Odysseus lives to hear
the song of the sirens and tell of it, as no other mortal has done before him.He is wise enough
to obey the advice of Circe, an immortal goddess, who has offered him instructions (and many
tragic Greeks were not wise enough to listen to their betters).The sirens sing to him,
"Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft / until he has heard the honeyed
voices pouring from our lips [...]."All the other men who have heard the sirens sing have
perished on the rocky shores of their island.Odysseus's obedience and bravery here render him
heroic and able to do something never done before.
When it comes time to
pass Scylla, Odysseus could hide below decks and keep himself safe from her jaws.However, he
instead "don[s] [his] heroic armor, seized long spears / in both [his] hands and marched
out on the half-deck," hoping to see and slay the monster before she has a chance to devour
his men.He could protect himself and stay hidden, but he takes his...
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