The Greeks captured rich booty in Troy, which rewarded them for all the troubles they experienced during the ten-year siege. The Greeks took a lot of gold and silver, a lot of utensils and countless beautiful captives with them on ships.
When the Greek ships landed on the opposite shore of the Hellespont, the shadow of the great Achilles appeared to them. The hero demanded as a sacrifice the beautiful daughter of Priam, Polyxena, who had once been appointed his wife. Agamemnon did not want to give it to Polyxena. Cassandra also begged him to spare her sister. But Odysseus insisted on this sacrifice, recalling what great services Achilles provided to the Greeks during the siege of Troy. And Polyxena herself was ready to go under the sacrificial knife. She knew that this would be her deliverance from hard slavery in a foreign land. Polyxena calmly walked to the altar, near which Neoptolemus was waiting for her with a sacrificial knife. She did not allow the young man who was to lead her to death to touch her. Polyxena did not want to descend into the kingdom of Hades as a slave. She herself approached the altar, she herself exposed her breasts. With a sigh of sorrow, Neoptolemus thrust his sword into Polyxena’s chest, and hot blood stained the altar built in honor of Achilles.
After Polyxena was sacrificed, the Greeks set off on a long journey to their homeland. They had to experience many troubles during this journey. Many heroes died without seeing their homeland,
Even during the destruction of Troy, the angry Pallas Athena caused great discord between the Greeks and the sons of Atreus. Menelaus wanted to immediately sail to Greece, but Agamemnon demanded that the Greeks remain in Troas until they appeased Athens with sacrifices. Agamemnon did not know that nothing could soften the goddess’s anger. The brothers' argument continued all day. The next morning, part of the Greek ships, having captured their share of the rich booty, left Troas. Nestor, Diomedes, Neoptolemus, Idomeneo and Philoctetes sailed. Somewhat later, Menelaus also sailed; he caught up with Nestor and Diomedes on the island of Lesbos. Odysseus also left Troas, but on Tenedos he quarreled with his companions and returned back to Agamemnon in Troas.
From Lesbos, the heroes gathered there sailed to the island of Euboea. On Euboea, at a cape dedicated to the god Hephaestus, they made a sacrifice to Poseidon and sailed on. Four days later, Diomedes arrived in Argos, and Nestor in Pylos. Idomeneo, Philoctetes and Neoptolemus also returned happily to their homeland.
Menelaus had to endure many hardships. Near Cape Sunia, the eastern tip of Attica, the god Apollo killed the helmsman of Menelaus, Frontis, with his arrow. Menelaus landed on the shore, performed magnificent funeral rites in honor of Frontis, and only after that he moved on. When his ships rounded the dangerous Cape Malea, the southwestern tip of Laconia, Zeus sent a great storm. Waves as huge as mountains came across the sea. Some of Menelaus' ships were carried away by a storm to Crete, where they crashed on the rocks; Only with great difficulty did the Greeks who were on them escape. The rest of the ships, which included Menelaus, rushed across the sea for a long time and finally reached the shores of Egypt. Menelaus wandered among foreign peoples for seven long years. The Sidonians, the Ethiopians and many other peoples had it. He visited Cyprus, Phenicia and distant Libya, the people of which were famous for their countless herds. Menelaus received many rich gifts, and he collected enormous wealth. In Egypt, Foon's wife, Polydamna, gave the beautiful Helen a wonderful medicine made from the juice of a magical plant. Anyone who took this medicine in wine forgot the most severe grief. Finally, on his way back from Egypt, Menelaus landed on the island of Pharos. On this island Menelaus waited for a fair wind for twenty days. The island was deserted, supplies were running out. Everyone was in danger of starvation. Menelaus and his companions were saved by the goddess Idothea, daughter of the sea god Proteus. Appearing to Menelaus, she taught him to take possession of Proteus and force him to reveal the will of the gods. Early in the morning, as soon as the goddess of dawn Eos flew into the sky, Menelaus with three strong and courageous companions went to the seashore. There Idothea was waiting for them with four seal skins. She put these skins of Idotheus on Menelaus and his companions, and so that the stench from the skins would not torment them, she smeared ambrosia on their noses. Menelaus and his companions lay motionless on the seashore. Finally, Proteus swam out with a herd of seals. He counted the seals, calmly lay down on the sand and fell asleep. With a cry, Menelaus and his companions rushed towards Proteus. A stubborn struggle began. Proteus turned into a lion, a snake, a panther, a boar, water and a tree, but Menelaus and his companions held him tightly. Finally, the old man humbled himself, accepted his former image and asked Menelaus what he wanted to know from him. Menelaus asked the old man of the sea which of the gods was angry with him and did not send him a fair wind. Proteus commanded Menelaus to return to Egypt and sacrifice a hecatomb there to the gods, only then would the gods have mercy on him and give him a happy return to his homeland. The prophetic Proteus predicted to Menelaus the fate of him and his wife Helen; he revealed to Menelaus what awaited each of the heroes during their journey from Troy. Menelaus carried out the orders of Proteus. He returned to Egypt and made sacrifices to the gods; the gods sent him a fair wind, and he returned safely to his native Sparta, where he lived happily for a long time. After their death, Menelaus and his wife, the beautiful Helen, were transferred to the islands of the blessed, where they live forever, without knowing sorrows.
King Agamemnon also had to experience many dangers on his way to his homeland. He and his companions were fortunate to reach the shores of Euboea. Here, right at Cape Gereia, a great storm arose; she was sent by the goddess Athena, who was angry with the Greeks. She was especially angry with Oileus’s son, Ajax. Many ships were lost by crashing on the rocks. Ajax's ship also crashed. He would have died in the waves of the sea if the great shaker of the earth, the god of the sea, Poseidon, had not taken pity on him. He commanded the waves to throw Ajax onto the Heraian rock. Ajax was saved. But here he destroyed himself with his arrogance. With insane pride he exclaimed that he saved himself, without the help of the gods, even against their will. The god Poseidon heard the daring words of the one who was saved by himself. In terrible anger, he waved his trident and hit it against the rock on which Ajax stood. The rock split in two. Half of it fell into the sea with a terrible roar and carried Ajax with it. So he died in the abyss from which Poseidon had just saved him. Agamemnon's ships barely escaped the storm and finally arrived at their native shores. But Agamemnon returned to his gold-rich Mycenae not to joy. There awaiting his death at the hands of his unfaithful wife Clytemnestra.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru