The original "Return of the King"

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First there was Odysseus, also known as Ulysses. After the victory in Troy, for ten years he roamed the Mediterranean Sea, lost, as he couldn’t find his way home. He was a prisoner, he even lost his memory for some time, but he managed to return to Ithaca. His family and people were desperate. His own son went out to look for him, in vain. Only his faithful wife still hoped he would return and refused to marry again.

Then there was Alexander, the greatest of all kings, who went to the East to change the world and never returned home, not even his remains did. They disappeared without a trace in Egypt. Then there was Arthur, mythical king of Britain, who sailed to Avalon and didn’t return either. Finally, there was Sebastian, king of Portugal, who sailed to Morocco, lost the war as Arthur had done, and was never seen again. The nostalgia the greatness of Alexander left in Europe created a tradition for the peoples in need to expect their saviour-king to return. Both Arthur and Sebastian are due in a foggy dawn. For Alexander only a “Second Coming” will do, transferred by the Christians to Jesus.
But none of those three is the original expected king, who really returned to save his family, his people and his lands. That one is the hero of Homer’s Odyssey. His return has been the talk of the cultural media for the last days, as two experts proved the astronomical descriptions in the text were accurate and arrived to a specific date for his return to the palace: 16 of April 1178 b.C., around noon. That was the time of the eclipse described by Homer, when Odysseus kills those who had occupied his palace. Does that mean it was the real time when that happened? Could be, but I don’t think so.

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There are three main factors we should consider when we read Homer. First: the story is true; the characters existed; there was a long war with Troy and the Greeks won. This doesn’t mean that the poet tells the story historically. He’s a poet. He turns into art the simple things of life as well as the great deeds. That’s the second factor. The third is that we tend to forget how important the sky was for the ancient civilizations. Sailors knew all there was to know about the stars, as they sailed in starry skies without nautical instruments, for there were none. The art of a poet was to make verses, which were to be recited, listened to and known by heart, from generation to generation, so the deeds and the heroes would not be forgotten. It seems very logical then to connect the heroes and deeds to astronomical realities: to put the heroes in the sky, to make the events consequence of the will of the gods of Heaven (Olympus). Why is Achilles connected to the most important star of Antiquity, Sirius? Why is the return of Odysseus connected to the total eclipse of the Sun? The answer is: because the astronomical reference was the most important trait in that culture.
We've forgotten. We always do. For centuries, we thought Troy never existed, let alone the heroes of Homer. And now, when we face Homer’s astronomical accuracy, it’s so hard to believe how scientific the Bronze Age was. We are still learning to be humble when looking at the past.This theory first appeared in a book I recommend only to experts, because it’s not an easy read, but it’s a worthy one: Homer's Secret "Iliad": The Epic of the Night Skies Decoded, by Florence and Kenneth Wood.

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So, what’s my conclusion? I believe Odysseus returned home around the time mentioned, in the Spring. I believe he was cunning as ever preparing the attack with his son. I believe he killed all of his wife’s suitors and regained his power. And I believe the poets who told his tale (before Homer and Homer himself) knew about the position of the planets and the stars the days before the great eclipse. All they did was to make his return divine. Isn't that what true poets do best?
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