What Happens After The Odyssey? The Telegony, Explained
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was the Epic Cycle of poems. The Epic Cycle refers to a collection of poems that tell the story of the Trojan War, along with what happened before it and its aftermath. Arguably the most famous are The Odyssey and The Iliad.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey adapts the former, but if you were hankering for a sequel, the good news is, one actually exists! At least, in part. The Telegony is probably one of the earliest examples of lost media out there. Two lines of the original poem, which is attributed to Eugamon of Cyrene, remain. To decipher the bulk of the story, we must rely on a summary of the myth in the Chrestomathie, which is attributed to Proclos Diadochos.
But, fear not: you don’t have to unscramble the story on your own. We’re going to break it down for you, and help to prove that the hierarchy of power in the Odyssey-verse really has fundamentally shifted.
What Happens In The Telegony?
Like any good sequel, The Telegony picks up right where The Odyssey left off. It begins with the burial of Penelope’s suitors by their kinsmen. Odysseus then makes a sacrifice to the nymphs, and after this, sets off again. This time, he sails Elis to inspect his herds (a likely story). While there, Polyxenos gifts him a bowl that depicts the story of Trophonius.
He then returns to Ithaca, makes the sacrifices requested by Teiresias, and then goes on to Thesprotis. While there, he marries Callidice, the Thesprotian queen. They have a son called Polypoetes. But things take a more dramatic turn when a war breaks out between the Thresprotians and the Brygi. Ever the hero, Odysseus leads the Thesprotians into battle. From there, things escalate further as the gods decide to get a piece of the action. Ares routs Odysseus and his army. Athena then gets involved too, which leads to Apollo separating them. Once Callidice dies, Polypoetes ascends to the Thesprotian throne. Odysseus, in turn, decides that this is the perfect time to return to Ithaca.
Circe and Athena Are Involved in The Telegony
As all this is happening, it is worth noting that there’s another son fathered by Odysseus. This time, the baby momma is Circe, with conception happening during that one year he spent on the island of Aeaea. The son is called Telegonus. After getting advice from Athena, Circe discloses to Telegonus that his father is Odysseus. Per the account of this story in the Epitome of the Bibliotheke, Circe gives her son a spear made by the god Hephaestus. It is said to be tipped with the poisonous sting of the stingray.
Thanks to a storm, Telegonus ends up on Ithaca. He goes on to commit piracy (not that kind) and completely ransacks the island, stealing Odysseus’ cattle. Naturally, Odysseus comes to defend his territory, but is killed by Telegonus and his poisonous spear. The pair then recognise each other as father and son as Odysseus dies.
Consequently, Telegonus transports Odysseus’ body, Penelope, Telemachus (Odysseus’ son with Penelope) and himself to Aeaea. There, Circe makes all of them immortal. Telemachus ends up marrying Circe, while Penelope marries Telegonus. We can only assume that, from then on, Christmas dinners were remarkably awkward for everyone involved.
