Nostoi facts for kids
The Nostoi (say "NOS-toy") is an ancient Greek story that is mostly lost today. It was also called Returns or Returns of the Greeks. This long poem was part of a bigger series of stories called the Epic Cycle. These stories told the whole history of the Trojan War. The Nostoi tells what happened after the Iliou persis (the "Sack of Troy") and before the famous story of the Odyssey.
No one is sure who wrote the Nostoi. Some people thought it was written by Agias, Homer, or Eumelos. The poem was very long, probably in five parts. The word nostos means "return home" in Greek.
Contents
When Was the Nostoi Written?
It is hard to say exactly when the Nostoi was written. It is also unclear when it was first written down. Most experts think the final version of the story was made in the 600s BC or 500s BC.
What Happens in the Story?
The Nostoi tells about the Greek heroes going back home after the Trojan War ended. Sadly, only a few lines of the original poem still exist today. Most of what we know about the story comes from a summary written by someone named Proklos.
Leaving Troy
The story begins with the Greek soldiers getting ready to sail back to Greece. The goddess Athena is very angry with them. She is upset because the Greeks did not show respect during the sack of Troy.
Agamemnon, one of the main leaders, stays behind to try and make Athena happy. But Diomedes and Nestor sail away right away. They make it home safely.
Menelaus also sails, but he runs into a big storm. He loses most of his ships and ends up in Egypt. He is stuck there for several years before he can go home. Other Greeks, like the prophet Calchas, travel by land. Calchas dies on the way and is buried.
More Heroes Return
As Agamemnon prepares to sail, the ghost of Achilles appears to him. Achilles warns Agamemnon about what will happen to him. But Agamemnon still makes a sacrifice and sails.
Meanwhile, Neoptolemus (Achilles' son) gets a visit from his grandmother, the sea-nymph Thetis. She tells him to wait and offer more gifts to the gods.
Zeus, the king of the gods, sends a storm against Agamemnon and his men. This is because Athena asked him to. During the storm, Ajax the Lesser dies on some rocks. Neoptolemus listens to Thetis and goes home by land. In a place called Thrace, he meets Odysseus, who has traveled there by sea. Neoptolemus finally arrives home, but his friend Phoenix dies on the way. Neoptolemus is recognized by his grandfather, Peleus.
Agamemnon's Fate
Agamemnon makes it home, but his wife Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus, murder him. Later, Agamemnon's son Orestes gets revenge by killing both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
Finally, Menelaus arrives home from Egypt. At the end of the Nostoi, the only main Greek hero who has not returned home yet is Odysseus. His long journey home is told in the famous story of the Odyssey.
Where to Learn More
If you want to read parts of the Nostoi or summaries of it, you can find them online:
- Parts of the Nostoi translated into English.
- Parts of the complete Epic Cycle translated into English.
See also
