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V . The Land of the Dead Odysseus was afraid when he heard this . No living man had ever sailed to the land of the dead . But Circe told him the way , and the north wind carried the ship there . The land of the dead was at the edge of the world , where the sun never shone . Odysseus did everything that Circe told him . He dug a hole in the ground . He poured milk , honey , wine and water into it and said prayers . Then he gave the dead an offering of two black sheep . The spirits of the dead came up from the dark to drink from the hole . Odysseus was pale with fear , but he held up his sword . No spirit could drink before Teiresias . Among the crowd he saw his own mother , Anticlea . She was alive when he left for Troy . Now she was dead . Odysseus cried when he saw her , but he did not let her come near yet . Then the spirit of Teiresias came , holding a golden stick . He drank , and then he spoke . “ Odysseus , you want to go home , ” he said . “ But a god will make it hard for you . Poseidon is angry , because you blinded his son . Still , you can all get home , if you listen to me . You will come to an island called Thrinacia . The cattle of the Sun god feed there . Do not touch them . If you hurt them , your ship and your men will be lost . You may get home , but late and alone , on a stranger’s ship . And you will find trouble in your house . Proud men are eating your food and asking your wife to marry them . ” After this Odysseus let his mother come to the hole . She drank and knew him at once . “ My son , ” she said , “ how did you come here , into this darkness , while you are still alive ? ” “ Mother , tell me about home , ” said Odysseus . “ How did you die ? And what about my father and my wife and my son ? ” “ Your wife is still waiting for you in your house , ” said Anticlea . “ She cries day and night . Your son looks after your land . Your father lives out in the country and never comes to the town now . He is old and sad , and he sleeps on leaves on the ground . And I died because I missed you so much , my dear son . No illness killed me . It was my longing for you . ” Odysseus wanted to put his arms round his mother . Three times he tried to hold her , and three times she went through his arms like a shadow or a dream . “ Mother , why do you move away from me ? ” he cried . “ My child , this is how it is for the dead , ” she said softly . “ We have no bodies any more . We are like dreams . Now go back to the light , and remember all this . One day you can tell your wife about it . ” Odysseus saw many other spirits . One of them was Achilles , the bravest of the Greeks at Troy . “ I would rather be a poor servant on a farm and be alive , ” Achilles told him , “ than be king of all the dead . ” At last more and more spirits came crowding round him , and Odysseus was afraid . He ran back to his ship and told the men to row away quickly .
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