Book XXII

Ulysses tosses aside his rags and declares the contest finished. He shoots Antinous in the throat just as the suitor raises a wine cup, killing him instantly. The other suitors, believing the killing was an accident, scold Ulysses. He reveals who he is and states that they will all pay for squandering his wealth, forcing his servants to be with them, and pursuing his wife. Eurymachus offers to compensate with twenty oxen for each man, along with gold and bronze, but Ulysses refuses to show mercy. Eurymachus then charges at Ulysses and is shot in the chest. Amphinomus attacks next, but Telemachus spears him from behind. Telemachus goes to get armor for himself, his father, the swineherd, and the stockman. Ulysses continues shooting suitors until he runs out of arrows, then grabs a shield and spears. The goatherd Melanthius sneaks in armor for the suitors from the storeroom. On his second trip, the swineherd and stockman catch Melanthius, tie him up, and hang him from the rafters. Minerva appears in the form of Mentor. She reprimands Ulysses, then sits on the rafters as a swallow. The suitors throw spears, but Minerva makes most of them miss. Ulysses and his men keep killing more suitors. Minerva shows her aegis, scaring the remaining suitors, who are then slaughtered. Ulysses kills the priest Leiodes despite his pleas for mercy. Telemachus spares the bard Phemius and the herald Medon. Ulysses discovers all the other suitors are dead. He calls for nurse Euryclea, who points out twelve maidservants who had misbehaved. These women clean up the bodies and blood before being hanged. Melanthius is mutilated. Ulysses purifies the house with sulfur and fire, and the loyal maidservants welcome him warmly.