S8E4 - You Odyssey This: The Floating City and the Cannibals

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

This week's story features secret windbags, exotic metal, ill-timed naps, a blinded cyclops, cannibals, and Poseidon's long-held grudge.

Welcome back to this week's episode of Greaking Out.

Now, if this is your first time tuning in, you're going to want to go back and start over at the first episode of this season.

You see, we're doing a series on the Odyssey, the famous journey of the Greek hero Odysseus.

So you're going to want to listen to the last three episodes before starting this one.

Just trust me on this.

It'll make a lot more sense if you do it that way.

Listening to the episodes in order is the most logical and practical way to listen to this podcast series.

Maybe so, but if you've decided to listen out of order, you should know that you're not alone because you know who else wasn't a fan of episodes in order?

Homer.

Homer is the name we use for the composer of the Odyssey and The Iliad.

two of the most famous works of Greek literature.

Yes, and Homer was a big fan of what we like to call the story within a story.

This device is called a frame story, and it occurs when an author uses a narrative that surrounds another story inside it.

Exactly.

And in this case, Homer used the frame story of Odysseus telling the Phaeacians all about his adventures since leaving the city of Troy.

So, Odysseus is recalling his adventures to the king and queen and explaining his story in sort of a giant flashback kind of moment.

And at this point in the flashback, Odysseus had just gotten free from the land of the lotus eaters and was ready to get back on the high seas again.

But he needed supplies.

And perhaps because he was hungry, Odysseus led his 12 boats and 600 men straight into Cyclopes territory.

Now you remember the Cyclops, right?

The big guy with one-eyed giant, his name is Polyphemus.

This encounter with Polyphemus and Odysseus is in our episode called Ancient Greek Monster MASH.

Right.

Some scientists scientists theorize that ancient creatures related to elephants that lived on Crete might be responsible for the story of the Cyclopes.

What?

Really?

How?

They stood about 15 feet tall at the shoulder and had a large nasal opening in the middle of their skull that looks like an eye socket.

Well, that would do it.

Okay.

Well, anyway, we really don't need to go through the whole story of Odysseus and Polyphemus again, but the point is that Odysseus and crew were out of supplies and stopped on the Cyclopes island.

They didn't get supplies, but they did end up blinding and humiliating Polyphemus, which in turn really angered his dad, Poseidon.

And as you know, Poseidon was already mad at Odysseus for not giving proper tribute when he left Troy, so now Poseidon was so furious that he vowed to seek revenge on Odysseus.

This is a fact that would come back to haunt the sailor later in the story, more than once.

But for now, Odysseus simply thought he had just made a brilliant escape.

And after the shenanigans with the Cyclopes were through, Odysseus and his fleet of ships were once again on the open ocean and still out of supplies.

At this point, the sailors were desperate for a place to stop and get food.

But then,

seemingly out of nowhere, they saw something brilliant and shiny in the distance.

Well, let's head towards that, Odysseus ordered.

Maybe it's something that can help us.

As the crew got closer, the shiny golden glow grew brighter and brighter.

And before long, they found themselves in front of a beautiful brass city that appeared to be just floating on top of the water.

This city was called Aeolia, and it was governed by a king named Aeolis.

While the city was made of brass and was undeniably beautiful, it was said that citizens of Iolia were not allowed to leave and that the brass city could feel like a beautiful prison.

When Odysseus realized that they had arrived at a literal floating brass city, he called out from his ships, Hello!

We are in need of food and shelter and would be so grateful if you were able to help us.

Now, you'd think Odysseus would be a little more careful around strangers by this point in the story, but I guess they were desperate for help.

And lucky for them, the people of Iolia were very happy to have some visitors.

As the crew docked their ship, they gasped at the sheer size and beauty of the city.

All of the buildings looked like they were covered in beautiful brass and sparkled in the sunlight.

Brass is a composite metal made from copper and zinc.

Zinc was not mined in ancient Greece, and therefore, brass was an expensive and exotic.

metal.

Children were running through the streets, smiling and laughing.

People waved at the sailors and started cheering, and when they finally arrived on the city's streets, they were greeted by a jolly man with jewels on his hand and a brass crown perched on his head.

Welcome to Iolia, he said with a laugh.

It appears as if you have had an interesting journey.

Odysseus smiled back.

You don't know the half of it.

Then you must fill us in.

Come, enjoy the city.

And then I want to hear all about your adventures, the king replied.

Odysseus and his crew spent the day relaxing in the beautiful kingdom of Iolia.

They were given fresh food and new clothes.

They lounged about in the sun.

It was a much-needed respite from the struggles and hardships they had faced so far on their journey.

They suddenly felt less like struggling sailors and more like people enjoying a vacation on a cruise ship.

