The Odyssey's crew meets various fates. The most famous is when Polyphemus the Cyclops devours men: "He ripped them limb by limb to make his meal, then ate them like a lion on the mountains, devouring flesh, entrails, and marrow bones, and leaving nothing."
Unlikely Deaths
The most unlucky is Elpenor, who drunkenly falls from Circe's rooftop: "He fell down crashing headlong from the roof, and broke his neck, right at the spine. His spirit went down to Hades."
Data and Estimates
The numbers are not exact, as it is a work of fiction. The timeline is also imprecise. The data come from sources including a Literature Stack Exchange answer and the text itself. Many events give exact casualties, but the overall number of men at the start is unknown. Odysseus has twelve ships, and in the Iliad, crews range between 50 and 120. At Circe's island, the survivors likely number two bands of 22 plus one leader each, including Odysseus: 46 total. This gives an estimate of 52 per ship based on the six killed by the Cicones. For the timeline, seven years are weighted on Calypso's island, one year on Circe's, and the remaining time divided equally among other events. Thanks to associate professor Greta Hawes at Macquarie University for feedback.
