Homer's Odyssey Three (radio)

“Homer’s Odyssey: The Voyage Home” is a radio program from the American radio anthology series Radio Tales. The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and 1998), a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] “Homer’s Odyssey: The Voyage Home” was an adaptation of the epic poem by Homer.

Broadcast History

The Radio Tales production of “Homer’s Odyssey: The Voyage Home” was first broadcast via XM Satellite Radio on April 26, 2003. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] .

Production Information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] . Composer Winifred Phillips created over fifty-six minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] .

Media

The Radio Tales production of “Homer’s Odyssey: The Voyage Home” has been available in numerous formats and venues, including burn-on-demand CDs manufactured and distributed by MP3.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031129193548/artists.mp3s.com/artists/33/npr_radio_tales.html "MP3.com: Radio Tales"] MP3.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] and Ampcast.com [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20060212003627/http://www.ampcast.com/music/25229/artist.php "Ampcast.com: Radio Tales"] Ampcast.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed July 15, 2008.] . Beginning in 2005, programs from the series, including “Homer’s Odyssey: The Voyage Home”, have been available for download via the Audioville.co.uk web site [ [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=586&ProductCategoryId=59 "audioVille | Stor>>Fiction | Radio Tales | Download Audio Books, Podcasts and more in MP3. Comedy, Fiction, sport, news, science, drama."] Audioville.co.uk. Accessed September 15, 2008.] .

Opening narration

Plot Summary

The story begins after the legendary hero Odysseus departs from the isle of the dead, which he had visited to consult the prophet Teiresias on the best way to return to his homeland. Leaving Hades, Odysseus and his men set sail for the island of the sorceress Circe, who had aided them in the past and now provides sustenance and further information to aid them on their homeward journey. Thereafter Odysseus and his men depart once more, lifting their sails to a fair wind that propels them onward until daybreak, when a bone-white island becomes visible. Odysseus tells his men that this is the island of the Sirens, which is piled high with the bones of the dead. The Sirens, Odysseus says, are winged beasts with the faces of women and beautiful singing voices that so entrance passing sailors that they jump from their ships and sink to their deaths… after which the Sirens drag their corpses to the shore and eat them. To prevent this calamity, Odysseus fills the ears of his entire crew with wax to make them deaf, and has his men tie him to the mast so that he might warn them of any auditory sign of danger to which they would be oblivious.

The ship skirts close to the isle of the Sirens, and Odysseus hears the entrancing song, which drives him to struggle against his bonds. But at last they pass in safety, at which point Odysseus looks over his shoulder and sees the Sirens flying over the sea, beating their wings down over the water until a great wave rises. Since the crew hears and sees none of this, Odysseus rips an arm free of his bonds, plucks the wax out of the ear of the nearest man and shouts a warning just in time. The crew pulls in their oars and ducks down as the wave sweeps over the ship, pummeling poor Odysseus where he stands tied to the mast.

After unbinding Odysseus they return to their oars, for they now must face a perilous strait infested by a pair of sea monsters. Charybdis lies at the bottom of the ocean, sucking and spitting the water into a violent whirlpool, while Scylla hides behind the rocks on the opposite side, waiting to snatch sailors with her many tentacles and eat them alive. The ship avoids the whirlpool of Charybdis successfully, but Scylla manages to grab several of Odysseus’ men before the ship passes out of reach. From thence Odysseus and his men sail on to the island of the sun god Hyperion, about which the prophet Teiresias had given Odysseus a stern warning – they were not to eat the cattle belonging to the god, or doom would befall them. Odysseus and his men beach the ship and make camp, eating only what they had brought with them, with the intention to continue on at first light. But the sky soon pours down a heavy and violent rain which continues for days. The crew’s provisions run out, and they begin to starve. When Odysseus goes off alone to pray for an end to the rain, the crew defies Odysseus’ orders by killing several of the god’s cattle and feasting on them. Odysseus is dismayed when he returns, but this does not stop his men, who continue hunting and killing the cattle over the next few days, until the rain finally stops.

Odysseus and his men set sail from the island, and when land has completely disappeared from view, a violent storm rises up and capsizes the ship, carrying off all of Odysseus’ men and drowning them. Odysseus survives by clinging to the upended hull, but after days of the heaving sea and the scorching sun, Odysseus sinks beneath the waves… only to be rescued by the sea nymph Calypso. She brings him to her island home, and would have kept him with her forever as her immortal husband, if the council of gods had not at that moment decreed that Odysseus should at last be allowed to return to his homeland of Ithaca. Therefore Calypso reluctantly instructs Odysseus to fashion a raft and set forth, which Odysseus quickly does. After many days upon the sea, his raft is washed ashore in the realm of King Alcinous, and after hearing Odysseus’ story the king gives him a new ship and a crew to guide her. In this new ship, with the blessings of the gods, Odysseus reaches the shores of Ithaca at last.

References

External Links

* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view.php?Id=558&ProductCategoryId=59 Homer’s Odyssey: The Voyage Home page on Audioville.co.uk]
* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales® Full Catalog on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio's Sonic Theater Channel]