Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle in Ad Navseam Episode 33 as the Odyssey reaches its emotional peak. From the tragic loyalty of the dog Argos to the screeching reunion of father and son, discover why Book 16 is the “anagnorisis” we’ve been waiting for.
Introduction: “Smarch” in the Vomitorium
Welcome back to the “Vomitorium,” listeners! It is Episode 33 of the Ad Navseam Podcast, and your hosts, Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle, are back in the bunker.
The mood today is a bit tenuous. Why? Because it is that confusing time of year in the Midwest known as “Smarch”—that dismal gray zone between March and May where spring promises to arrive but then retreats behind a wall of sleet . Dr. Winkle describes it as a “second or third katabasis,” a descent into meteorological gloom that requires a heroic effort to crawl out of.
But crawl out they do, because the Odyssey is heating up. We are leaving the fairy-tale wanderings behind and entering the gritty, emotional, and violent world of Ithaca. The King is home, the son is returning, and the suitors are about to find out that “Xenia” cuts both ways.
Shout-Out: “The Jason”
Before diving into the text, the hosts offer a shout-out to a dedicated listener and educator: Jason Pratt (or “The Jason,” as Dr. Noe dubs him, adding a definite article for gravitas). Jason is a high school teacher in North Carolina who is fighting the good fight, teaching the classics to the next generation. To Jason and all the teachers keeping the Latin language and Greek myths alive: Salvete!
Book 15: The Prince Returns
The episode picks up in Sparta, where Telemachus has been hanging out with Menelaus and Helen, listening to war stories and (presumably) drinking top-tier wine. Athena appears to him in a dream, telling him it is time to go home because his mother Penelope is being pressured to marry the suitor Eurymachus.
Dr. Winkle highlights a strange moment during the departure. Helen gives Telemachus a gift: a hand-woven robe. But she gives it with a bizarre instruction:
“Here, dear boy, is a gift from me… for your wife to wear when you marry. Until then, let your mother keep it in her room.”
It is an awkward, almost ghostly gift—a wedding dress from the woman whose marriage started the Trojan War.
Telemachus then races back to Pylos but decides to skip visiting Nestor. Why? Because Nestor talks too much. As Dr. Noe notes, Telemachus knows that if he stops, Nestor will kill him with kindness (and long-winded speeches), and he just wants to get home.
The Hitchhiker Prophet:
Just as he is leaving, Telemachus picks up a fugitive named Theoclymenus. This man is a prophet who is on the run for manslaughter (he killed a cousin). Telemachus, demonstrating true Xenia (and perhaps a bit of recklessness), invites him aboard. Theoclymenus serves as a “walking foreshadowing device,” predicting doom for the suitors throughout the rest of the epic.
Eumaeus: The Prince Who Became a Slave
Meanwhile, back in the hut, Odysseus (still in beggar drag) listens to the life story of Eumaeus.
This is one of the most heartbreaking backstories in the epic. Eumaeus wasn’t born a slave; he was a prince of Syria (Syros). As a toddler, he was kidnapped by his Phoenician nurse (who was seduced by a sailor) and sold into slavery to Odysseus’s father, Laertes.
Dr. Noe points out the tragedy: Eumaeus was royalty, destined for a palace, but ended up in a pigsty. Yet, he bears no resentment toward the house of Odysseus. Instead, he loves them. He was raised alongside Odysseus’s sister, Ctimene, almost like a brother. This explains his fierce loyalty—he isn’t just a servant; he is family. It is a testament to the complex social structures of the ancient world, where pietas (duty/loyalty) could transcend status.
Book 16: The Dogs That Didn’t Bark
Now comes the moment we have been waiting for. Telemachus arrives at Eumaeus’s hut. Odysseus is inside, eating breakfast. He hears footsteps. But crucially, the dogs don’t bark. Instead, they wag their tails and whimper. Odysseus, the man of “many turns,” notices this immediately:
“Eumaeus, someone is coming… the dogs are fawning, not growling.”
When Telemachus enters, Eumaeus leaps up, spilling his wine jugs. He embraces the boy, kissing his head and eyes “as a father would.” Dr. Winkle notes the profound irony here. The real father is sitting right there, disguised as a beggar, watching a slave welcome his son with the affection he has been denied for 20 years. Odysseus has to sit there, silent, in the corner. It is a masterclass in emotional restraint.
The Reunion: Birds of Prey
After Eumaeus leaves to tell Penelope the news, Athena touches Odysseus with her golden wand. He is transformed—no longer the withered beggar, but restored to his kingly glory, looking “taller and cleaner” (and probably sporting a fresh tan).
