Among Odysseus’ many adventures, there is one that is rarely told. It is the tale of his journey to the Isle of Oinkerous. Here, he meets King Oinkus. How Odysseus got here is another story, but he arrived on the Isle of Oinkerous directly after his men unwittingly devoured Helios’ cattle and before Zeus destroyed them for these actions. And so, the story begins when Odysseus and his crew set foot upon the Isle of Oinkerous.
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“Now, we need a good supply of fresh water and food. We will split into groups of eight and go and search the island. Istras and you seven go west, Thyam and you seven go East, and I will head straight ahead with Lunony, and Taliko and you five,” Odysseus said, as he divided his crew into groups and sent them on their way.
Odysseus found a beautiful waterfall and pool a short distance into the jungle that was on the island. Then he, and his crew, filled what water containers they had, and went back to the ship to await the return of the other parties.
Istras and his party had good luck with hunting and managed to catch a wild boar or two and a deer, so they were happy. They brought the game back the ship and were congratulated by Odysseus. Now they had food and water, that was good. All they had to do was wait for Thyam and his crew to get back with whatever they had found.
Now, poor Thyam was not nearly as lucky as Odysseus and Istras had been. He and his group traveled far and abroad in search of food or drink. Neither of these did they find. The sky began to darken as they still wandered aimlessly. Finally, Thyam gave up and turned to head back to the ship when he realized that he had absolutely no idea of where they were. “What is it, Thyam?” Bonner questioned.
“Nothing. But do you have any idea where we are and in what direction we would head to return to the ship?” Thyam asked.
“You mean you don’t know?” Bonner seemed extremely worried.
“Not unless you or any of the other men do.”
“This is NOT good.”
Thyam halted the party. He and Bonner then explained the problem to the rest of the men and asked if any of them knew the way back. None did. “All right. We better make the best of things and just camp here for the night. We’ll try to find our way home tomorrow. Make yourselves comfortable, men. This might be a long night,” Thyam told them, trying to sound reassuring, but failing miserably. And so, Thyam, Bonner, and the rest of their party spent a rather unpleasant night camping in the strange woods.
***********
“When will Thyam’s party get back, Odysseus?” Istras asked their leader.
“I don’t know, Istras. What could be taking Thyam so long? Tomorrow, we will send out a search party to try to find them. Go get some rest, you will need your strength for tomorrow,” Odysseus answered him. Istras did as he was told and left Odysseus by himself to fret about what he would do.
“You seem distressed, Odysseus.”
Odysseus looked up, startled at the voice he knew well. “Athena, you surprised me. Yes, I am worried. I sent out a party of men to search for food and water earlier today and they have not yet returned.”
“Your men are in no danger as of now, but are merely lost. You need to set out to the west. Keep in that direction until you reach the kingdom of King Oinkus. He will help you find your men,” Athena instructed Odysseus.
“But I sent my men to the east, not west. If I’m to find them I should head in that direction.”
“Odysseus, listen to me, if you go to the east and not west, you will never find your lost men. I guarantee you that.”
Odysseus slowly nodded his head, then asked, “Who is this ‘King Oinkus?’ I have never heard of him before.”
“Find him and then you will see,” Athena told Odysseus and then she was gone.
After a while more of sitting in thought, Odysseus fell into a restless sleep.
***********
In the morning, Thyam awoke to a bright dawn in the sky. He stood up and stretched, then looked around at their surroundings, still wondering what they were going to do. Bonner also woke up and seeing that Thyam was already up, groaned, then asked groggily, “Well? What do you see, Thyam? Anything?”
“Lots of trees, but that’s about it.”
Slowly, one by one, the other men awoke and sat up, gazing at all the jungle that surrounded them. One of the other men said, “Why don’t we head back the way we came? It was in that direction, wasn’t it?” He pointed to what looked like a well-worn path.
Another answered, “No, it was that way. See, all that trampled brush is where we came through.”
As the discussion escalated, Bonner turned to Thyam and said, “I think you better quiet them down before a fight breaks out.” Thyam agreed, and once everyone was settled down again, Bonner brought up a very good point. “We will need food and water. As I see it, our best choice would be to look for that. Once we have found food, then we can try to find our way back to the ship.” Everyone let this sink in for a moment, then agreed. So the party headed further into the jungle in search of food.
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Back at the ship, Odysseus and a group of twelve or so, including Istras, set out to the west, as Athena had told him to do. They traveled most of the day, and just when they were going to make camp, Istras declared, “Look!! Look at that!” He was jumping up and down and pointing excitedly to what lay in front of them.
Odysseus stared at Istras as if he had gone mad, but looked in the direction the man was pointing, and reconsidered his thoughts. Ahead of them lay a kingdom, or what he assumed was a kingdom. It had a number of pigs running around the front of it, playing, it looked like. But there were also some doing regular chores, too, such as carrying water and tending to gardens. Odysseus was totally perplexed. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, then turned to his men, “Don’t just stand there and gawk, we must go and call upon the ruler of this place. Athena said that here is where we would find help in finding the rest of the crew.”
Istras mumbled to himself, “Are you sure this is the right place?? I mean, they’re PIGS!!” He fell silent, though, with a look from Odysseus. The rest of the men snapped out of it as well, and the group headed toward the kingdom.
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“I found water!!!!” Bailyn called to the others. The lost party had been marching for what seemed like endless hours, with their stomachs rumbling and their throats dry.
The rest of them gave a cheer of joy, and were just about to splash into the refreshing pool when Thyam called for them to stop. “Stop!? But why, Thyam!!?? The men are dying of thirst! Surely you can see that!?”
