Week 6 Story: Odysseus, Sindbad, and the Giant

The Giant by Henry Justice Ford (Wikimedia)

Odysseus, Sindbad, and the Giant

“…And at last I arrived at this cave where we now feast.”

“You expect me to believe there exists a valley of diamonds and serpents larger than elephants? That by attaching a large roast to you back you managed to escape by the wings of a great bird? Only to be rescued by merchants flapping their arms and yelling?”

“Ay, this is the story of Sindbad the Sailor.”

The room grew quiet as Odysseus rose, tension mounting as he said “How could you insult me such telling ridiculous lies. Do you think I am a fool?”

Then, just as Sindbad began to fear for his safety Odysseus burst into laughter and so too did both crews.

“Sindbad the Sailor, for all the wonders you have seen, you still cannot best the look on your face just then. I too, have had many great travels and experiences, the tales of which many would cast aside as horrible lies. Let us continue to share these stories while we fill our bellies, what a change in fortune we have all had. Not a full sunrise ago, the dwarf savages brought us all here, but this hall is filled with the finest food and drink. They must think we are Gods, and to be truthful, I am beginning to agree.” The whole room rejoiced and the men feasted until they all fell into a drunken stupor, sleeping wherever they had fallen.

Until at once the great ebony doors of the hall exploded open, and in walked a gigantic beast, larger than any building or ship the men had seen, with only one terrifying eye dominating his visage. He roared and the men ran for their lives, but he quickly grabbed the fattest crew member, put him on a spit, roasted him, and gobbled him up. The monster grew weary from his meal and soon drifted off to sleep.

Confident the beast was slumbering, the crews reconvened.

“Perhaps it was not such a good change in fortune we had,” said Odysseus.

“Indeed,” said Sindbad, “We must find a way out of here.”

The men planned and planned for hours, but the giant arose before any action could be taken.

“BACK DARK,” barked the giant, “STAY.”

The men knew they had until nightfall.

The giant returned just as he had said and the men all scrambled until another crew member had filled the giant’s belly. When the beast was asleep, they put their plan into action. Stealing as many of his giant spits as they could carry, they roasted them in his fire until they were red hot. Then they crept up, as quiet as mice, and all at once stabbed the giant’s lone eye with 24 red hot stakes. They all leapt back as the giant exploded with rage. Just as he began to flail around reaching for the men, they released his flock of sheep that they had lured into the castle during the day. In his confusion, the monster could not find any of the men. They all ran away quickly, dodging darting sheep and giant fists. They ran and ran unto the edge of the island where their boats had been taken, but alas, they had been broken down and converted to rafts more suitable for the dwarves. They all found a raft and Odysseus and Sindbad led the pack out to shore. As the waves carried them away, the monster’s cries slowly faded into silence.

“Perhaps we should voyage together more often, our tales might be more believable if we have two to tell the tale.”

Author's Note

This week I read the story of Sindbad and his encounter with a giant on his Third Voyage. The story had a lot of similarities with Odysseus's own run in with a giant. I thought it would be interesting to blend the two stories as if the two heroes had met in the cave of the giant. I tried to synthesize both stories to include aspects of each. From Odysseus's story: the feast prior, the use of sheep for deception. From Sindbad's: the dwarf savages, the castle, the valley of diamonds, the escape on rafts. From both: roasting a stick and stabbing the cyclops in the eye. 

Bibliography

 Homer's Odyssey, translated into English by Tony Kline (2004)

The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).