Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle in Ad Navseam Episode 27 as they explore Odyssey Book 10. From the bag of winds to the sorcery of Circe, discover why Odysseus is a solitary hero, the tragedy of Elpenor, and why bacon bits are the “fairy dust” of the food community.

Introduction: Springtime in the Bunker

Welcome back to the “Vomitorium,” listeners! It is Episode 27 of the Ad Navseam Podcast, and your hosts, Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle, are broadcasting from their secure location—formerly a nuclear fallout shelter, now a sanctuary for classical gourmands.

The mood in the studio is cautiously optimistic. Why? Because spring is in the air in Michigan. The sun is out, and the temperatures are rising. However, as Dr. Noe warns, this is likely a “false alarm”—a classic Michigan maneuver designed to lull residents into a Cyclopean cave of complacency before whacking them over the head with a “second winter” or a blizzard. But for now, the hosts are enjoying the respite and the chance to talk about the weather—the true mark of a comfortable friendship (or perhaps just an excuse to discuss inanities).

Before diving into the fantastical adventures of Odysseus, the hosts offer a heartfelt shout-out to a legend in the world of Latin language education: Mrs. Lucy Ella Foster. A former Latin teacher at Harrisburg High School in Illinois, Mrs. Foster recently celebrated her 100th birthday. To Lucy Ella, who taught Latin in the late sixties with such skill that her students still remember the lessons decades later: Gratias tibi agimus! You have kept the torch lit for a century.

The Opening Quote: Circe and Nostos

Dr. Winkle sets the stage with an insightful quote from author Madeline Miller, famous for her novels The Song of Achilles and Circe. Miller provides a fresh lens through which to view the witch of Aiaia, suggesting that Circe, much like Odysseus, is a character longing for nostos (homecoming).

“I think Circe also spends a lot of the novel in her story longing for nostos… I wanted her to be looking for her family, her real family… The one thing she still lacks is connection.”

While Dr. Noe admits to being a skeptic of modern myth retellings (fearing they often turn out “cheesy”), he agrees that viewing Circe not just as a villainous trap, but as a figure trapped between the worlds of gods and men, adds a rich layer of complexity to the text.

The Aftermath of the Cyclops: A Curse with “Wiggle Room”

The episode picks up with the fallout from Book 9. Odysseus has blinded Polyphemus, but his arrogance leads him to reveal his true name (“Odysseus, son of Laertes, King of Ithaca”), giving the Cyclops the power to utter a precise curse.

Dr. Winkle notes the fascinating “wiggle room” in Polyphemus’s prayer to Poseidon:

“If he is fated to see his family again… may he come late, having lost all companions, in another’s ship and find trouble at home.”

This curse explains the funneling effect of the Odyssey—why Odysseus must return as a solitary hero, bereft of his crew. It also sets up a double causation for the suffering to come: the suitors are ravaging his home because they are greedy humans, but also because a god has decreed it.

The hosts also discuss the curious detail of the rejected sacrifice. Odysseus burns the “thigh pieces” of a great ram to Zeus, but the god refuses to accept it. Dr. Noe takes a delightful detour into the culinary habits of antiquity, noting that while moderns prefer skeletal meat (steaks and loins), the ancients prized the fatty innards—the liver, the spleen, and the duodenum. Despite offering the “good stuff,” Odysseus receives no favor. Zeus is already brooding over how to destroy the ships.

Aeolus and the Bag of Winds

Next, the fleet arrives at the floating island of Aeolus, King of the Winds. Aeolus hands Odysseus a gift that should guarantee an easy commute: a bag containing all the “ill winds” that would blow the ships off course.

Dr. Noe wonders if this bag was a Ziploc or a “stay fresh pouch”—something hermetic to prevent leaks. With Ithaca in sight, Odysseus makes a critical error: he takes a nap. His men, suspicious that the bag contains gold and silver, open it. The result? The winds escape, and the fleet is blown all the way back to Aeolus, who kicks them out for being cursed by the gods.

This scene often drives students crazy. They ask the “illegal question”: Why didn’t Odysseus just tell them what was in the bag? Dr. Noe cites the late scholar E.R. Dodds to answer this: “If it’s not in the play, it doesn’t exist”. We cannot criticize characters for actions they didn’t take in the narrative. However, the silence does reveal a fundamental lack of trust between the commander and his crew—a tension that defines Odysseus’s leadership style.

