The twelve adventures refer to the delays and the obstacles that Odysseus had to overcome in order to return home from the Trojan war.

First, they arrive at Ismarus, the land of the Cicones. They sack the city, killing the men and taking the women and treasure as bounty. They are later attacked by the Cicones.

Second, They arrive in the Land of the Lotus-eaters. Here, his men eat lotus flowers. The flowers cause the men to lose their desire to return home, so Odysseus must force them back to the ship.

Third, at the Cyclops' cave, his men escape being eaten only by Odysseus blinding the one-eyed Polyphemus (son of Poseidon). He does so by claiming that his name is "No One." When Polyphemus screams, he says that "No One" is attacking him, so his fellow cyclopes do not come to his rescue. As a result, Poseidon threatens Odysseus with much suffering and the ultimate loss of his men.

Fourth, King Aeolus gives Odysseus and his men a place to stay for about a month. Upon their departure, Aeolus puts winds in a bag and gives them to Odysseus, instructing him not to open it. The crew get close to Ithaca, but while Odysseus sleeps, they open the bag of winds and are flown back towards Aeolia.

Fifth, at the Land of the Laestrygens, giant cannibals eat all but one of Odysseus' ships.

Sixth, at Aeaea, the enchantress Circe turns Odysseus' scouting party into pigs. But Hermes, the messenger of the gods, gives Odysseus an herb against a similar fate. Odysseus sleeps with Circe and convinces her to turn the pigs back into men. She does so, but only after they have stayed on her island for a year. She tells Odysseus that he must go see Tiresias in the Underworld before continuing his journey.

Seventh, Odysseus meets with the blind prophet Tiresias in the Underworld. He encounters lost family and friends. Tiresias warns him of the dangers that lie ahead.

Eighth, Odysseus and his men sail past the Sirens, who sing songs to lure passing crews and ships to their deaths. Odysseus orders his men to fill their ears with wax and to tie him to the mast of the ship, so that he may hear the songs but will not be able to succumb to their seduction.

Ninth, Odysseus must choose between sailing by either Scylla, a six-headed monster, or Charybdis, a giant whirlpool. Taking Circe's advice, he sails by Scylla, who devours only six of his men and allows them to pass.

Tenth, They go to Thrinacia, the home of the sacred cattle. Before docking the ship, he forces his men to swear an oath forbidding them from eating the cattle. However, after their food supply depletes, the men begin to kill and eat the sacred cattle. Angered, the gods punish Odysseus and his men. After this adventure, Odysseus is the last man standing and must float away on the branch of a fig tree (his men and ship were all destroyed by the gods).

Eleventh, Odysseus goes to Ogygia, home of Calypso. She keeps him captive for seven years. She gives him a raft but it is soon destroyed by Poseidon, who is still angry with him because of the death of his cyclops son.

Twelfth, Odysseus floats to Scheria, where he is taken in by the princess and king. He tells them his story and they agree to help him by providing him with one of their best ships to return to Ithaca.

And thirteenth, Odysseus finally returns home only to find that his house is full of suitors for his wife. He must prove himself and soon, after his victory against the suitors, must show his identity.

1. Island of Ismarus
2. Island of the Lotus - Eaters
3. Island of Cyclops
4. Island of King Aeolus
5. Island of Laestrygonians
6. Island of Circe 7. Underworld
8. Island of Sirens
9. Scylla and Charybdis

10. Island of the Sun
11. Island of Calypso
12. Island of Nausica
13. Odysseus kills the suitors

gaia

The Gaia Monologue
Rolling dawn to dusk across the starry length,
Spiraling circles amidst blazing orbs.
Held no memories of my stellar birth,
Nor tell vast upheavals of mighty epics. Early shedding of original flames,
A layer of hydrogen was burned away.
Convulsions, diarrhea shrouds my youth,
A steamy cloak caresses my tender skin. Around four billion laps before this day,
Life awakened in my ancient depths.
Poison polluted my outer coat, aye,
As oxygen poured from primal bugs. Cycles of warmth and ice marks my crotch,
Evolving life, risking death, must adapt.
Such poor creatures persist beneath my watch,
I shelter them from the frigid void. Toward the day of the dull red giant,
Even I am facing the gates of malicious wrath.
All shall perish under their final monument,
From youth, to strength, then wisdom, onto death. Sadly, star dust tells no tales.

Gaia

by Ron Leadbetter
Gaia or Gaea, known as Earth or Mother Earth (the Greek common noun for "land" is ge or ga). She was an early earth goddess and it is written that Gaia was born from Chaos, the great void of emptiness within the universe, and with her came Eros. She gave birth to Pontus (the Sea) and Uranus (the Sky). This was achieved parthenogenetically (without male intervention). Other versions say that Gaia had as siblings Tartarus (the lowest part of the earth, below Hades itself) and Eros, and without a mate, gave birth to Uranus (Sky), Ourea (Mountains) and Pontus (Sea).
Gaia took as her husband Uranus, who was also her son, and their offspring included the Titans, six sons and six daughters. She gave birth to the Cyclopes and to three monsters that became known as the "Hecatonchires". The spirits of punishment known as the Erinyes were also offspring of Gaia and Uranus. The Gigantes, finally, were conceived after Uranus had been castrated by his son Cronus, and his blood fell to earth from the open wound.
To protect her children from her husband, (the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires, as he was fearful of their great strength), Gaia hid them all within herself. One version says that Uranus was aghast at the sight of his offspring so he hid them away in Tartarus, which are the bowels of the earth. Gaia herself found her offspring uncomfortable and at times painful, when the discomfort became to much to bear she asked her youngest son Cronus to help her. She asked him to castrate Uranus, thus severing the union between the Earth and Sky, and also to prevent more monstrous offspring. To help Cronus achieve his goal Gaia produced an adamantine sickle to serve as the weapon. Cronus hid until Uranus came to lay with Gaia and as Uranus drew near, Cronus struck with the sickle, cutting the genitalia from Uranus. Blood fell from the severed genitals and came in contact with the earth and from that union was born the Erinyes (Furies), the Giants and the Meliae (Nymphs of the manna ash trees).
After the separation of the Earth from the Sky, Gaia gave birth to other offspring, these being fathered by Pontus. Their names were the sea-god Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia. In other versions Gaia had offspring to her brother Tartarus; they were Echidna and Typhon, the later being an enemy of Zeus. Apollo killed Typhon when he took control of the oracle at Delphi, which Gaia originally provided, and then the "Sibyl" sang the oracle in Gaia's shrine.
It was Gaia who saved Zeus from being swallowed by Cronus, after Zeus had been born, Gaia helped Rhea to wrap a stone in swaddling clothes, this was to trick Cronus in to thinking it was Zeus, because Cronus had been informed that one of his children would depose him, and so to get rid of his children he had swallowed them, Gaia's trick worked and Zeus was then taken to Crete.
Gaia being the primordial element from which all the gods originated was worshiped throughout Greece, but later she went into decline and was supplanted by other gods. In Roman mythology she was known as Tellus or Terra.