Odysseus's journey far predates cruise-style vacations, as the first purpose-built cruise ship was not built until 1900.

Well, not on a literal cruise ship, but you get the idea.

Later that evening they were summoned to dinner with the king.

The sailors had never seen so much delicious food in one spot before.

It had been years since they had a meal that large, and they eagerly began to tuck in.

Now that you've had a chance to relax and eat up, I'd love to hear the story of how you found your way to my kingdom, King Aeolus said.

Odysseus smiled and began to tell the king about the Trojan War.

Aeolus hooted and hollered when he heard all about the Trojan horse and pressed Odysseus for details about the famous warrior Achilles.

This is too much!

The king laughed as Odysseus described the way his men crawled out of the belly of the wooden horse.

We don't get out much, you see, so these stories from sailors are what give us sustenance.

But I don't think we've ever heard a story as elaborate and exciting as yours.

It had been a while since Odysseus had an eager audience, and he rather enjoyed putting on a show for the crowd.

He told them all about what happened since they left Troy, and when he finished explaining the latest debacle with the Cyclops, King Aeolus frowned.

Oh, Poseidon is not someone you want on your bad side, he warned.

The journey home might be harder than you think.

Odysseus politely smiled at the king, but didn't really take his comment too seriously.

I mean, after all, what could possibly be harder than spending 10 years at war against an opponent with unbreachable walls, or trying to stop his men from eating hypnotic fruit, or escaping a hungry cyclops?

I mean, things had to be smooth sailing from here on, right?

That is an illogical statement.

Just because bad things have happened doesn't mean more bad things won't happen.

happen.

Hey, it's called optimism, Oracle.

People choose to believe good things are in store for them sometimes.

Sounds fake, but okay.

Later that evening, Odysseus received a summons from the king, inviting him to join him in his private chambers.

Odysseus, I felt so moved by your story that I decided to give you a present, he said.

Follow me.

He led Odysseus down a narrow hallway to a little room guarded by several soldiers.

The king grinned at Odysseus as he took out a large brass key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Odysseus followed, eager to see what all the fuss was about.

Inside the room was a small table, and on top of this table lay a bag.

It looked simple enough, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that this bag was made of fine leather and held together with several golden cords.

This kind of craftsmanship was typically only found on objects that belonged to the gods.

Odysseus took a sharp breath and was about to ask the king for more information when suddenly the bag moved.

It seemed to both puff and shrink in size, shifting this way and that.

It looked like something was crawling around inside.

But what?

I really hope there's a puppy inside that bag, Odysseus said.

The king chuckled.

Oh, trust me, it's better.

While the king is stating his personal opinion and not an actual fact, many people love puppies, but you should not put puppies in bags.

True fact, thanks, Oracle.

The king began to tell Odysseus a rather interesting story.

The other day, I received a fascinating visit from none other than Hermes, messenger of the gods.

He told me that Zeus and Poseidon had a fight and that Zeus punished him by taking away his winds for five days.

Zeus wants me to hold on to them and give them to Poseidon when the punishment is over.

Odysseus just stared.

So that's wind inside that bag?

Again, the king chuckled.

Yes.

Would you like me to show you?

The king opened up the bag just the tiniest bit, and Odysseus felt a gust of wind hit him square in the face.

The sensation was startling, but also comforting, like he was sailing home on the finest breeze he could imagine.

Nice, isn't it?

The king said.

Odysseus was so shocked that he couldn't even reply.

A bag of wind from the gods?

And here he was thinking he had seen everything.

Now I am supposed to give this to Poseidon, but what if I let you borrow them instead?

If I let out that breeze we just felt, it will take you straight home to Ithaca.

You won't even need to row.

Wind is created when hot air rises and cooler air moves in to fill the void left behind.

The processes and impacts of wind are called Iolian processes and Iolian impacts.

Odysseus smiled at the thought of his crew relaxing on the deck of his ship while the wind pushed them safely across the seas back to Ithaca.

That would be incredibly generous, but

why would you help me?

Odysseus asked skeptically.

Because Poseidon will never let you make it home after what you did to his son, the king explained.

But with this bag, you will have the west wind at your back and the rest under wraps.

Poseidon can't send a storm or bad weather after you if he doesn't have the winds.

But what's in it for you?

I will never leave this island, the king explained.

But I want my name to be remembered.

Let it always be known that Iolis was the one who helped the great hero Odysseus make it home safely.

Plus, I have a bit of a soft spot for the underdog, he said with a grin.

Odysseus thanked the king profusely.

With this bag of wind, he would be home in no time.

Thank you.

We will leave first thing in the morning, he said to the king.

I will go ahead and release the west wind.

This will take you all the way home to Ithaca.

Just make sure to keep the bag safe and the other winds secure in there.

There's a lot of power in those winds.