Telemachus is terrified. He thinks this stranger must be a god. “Be kind to us, and we will give you gifts!” he stammers.
Odysseus replies simply:
“I am no god… I am your father, for whom you have groaned and suffered.”
What follows is the Anagnorisis (recognition). They embrace and weep. But Homer gives us a strange, violent simile to describe their crying. He compares their sobs to birds of prey—vultures or eagles—whose nests have been robbed by farmers.
“They cried shrill, pulsing cries, louder than birds of prey… whose young have been taken.”
Dr. Noe unpacks this. Why compare a happy reunion to screeching vultures? Because their grief and joy are primal, wild, and piercing. They are grieving for the 20 years they lost, the childhood that is gone, and the violence that is about to come. It is not a gentle “Hallmark moment”; it is a raw, agonizing release of two decades of pain.
Book 17: The Beggar in the Palace
The team then moves to Book 17. Odysseus transforms back into a beggar and heads to the palace with Eumaeus.
On the way, they encounter the “Anti-Eumaeus”: Melanthius the goatherd. While Eumaeus is the good wwineherd, Melanthius is a villain. He mocks the beggar and physically kicks Odysseus in the hip. Odysseus considers killing him on the spot (maybe bashing his head on a rock), but he exercises his superpower: Endurance. He takes the kick and keeps walking.
The Tragedy of Argos
Then, they reach the palace gates. Lying on a pile of dung is Argos, Odysseus’s hunting dog.
He was a puppy when Odysseus left. Now he is 20 years old, flea-bitten, and abandoned. But when he hears Odysseus’s voice, he pricks up his ears and wags his tail. He knows.
Odysseus sees him and wipes away a single tear (hiding it from Eumaeus). He asks, “Why is this fine dog lying in the muck?”
But he cannot go to him. If he does, he blows his cover. So he walks past. And Argos, having finally seen his master, dies.
Dr. Winkle admits this is the saddest moment in literature. It is the ultimate symbol of the state of Ithaca: noble, loyal, but neglected and dying on a heap of trash. Yet, in his final moment, Argos affirms the Nostos. The King is home.
The Stool Incident
Inside the palace, Odysseus begs for food from the suitors to test them. Most give him bread (it costs them nothing, after all). But Antinous, the leader of the pack, is disgusted.
“What god sent this plague to spoil our feast?” he sneers.
When Odysseus insults him back (telling him he has “more looks than brains”), Antinous grabs a footstool and hurls it. It smashes into Odysseus’s back.
Odysseus stands firm “like a rock.” He doesn’t fall. He shakes his head and walks away.
The other suitors are horrified—not because they are moral, but because they are superstitious. “You fool!” they whisper. “What if he is a god in disguise?”
But Antinous doesn’t care. His fate is sealed. He has violated Xenia in the most direct way possible, and the gods (and the King) are watching.
Sponsors
This emotional rollercoaster is brought to you by three sponsors who never throw stools at their guests:
- Hackett Publishing: Whether you are looking for Homer or a guide to the Latin language, Hackett has you covered. Check out the Lombardo translation used in this episode.
- The Deal: Visit hackettpublishing.com and use code AN2021 for 20% off and free shipping.
- Ratio Coffee: Avoid the “Smarch” blues with a perfect cup of coffee. The Ratio 6 brews with the precision of Athena’s wand.
- The Deal: Visit ratiocoffee.com and use code ANCO for 15% off.
- Ad Astra Roasters: Based in Hillsdale, Michigan, these folks roast beans like the Tenebris blend. Dr. Winkle recommends it for those cold, “second winter” mornings.
- The Deal: Visit adastraroasters.com and use code ANAA for 10% off.
Conclusion: Bloober and the Future
As the episode wraps up, the hosts joke about the consequences of all this feasting. If you eat like a suitor, you might need a weight-loss app. Dr. Noe suggests “blUober”—the app for cetaceans (whales) who need to slim down.
Next Week: The violence begins. We tackle Books 18-20. The beggar takes up boxing, the suitors start laughing uncontrollably (a bad omen), and the bow is brought out.
The Gustatory Parting Shot
Dr. Noe leaves us with a quote from the late, great Luciano Pavarotti, a man who knew a thing or two about feasting:
“One of the very best things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
Valete!
Resources for the Latin and Greek Learner:The Moss Method: Want to read the Odyssey in Greek or master the Latin language? Go from “Neophyte to Erudite” with Dr. Noe’s self-paced programs. Visit latinperdiem.com.
