The tragic and prophetic death of Ulysses, the last hero of Greek mythology.
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Ulysses' Final Odyssey
A student once asked me: "How does Ulysses die?" After all, Ulysses seems to get a happy ending: he finds Penelope, his son, and his throne. Yet some authors wanted to enrich the final chapter of Ulysses' life—the last great hero of Greek mythology. So let us follow Ulysses on his final odyssey.
Since his return to Ithaca, Ulysses lived with a troubling certainty: his death would not occur on the land he had fought so hard to regain. This revelation, whispered by the seer Tiresias in the depths of the Underworld, had long seemed enigmatic to him. How could a man who had crossed oceans and defied the gods be destined to leave his home once again?
Tiresias’s words echoed in his mind every night, in the silence of the palace. “You will die by a man who comes from the sea.” These words, full of terrifying ambiguity, haunted him. Even in the midst of peace, as he watched over Penelope and Telemachus, Ulysses remained vigilant. He knew that fate had a habit of striking when least expected.
The Arrival of Telegonos
That morning, as the dawn’s light wrapped around the hills and the tranquil waters of Ithaca, he felt a shiver crawl over his skin. The wind carried something different, like an elusive whisper from the Fates. The hero understood that the time of the prophecy, inevitable and relentless, was approaching.
Soon after, fishermen rushed back from the shore with alarming news: an unknown ship, bearing dark sails, had landed in a secluded cove. On the deck stood a young man of imposing stature, his clothes adorned with foreign patterns and a gleaming spear in hand.
This traveler was Telegonos, born of the union between Ulysses and the enchantress Circe. All his life, he had been nourished with his mother's tales about his father—a hero who had fought at Troy and braved the storms of Poseidon. But Circe, fearing the power of destiny, had armed her son with a deadly weapon: a spear poisoned with stingray venom, a killing tool imbued with divine essence.
Unaware of his bond with the King of Ithaca, Telegonos landed cautiously. His eyes scanned every detail of the landscape—from the sun-drenched hills to the rugged paths lined with olive trees. Everything about this land seemed both hostile and eerily familiar, as if an invisible hand were guiding him.
The Fatal Duel
Ulysses, warned by his scouts, left the palace armed. The prophecy of Tiresias rang in his mind, every word echoing through the heavy air of that peculiar morning. Cloaked in his scarlet cape, he walked with measured steps, his piercing gaze scanning the horizon.
When he saw Telegonos, Ulysses saw only a threatening intruder. The spear the young man held seemed to radiate a strange, almost supernatural light. The two men faced each other, their silhouettes carved against the rising sun. The fight broke out without a word.
Telegonos's spear sliced through the air with brutal force, while Ulysses—still agile despite his age—dodged each attack with the precision of a battle-hardened warrior. The hills echoed with the clash of weapons, birds scattering at each blow.
But destiny, woven in the stars, was already at work. In a moment of hesitation, Ulysses tried to deflect the spear with his shield, but the weapon found its mark. The poisoned tip pierced his flesh, and the King of Ithaca collapsed onto the rocky ground.
The sky, until then clear, seemed to darken. A flight of black birds burst from the nearby trees, screaming as if to announce the fatal outcome. Ulysses’s blood slowly soaked the stones, while Telegonos stepped back, horrified by what he had done.
Recognition and Regret
The weight of the spear, still in his hands, became unbearable to Telegonos. Only upon hearing the murmurs of the guards and Ulysses’s final breaths did he understand. The man he had just struck was not an enemy—but his father.
The young man dropped to his knees, eyes wide with horror. All his life, he had dreamed of meeting this man, of calling him father. And yet, fate had pushed him to commit the irreparable. Ulysses, with his last breath, looked at his son with strange serenity. The prophecy, dreaded for so many years, had been fulfilled.
Cremation and Legacy
The death of Ulysses marked the end of an era in Ithaca. Though devastated, Telemachus and Penelope welcomed Telegonos with compassion. They knew it was fate—not human will—that had driven this tragedy.
On a hill overlooking the sea, a funeral pyre was erected. Ulysses’s body, wrapped in a spotless shroud, was laid down with care. The flames rose high into the sky, their crackling seeming to sing the epic of a man who had defied gods and mortals alike. The sea—his lifelong companion—remained still, as if in mourning. The smoke rose slowly, carried by the wind, taking Ulysses’s spirit toward eternity.
In a strange twist of fate, Telegonos married Penelope. They had a son, Italos, who would later give his name to Italy.
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The illustrations were generated using artificial intelligence to support the historical narrative and enhance immersion. They were created by the author and are the property of Echoes of Antiquity. Any reproduction requires prior authorization by email.
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