Oh, you don't need to worry about that, Odysseus said.

I will guard it with my life.

Well, everything seemed to be going great.

I'm sure this will work out fine.

Yeah, no problem.

Let's take a break for a commercial before we find out just how great it's going to be.

Have you ever wondered who the Mary was from Bloody Mary?

If the Loch Ness monster was real, or if Ouija boards actually worked?

On each episode of the family-friendly Unspookable, we look at the histories and mysteries behind your favorite scary stories, myths, and urban legends to get the real stories behind the scares.

Want to solve your next mystery?

Find and follow Unspookable Now wherever you get your podcasts.

And we're back.

The next morning, with the gentle west wind blowing, Odysseus rallied his crew and they began to set sail once again for Ithaca.

While most of the crew grumbled about not wanting to leave this beautiful place, Odysseus himself was overjoyed.

He was going home!

Finally!

And with the wind at his back and the threat of Poseidon under control, there was nothing standing in his way.

He'd finally be able to stand on the shores of his beloved Ithaca.

Everything was coming up, Odysseus.

When the ships began to sail away from the floating city, Odysseus clutched the bag to his chest and waved again to the king.

Salaam, dear friend!

Thank you for your generous gift!

But the other sailors began to eye that bag suspiciously.

What was it that the king had given Odysseus?

And why was he holding on to it so carefully?

What's in the bag, Captain?

They asked.

Don't worry about that, Odysseus said.

Just trust me that we will be home in no time.

Communication is often seen as a key factor in good and effective leadership.

Well, the sailors couldn't let it go.

The king obviously gave something important to Odysseus.

Something so valuable that he kept it tied up tight in the bag and refused to let it out of his sight.

He even walked around the deck of the ship with it in his arms.

It had to be a treasure of some sort.

Why else would Odysseus be guarding it so closely?

I can't believe it, the sailors whispered to each other.

After all we've been through, Odysseus won't even share his treasure with us.

They were were outraged.

The king must have given it to him when he summoned Odysseus to his chambers.

Why won't he divide it equally the way we do with the rest of the treasure?

Why is he hoarding it all to himself?

What's in that bag?

Is it a puppy?

I bet it's a puppy.

Oh, it's totally a puppy.

I bet it's a puppy.

The Greeks were not a fan of greed, and there are several myths that warn against it.

An example of this would be King Midas and his love of gold.

Yes, and greed was definitely getting the better of this crew.

Or maybe puppy love.

Either way, it was unfortunate for Odysseus.

He had no way of knowing that the sailors were growing resentful.

He was focused on one thing and one thing only, getting home to Ithaca.

Which, you know, makes sense, but you would have thought for being one of the most clever heroes in Greek mythology, he'd be a little better at reading people's emotions.

Far off on the horizon, just barely in the distance, there peaked the first signs of Ithaca.

And the sight nearly brought tears to Odysseus' eyes.

He wanted so badly to see his wife and son, and he was going to see them in just a couple of hours.

Oh, I can't see Penelope and Telemachus looking like this.

I need to rest up for the big reunion, he thought to himself.

I'm just going to take a quick nap, Odysseus announced to the crew.

When I wake up, we will be in Ithaca.

And with that, He quickly fell asleep, leaving the bag unattended on the floor in front of his cot.

Well, the crew had been waiting for the moment when Odysseus let his guard down and let go of the bag, and this was it.

This is our chance, the crew whispered to each other.

Let's see what's inside this thing.

They quickly grabbed the bag and brought it up to the main deck.

They opened the strings and

all of the remaining wind flew out of the bag.

The winds were so strong and so powerful that they blew all 12 ships around the world at the speed of light.

It was like being caught in the world's strongest hurricane.

Some of the strongest hurricanes have wind speeds of around 200 miles per hour.

Right, and this was probably faster than that.

Have you ever blown up a balloon and then let the air out?

I don't have hands or a mouth.

But yes, I know the image you mean.

Well, that's kind of like what happened with the ships.

They were ping-ponged across the ocean again and again and again, kind of like the way a balloon ricochets around a room when the air is released.

Now, obviously, this commotion was enough to wake Odysseus up from his nap, and when the winds finally died down, he ran up to the deck.

What happened?

We were just in the bag, was the.

The crew stuttered as they tried to explain.

We just wanted to see what was in the bag.

Wind, you idiots!

Odysseus yelled.

Wind was in the bag

well yeah we know that now

where are we he cried we were so close to ithagon now

odysseus stared out at the open water there in the distance was a shimmering gold light it looked vaguely familiar it was the floating city of iolia no

odysseus cried Tell me we are not back where we started.

We were so close.

Odysseus took his head in his hands and began to cry.

It was so close.

How did we not get there?

We were so close.

The other sailors looked at one another and tried to apologize.