“Yes, I can see that Bonner. But look,” Thyam said as he pointed at a sign.
“Do Not Drink This Water,” Bonner read aloud. “And for Zeus’ sake, Why Not?? I’ll only NOT drink this water the day pigs fly!!” Bonner declared. There was a chorus of agreement throughout the party.
“OINK, OINK!!”
The whole group looked up simultaneously. There, in the sky above them, was a
pig. “OINK, OINK!” he said again, before flying off.
Thyam laughed, shocked at what he had seen, “Well, I guess here pigs DO fly!”
“Well, I’ll be darned. . .” Bonner whispered.
So, the dumbfounded group moved on to find a friendlier place to drink.
***********
“Excuse me,” Odysseus asked the pig that was closest to them. He had decided
that no matter what these people, or pigs, as the case may be, looked like, if they could
help him he might as well ask. “I am looking for whomever is in charge here. Could you
help me?”
The startled pig looked up, then gave a squeal of fright and fled away. Now this,
for no small reason, puzzled Odysseus. He tried talking to several more of the swine, but
got the same reaction. He was just about to give up and leave, when he heard a
high-pitched voice that was apparently speaking to him, “Hail thee, Odysseus! Do not
leave! I am sorry if the pigs here seem less than friendly, but they have never before seen
a human. I am Oinkley. Please, follow me. King Oinkus has been expecting you.” The
pig then turned and walked in the direction of the gates. Odysseus followed, unsure of
exactly what he was supposed to do.
“We’ll just stay here, Odysseus!” Istras called after him. “We really would love to
go with you and all, but someone needs to stay here in case something happens!”
Odysseus just shook his head and followed Oinkley into the kingdom of King
Oinkus.
***********
Inside the palace, Oinkley lead Odysseus down a hall and into the room at the end
of it. It was a very large room, a very *pink* room, Odysseus noticed. There were
pictures, portraits, and busts of what he assumed to be famous pigs, or pigs of royal
blood.
“Odysseus!” King Oinkus’ voice boomed. “I welcome thee into my home!”
Odysseus managed to tear his gaze from the artwork so he could politely focus his
attention on King Oinkus. “I apologize for the less than friendly greeting my subjects
extended you, Odysseus,” King Oinkus continued. “But you see, no mortal man has ever
set foot upon this island for centuries. I’ve always only considered the story of man to be
just that, a story. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever see a human. They
have always seemed to be just fascinating legends that Pigmer the story-teller made up to
entertain. So, it truly is an honor to have you at my house.”
“Thank you for the invitation, King Oinkus. It is extremely kind of you. But I
have a question. If man has only been a legend then how did you know I was coming?”
“Your brain serves you well, Odysseus. But do you think that an arrival to this
island would go unnoticed? We, too, have enemies and I have look-outs and sentries
posted on all sides of this land. But I think you have come for more than to just ask me
that, have you not?”
“Yes, I have. I was sent here by the Goddess Athena to request your help in
finding the members of my crew that have gotten lost on your island. Will you help me?”
“Of course, Odysseus.” King Oinkus clapped his front hooves together and an old
and grizzled pig appeared. He was wearing a robe of sorts and looked very wise. “This is
the Wise and All-Knowing Ham. He will tell you where you may find your friends.”
Odysseus watched as the Wise and All-Knowing Ham approached him. The
All-Knowing Ham then spoke, “You will find your companions on the other side of the
island. They are hungry and confused. You can find them, but only with Prince Superham
as your guide.” The All-Knowing Ham bowed slightly, turned and left the room.
Odysseus asked King Oinkus, “Who is Prince Superham? Where may I find him?”
The King responded, “Prince Superham is my son. He will guide you tomorrow
when you search for your lost friends. You will be staying the night here?”
After careful consideration, Odysseus accepted the offer. It was already night, and
he would just as much prefer to sleep in a bed than outside in the cold. He retrieved his
men from outside the gates of the palace, and introduced them to King Oinkus. Oinkley
showed them to their rooms for the night.
***********
Thyam, Bonner, and the rest of the poor, lost party spent another sleepless night in
the jungle. After encountering the flying pig, they had all been extremely jumpy.
Everyone remembered well the witch Circe and how they had all been turned to swine.
This was something they did NOT want to repeat.
In the morning, they yet again set out in search of food and drink. This time, they
found it, and with no signs, or flying pigs, to stop them, they ate and drank heartily, then
took a midday nap and continued on their way.
***********
Odysseus groaned when he sat up in the morning. It had NOT been a pleasant
night. He brushed remnants of straw from him as he got up off the floor. He had
definitely not been expecting this when he envisioned rooms and beds! Everyone else
seemed to have the same feeling as they were all walking stiffly that day.
After a good breakfast, Odysseus thanked the good King Oinkus and set out in
search of Thyam, Bonner and the rest of the missing party. Prince Superham led them
through the jungle, and they traveled most of the day. Finally, Odysseus heard voices of
men ahead. In a moment, they come upon Thyam and the others.
“ODYSSEUS!!!!” Thyam yelled in excitement. There were cheers and shouts and
a great celebration. Odysseus introduced Prince Superham to everyone that they had just
found. Then, since the sun was setting, they made camp for the night.
***********
The next morning, Prince Superham lead them back to his father’s kingdom. Here,
they had a fairly good night’s rest, considering they were sleeping in the hay beds. After
many thanks to King Oinkus for his gracious generosity, Odysseus and the whole crew
headed back to the ship and sailed from the Isle of Oinkerous that night and on to their
next adventure.
finis
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