Tournament Results
The Phaeacians boast of being the best boxers, wrestlers, and runners. Click an event to see the champion.
The Lays of Demodocus
The blind bard sings three times. Each song moves Ulysses to a different state of mind.
Song I: Achilles vs Ulysses
"The quarrel that was in the mouths of all men."
Ulysses weeps secretly, covering his head with his purple mantle. Alcinous alone notices his sighs.
Song II: Mars & Venus
"Limping Vulcan catches the fleetest god."
A lighter, ribald tale of the gods' intrigue. Ulysses and the Phaeacians are equally charmed by the clever trickery of Vulcan.
Song III: The Wooden Horse
"The stratagem that sacked the city of Troy."
Ulysses weeps as a woman weeps for a fallen husband. Alcinous stops the song and demands the guest's name.
The Stung Hero
Provoked by Euryalus's insult—"You are one of those grasping traders... there does not seem to be much of the athlete about you"—Ulysses seizes a disc larger and heavier than any used by the locals.
"A blind man, Sir, could easily tell your mark by groping for it—it is so far ahead of any other."
— Minerva (In Disguise)
Disc Throw Distance (Visualized)
Phaeacian Average vs. The Stranger's Mark
The Price of Apology
Before his departure, the thirteen chiefs of Scheria provide a kingly ransom of gifts.
The Mystery Unveiled
"Tell me the name by which your father and mother call you... tell me your country, nation, and city."
Book VIII ends on a cliffhanger as Alcinous finally demands the stranger's identity.