Odysseus took a deep breath.

It's okay.

King Iolis will know what to do.

Maybe there's another wind we can borrow or something.

When the ship was close to the floating city, Odysseus yelled out,

Hello there!

We're back!

Funny story!

You see the bag?

You know the bag that you sent us?

King Aeolus looked down at Odysseus as he explained the whole tale.

And then they let the wind out of the bag, and it blew us right back here of all places.

Maybe you can help us?

The king shook his head slowly.

Odysseus, you must have truly angered the gods.

You are really cursed.

I am not going to risk my kingdom by helping you twice.

You are on your own.

The Greeks knew it was a foolish endeavor to go against the gods.

They did not want to get on their bad side.

Odysseus and his crew had no choice but to sail away.

And since there was no more wind to be had, they were forced to row.

and row and row, every one of them thinking over the actions that had brought them to to this point.

It was hours or days later when they again spotted land.

This wasn't the fair shores of Ithaca they knew, but any land would do for an exhausted crew.

Let's stop here and regroup.

We can figure out where to go next, Odysseus said as they anchored the ships in the harbor and got out to explore this mysterious island.

The island was beautiful, surrounded by blue lagoons and luscious greenery.

Odysseus and his crew had found their way to Lystragonia, an island that is found in modern-day Sicily.

Yes, and while it certainly was beautiful, Lystragonia was a dangerous place.

It was home to wild animals and deadly plants that could be fatal to Odysseus and his crew.

And the island was also home to a clan of dangerous, blood-sucking cannibals.

Cannibalism, also known as anthropophagy, is the eating of human flesh by other humans.

And it's gross.

Cannibalism is considered to be a near-universal taboo.

Meaning, in most cultures around the world, it is not okay.

Yeah, and usually if it's in a story, it's done by the bad guys.

It's gross.

And to make matters worse, these weren't just any run-of-the-mill cannibals.

The Lystragonians were a famous tribe of man-eating giants led by King Lamas.

And when these giants saw Odysseus' men wandering along the beach, they suddenly felt like they were at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Odysseus and the crew were relaxing on the beach waiting for the scouts they sent out to come back when suddenly, out of the trees, come thousands of giant Lystragonians, men, women, and children, looking for dinner.

The sight was absolutely terrifying, and Odysseus felt his stomach begin to sink.

I'm running to you.

For a moment, he was simply speechless.

He couldn't help but remembering the battle with the Cyclops.

How could they possibly escape another giant, let alone a whole group of them?

But when one giant scooped up one of his fellow sailors and stuffed him in his mouth like a potato chip, Odysseus was yanked back to reality.

Everybody run,

he said to his sailors.

They all ran as fast as they could back to the ships.

But the odds were not in their favor.

The ground shook as hundreds of giants raced to the beach and started scooping up sailors in their sweaty fists.

Even the sailors that managed to reach the boats were not safe.

The giants simply flung boulders at the boats, bursting them into smithereens.

And if that didn't work, they just picked the ships up in their massive fingers and snapped the boats in half.

They laughed as they began to scoop the soldiers out of the water, devouring them whole.

All Odysseus could do was run.

There was no heroism in this disaster.

It was only get out if you can.

Odysseus remembered that one of his ships was anchored further offshore, and he led the small band of men who had followed him away from the harbor towards that remaining ship.

All they had to do was get to that ship and they could sail away faster than the giants could swim.

The group swam as hard as they could, out past the wreckage of the fleet, past the limits of the harbor.

They were almost there.

They could almost touch the hull of the ship.

When the Lystragonians noticed, a spear came out of nowhere and pierced a sailor like a fish in the water.

Panic overtook the rest of the crew, and everyone scrambled onto the last remaining ship amid a hail of spears and rocks.

When the giants realized the men might get away, they roared in anger and tried to swim after them.

But Odysseus and his men were already quickly sailing away.

The king of the giants shrugged.

Let them go.

We have 11 more boats filled with soldiers.

Those ones were probably rotten anyway.

11 of Odysseus' 12 ships were destroyed and eaten by the Lystragonians.

That equates to 91.6%

of his entire fleet lost in a single day.

And Odysseus was devastated.

To lose that many men was heartbreaking.

They had fought together for 10 years on the Trojan battlegrounds, and now they were all gone.

We really must be cursed, he thought to himself.

What are we going to do?

The ship floated along for a few more days.

It seemed like hope really was lost for good.

Until one day.

Odysseus, there's land in the distance.

It's some kind of island.

Odysseus' ship approached the island of Aea,

home to the famous sorceress Circe.

Maybe she could help.

After all, Odysseus was in desperate need of some magic.

That's it for this week, but come back for next time when we encounter some familiar faces.

Listen and you'll see it Greaking

Out

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.