The Laestrygonians: A Deadly “Doublet”

The fleet then stumbles upon the land of the Laestrygonians. Dr. Winkle identifies this as a literary “doublet” of the Cyclops adventure—another encounter with cannibalistic giants. However, this trap is more insidious because it possesses a veneer of civilization. The scouts see “smooth roads,” wagons, and “well-roofed houses” (perhaps with asphalt shingles or corrugated copper and a 35-year guarantee, as the hosts joke).

Lulled into a false sense of security, the men hope for xenia (hospitality). Instead, the Laestrygonians attack, spearing the men “like fish”. It is a massacre. Out of 12 ships, 11 are destroyed. Only Odysseus’s ship, which he prudently (or selfishly) hid in a cove, escapes. Dr. Noe points out the pedantic accuracy of the word “decimate” here—literally, only one in ten survives (or close enough).

Circe: The Witch of Aiaia

Finally, the lone ship reaches Aiaia—a name, Dr. Noe observes, that consists of five vowels and absolutely no consonants. Here lives Circe, the “dread goddess with richly coiled hair”.

Circe is a figure of immense power. She is the daughter of Helios (the Sun) and the aunt of Medea, giving her a pedigree in pharmaka (drugs/magic). Her name, connected to the Greek word for hawk or falcon, suggests a predatory nature—or perhaps, as Dr. Noe muses, simply that birds with “people faces” are inherently creepy.

When Odysseus’s men (the “red shirts” of the expedition) investigate her house, they find wolves and lions acting like tame pets. Circe welcomes them, feeds them a drugged potion, and turns them into pigs. Eurylochus, sensing a trap, escapes to warn Odysseus.

Enter Hermes: The messenger god arrives as a deus ex machina (fresh from a shift at Walgreens) to provide the antidote. He gives Odysseus Moly, a magic herb with a black root and white flower. Dr. Noe, ever the gourmand, wonders if this is related to mole, the Mexican chocolate sauce, though he concedes it’s unlikely.

Armed with Moly, Odysseus resists Circe’s magic. Hermes advises him to threaten her with his sword, a move that leads not to combat, but to an invitation to her bed. It is a strange, seductive negotiation, but it works.

A Year of “Oily Rubdowns”

What follows is a year-long hiatus from the journey. While Penelope fights off suitors in Ithaca, Odysseus enjoys a life of feasting and “oily rubdowns” in Aiaia. It is a comfortable captivity, described by Dr. Winkle as another “doublet”—this time mirroring the suitors’ behavior in Odysseus’s own home.

Eventually, the crew intervenes, reminding Odysseus of his nostos. Circe agrees to let them go but drops a bombshell: the journey home lies through the Underworld. They must perform a katabasis to consult the blind prophet Tiresias.

The Tragedy of Elpenor: In the rush to depart, tragedy strikes. Elpenor, the youngest and “not much of a warrior,” had fallen asleep on the roof to walk off a hangover. Hearing the commotion, he wakes up, forgets to use the ladder, falls, and breaks his neck. In a moment of dark irony that highlights Odysseus’s detachment, the crew sails away without even noticing he is missing.

Sponsors

This deep dive into the Odyssey is brought to you by three sponsors who help keep the “Vomitorium” running:

Ad Astra Coffee Roasters

Based in Hillsdale, Michigan, Patrick Whalen and his team roast beans that are truly “to the stars.” They only select beans that grade 84 or higher on the coffee scale (a solid B, but well above average!)

• The Deal: Visit adastraroasters.com and use code ANAA for 10% off your order.

Ratio Coffee

Avoid the “squirty plastic” machines that ruin your morning. Mark Hellweg’s Ratio 6 and Ratio 8 use metallic veins to deliver water at a perfect 200 degrees.

• The Deal: Visit ratiocoffee.com and use code ANCO for 15% off the Ratio 6.

Hackett Publishing

For over 40 years, Hackett has offered affordable, high-quality translations, including the Lombardo translation of Homer used in this episode and the Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata series.

• The Deal: Visit hackettpublishing.com and use code AN2021 for 20% off and free shipping.

The Gustatory Parting Shot

Dr. Winkle takes us out with a quote from the inimitable comedian Jim Gaffigan. It is a profound meditation on the power of cured meats to transform the mundane:

“Bacon bits are like the fairy dust of the food community. Don’t care for this salad? Bibbidi-bobbidi-bacon. Now it’s your favorite part of the meal.”

Valete!