulled under the water again and again.

This is it, he thought.

This is the end of the line.

But just then, his hands brushed up against something.

It was a piece of wood, part of the mast of the ship.

Odysseus held held on for dear life as the waves dragged him over and under the never-ending sea.

He prayed to the goddess Athena, asking her to do whatever she could to spare him.

Odysseus wasn't sure how long he stayed there clinging to the wooden mast, but finally the winds began to die down.

The skies cleared and the sun emerged.

Odysseus called out for his crew, but no one answered.

He was all alone, the only survivor of that terrible storm.

Odysseus closed his eyes and began to sob.

It wasn't long before he opened them again.

And when he did, he saw land in the distance.

Salvation, he thought.

My prayers have been answered.

And so Odysseus swam towards the island.

unaware that he was heading right for the home of the nymph Calypso.

Odysseus was trapped on the island for seven years as Calypso's captive.

We are now back to where we started the story.

Exactly.

So now Odysseus has finished telling his tale to the Phaeacians.

All those listening to everything we just heard sat back and were amazed that Odysseus had been through so much and was still alive.

In the astonished silence, Odysseus couldn't help but wonder at what he'd been through.

And even though he was so close to home, he couldn't help but think what else he'd have to endure.

He'd been close to home before and things had still gone horribly wrong.

Would he ever make it back home to Ithaca?

I'm assuming that is a rhetorical question.

And you do not want me to answer to avoid spoiling the next episode.

Yes, you assume correctly.

Yes.

You'll have to come back next time to learn if Odysseus ever does actually make it home.

Greaking Out!

Join us next week for the conclusion of our Odyssey series.

Did you know that Greaking Out has a book coming out?

Greaking Out.

Epic retellings of classic Greek myths by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes is coming to a bookstore near you on September 19th, 2023.

But parents, you can pre-order now wherever books are sold.

National Geographic Kids Greaking Out is written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes and hosted by Kenny Curtis with Tori Kerr as the Oracle of Wi-Fi.

Audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam, and our theme song was composed by Perry Gripp.

Dr.

Diane Klein is our subject matter expert, and Emily Everhart is our producer.