What does Teiresias tells Odysseus in the prophecy?
The shade of Teiresias proceeds to warn Odysseus to leave Helios’s cattle alone and unharmed when his crew reaches the island of Thrinacia. If Odysseus and his men harm any of Helios’s cattle, the crew will be destroyed, and Odysseus will return home on someone else’s ship.
In the first act of Oedipus Rex, Teiresias predicts that Oedipus will be a sibling to his own children, and a son to his own wife. He also tells Oedipus that Laius was the man whom Oedipus killed on the road. Oedipus does not believe the words of Teiresias, and Teiresias is angered by Oedipus’s insolence.
Why do you think that Elpenor is the first shade (psyche) which Odysseus encounters? It was one of the most recent deaths related to Odysseus. He blamed himself for all of these deaths. He continues his story, because in order to atone for his sins, he must come to terms with them.
Odysseus and his men apparently noticed his absence, but they were too busy to look for him. When Odysseus arrived in Hades, Elpenor was the first shade to meet Odysseus, and pleaded with him to return to Aeaea and give him a proper cremation and burial.
What does Tiresias do in the Odyssey?
What does the shade of Teiresias require?
What does Tiresias predict for Odysseus homecoming?
What is the prophecy Tiresias gives to Odysseus in the land of the dead?
Final Exam
Tiresias says that Odysseus and his crew might still reach home safely if they leave the cattle belonging to Helios alone on Thrinacia Island. However, if Odysseus and his men hurt or take these cattle, Tiresias predicts that Odysseus’s men and ship will be destroyed.
