The Myth of Aeolus When Ulysses, who was the king of Ithaca, was coming home from the Trojan War, he lost his way. After a very long voyage, and a great many hardships, he came with his men to the floating island of Aeolus. Here they were healed. In fact, Aeolus kept them at his palace and entertained them for about a month. When they were ready to start out again, on their way home, Aeolus gave Ulysses a great leather bag, made of an ox-skin, and tied with a silver rope. In this bag were all the winds except one. That one wind was the west wind, which Aeolus had purposely kept outside, so that it might blow the ship home. Ithaca was toward the east. When the sailors saw Aeolus hand over this great leather bag to Ulysses, they did not know …show more content…
Then noticing the shining silver rope that sealed the bag shut, they began to wonder if they could not undo the knot. Ulysses, seeing their curious glances, and feeling a little suspicious of them, made up his mind that he would sit up all night, every night, and steer the ship himself. Meanwhile, the sailors whispered among themselves that Ulysses was going home with a great bag of treasure, and that it was not fair that they should have nothing. They could see more and more of the shores of Ithaca. It was a sight they had not seen before for many long years. But Ulysses could not keep awake any longer. When he saw land in sight, and knew that the voyage was almost over, he was so completely tired out that he sank down by the rudder stood that he stood at, and fell asleep. This gave the sailors the opportunity they had been watching for. They sprang to the bag the moment that Ulysses eyes were closed. They untied the silver rope and out rushed the winds that struck the ship from all ways at once. The ship spun around like a top, and the sea was churned into a fine mist that flew so high and so thick that it was like a blinding snowstorm. Then, being blown along by a gust from the east, Ulysses and his men finally found themselves once more at the