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6th grade History

The Odyssey, Chp. 4

IV. Scylla and Charybdis and the Cattle of the Sun

1. How did Odysseus handle the Sirens’ song?

Odysseus fills his men’s ears with wax so that they cannot hear the Sirens’ song. He has his
men tie him to the mast so that he can hear the song, but cannot go to the Sirens.

2. How did he prevent his men from hearing the Sirens?

Odysseus fills his men’s ears with wax.

3. Describe the Sirens.

The Sirens had the bodies of great feathered birds, wide wings and feet with claws; but their
heads were the heads of women, beautiful with long hair. Their voices were the sweetest
sound in the world.

4. What does Odysseus tell him men to do as they approach the Charybdis?
Odysseus tells the men to row as they have never rowed before. He also reminds them that
they have escaped danger many times before and can do it again.

5. Why doesn’t Odysseus tell his men about the Scylla?

As the men are rowing away from Charybdis, Odysseus does not tell them about Scylla. He
believes that telling them about Scylla will weaken them (from fright), and that knowing
they will lose 6 men will not help their effort to keep away from Charybdis.

6. What does the Scylla look like?

She had 6 hideous heads, each with 3 rows of teeth.

7. More dangerous than the Sirens, the Scylla, and the Charybdis was the Cattle of the Sun on the
island of Thrinacia.

8. Why doesn’t Odysseus want to land on the island of Thrinacia?

Odysseus knew that if any harm came to the Cattle of the Sun that lived on Thrinacia, his
men would be punished severely.

9. What does Eurylochus say to Odysseus?

Eurylochus says that Odysseus is stronger than the rest of them and asks Odysseus that he
and the men be allowed to rest for a time on Thrinacia.

10. Why don’t Odysseus and his men leave immediately the next day, or the day after, or the day
after…?
Odysseus and his men are trapped on Thrinacia because the wind was too strong.

11. What do the men end up doing?

They eat through all of their supplies and begin to starve. Finally they pled with Odysseus
and tell him that they would rather face the consequence of eating the cattle than starve to
death.

12. What happens when Odysseus and his men are FINALLY able to leave Thrinacia?
There was a terrible storm that broke the ship’s mast, the ship was driven into Charybdis
and broken into tiny pieces. Odysseus was the only survivor, he hung onto the mast in the
water for 10 days.