Hermes, holding his golden wand, leads the shades of the suitors down to the underworld. They follow him gibbering like bats in a cave, past the streams of Ocean, the White Rock, the gates of the Sun, and the land of dreams, to the meadow of asphodel. There they find Achilles talking with Agamemnon. Agamemnon tells Achilles about his magnificent funeral at Troy: the Greeks fought over his body all day, his mother Thetis rose from the sea with her nymphs, the nine Muses sang his dirge, and for seventeen days the gods and mortals mourned him before burning his body and burying his bones in a golden urn with those of Patroclus. His fame will never die. Agamemnon contrasts this glory with his own miserable death at the hands of Aegisthus and his wife.
Agamemnon recognizes one of the suitors, Amphimedon, who had been his host on Ithaca, and asks how so many fine young men came to die together. Amphimedon tells the story from the suitors' point of view: Penelope's trick with the shroud, the return of Odysseus in disguise, the contest of the bow, and the slaughter. He thinks that Penelope planned the contest with her husband, which is not quite true. Agamemnon exclaims in praise of Penelope, saying her fame for virtue will never perish and that the gods will make a lovely song about her, while Clytemnestra's crime will be a hateful song that brings shame on all women.
On earth, Odysseus and his companions reach the farm of his father, Laertes. Odysseus finds the old man alone in the orchard, digging around a plant, dressed in a patched and filthy tunic, leather leggings, and gloves against the brambles. Seeing him worn down by age and grief, Odysseus weeps, but instead of revealing himself at once, he decides to test him. He pretends to be a stranger from Alybas named Eperitus, who once hosted Odysseus five years ago. Laertes weeps and pours dust on his head in grief. This is too much for Odysseus, who throws his arms around his father and declares who he is. Laertes asks for proof. Odysseus shows him the scar from the boar's tusk and then names the trees his father gave him as a child: thirteen pear trees, ten apple trees, forty fig trees, and fifty rows of vines. Laertes' knees give way, and he embraces his son.
After a meal with the old servant Dolius and his sons, news of the killings spreads through the city. The families of the suitors collect the bodies and gather in assembly. Eupeithes, father of Antinous, demands revenge, saying it would be disgraceful not to punish the man who killed their sons. The herald Medon tells them that he saw a god helping Odysseus, and the old seer Halitherses blames the families themselves for not restraining their sons' wickedness. More than half are persuaded, but the rest arm themselves and follow Eupeithes toward Laertes' farm.
On Olympus, Athena asks Zeus what he intends. Zeus says that since Odysseus has taken his revenge, the people should make a lasting treaty: Odysseus will be king, the gods will make them forget the killing of their sons and brothers, and peace and prosperity will return. Athena flies down. At the farm, Odysseus, Telemachus, Laertes, and the loyal servants arm themselves, and Laertes rejoices to see his son and grandson competing in courage. Athena, disguised as Mentor, stands beside Laertes and breathes strength into him. He prays to Zeus and Athena, hurls his spear, and kills Eupeithes. Odysseus and Telemachus charge the enemy and would have killed them all, but Athena shouts for them to stop the fighting. The Ithacans flee in terror. When Odysseus pursues, Zeus throws a thunderbolt that lands in front of Athena, and she warns Odysseus to restrain himself, lest Zeus be angry. He obeys gladly. Athena, still disguised as Mentor, establishes peace between the two sides, and the epic ends.
