While they were debating, Medon and Phemius appeared on the scene, and described the manner in which the wooers had met their end.  “The hand of Heaven,” said Medon, “was made manifest in the deed.  I myself saw Athene leading the onset, and your sons were laid low like ripe sheaves before the sickle.”  This report chilled their courage not a little; and Halitherses, seeing the effect produced, exerted all his eloquence to put an end to the blood feud.  Nevertheless more than half of those present persisted in their purpose, and donning their armour went forth from the town to meet the party of Odysseus.

The encounter took place in front of the farmhouse, where Odysseus and the others had just taken their morning meal.  Laertes, who seemed to have recovered all the vigour of his youth, led the attack, and by a well-aimed cast of his lance struck down Eupeithes, the leader of the opposing party.  This success was followed up by a vigorous charge, in the midst of which a supernatural voice was heard in the air, striking terror into the assailants of Odysseus, who turned and fled in wild panic towards the town.  They were hotly pursued, and not a man would have been left alive had not Zeus himself interposed to stay the slaughter.  By his command Athene acted as mediator between Odysseus and the kinsmen of the wooers, and an oath of amnesty was taken on both sides, confirmed with solemn prayer and sacrifice.

PRONOUNCING LIST OF NAMES

[Transcriber’s note:  The orignial list contains characters that are not found in normal ASCII, indicating the long or short stress to be put on the vowels.  These are rendered below by the characters in [square brackets], thus:  A “)” indicates a short vowel, and a “=” indicates a long.  So “hay” would be rendered as “h[=a]” and “aha” would be “[)a]h[)a]” and so on.]

Achilles ([)a]kil’ez)
AEetes ([=e]-[=e]’-tez)
AEgaean ([=e]g[=e]’an)
AEgisthus ([=e]gis’thus)
AEgyptus ([=e]gyp’tus)
AEolus ([=e]’[)o]lus)
AEthon ([=e]’thon)
Agamemnon ([)a]g[)a]m[)e]m’non)
Agelaus ([)a]g[)e]l[=a]’us)
Ajax ([=a]’jax)
Alcinous (als[)i]n’-[)o]-us)
Alcmene (alkm[=e]’n[=e])
Alybas ([=a]l’[)i]bas)
Amphinomus (amph[)i]n’[)o]mus)
Anticleia (ant[)i]kl[=i]’a)
Antilochus (ant[)i]l’[)o]chus)
Antiphates (ant[)i]ph’[)a]t[=e]z)
Antinous (ant[)i]n’[)o]us)
Antiphus (an’t[)i]fus)
Apheidas ([)a]f[=i]’das)
Aphrodite ([)a]fr[)o]d[=i]’t[=e])
Arcady (ar’c[)a]d[)i])
Arete ([=a]r[=e]’t[=e])
Arethusa ([)a]r[)e]thy[=u]’s[)a])
Arnaeus (arn[=e]’us)
Artemis (ar’t[)e]mis)
Arybas ([)a]’ribas)
Athene ([)a]th[=e]’n[=e])
Atreus ([=a]’tr[=u]s)
Aurora ([=o]r[=o]’r[)a])

Booetes (b[)o][=o]’t[=e]z)