Nostos is a Greek word knowing as homecoming. It represents the returning-home trip, usually by sea, of a warrior who fights on foreign land. Nostos is an important theme appearing in most Greek literature. It is also an important and complex practice in Ancient Greek society. Greeks view the homecoming journey as the final test for a hero in the war. Consequently, the trip is not that easy: it usually involves scenes like a shipwreck, an interference from gods, or getting lost. For example, gods let Menelaus lose the trial and let him wander in Egypt for several years before returning home because he did not offer sacrifice to gods who want human’s respect and attention all the time. If the hero overcomes all the difficulties during the trip and manages to return home, he then can successfully prove his greatness and abilities. The completion of the journey is another sign of glory, which Greeks emphasize. However, for those heroes who failed to return safely, the results are often tragic. For instance, Athena made Little Ajax fall to death near the shore of an Island because he did not respect her; Agamemnon was killed by Aegisthus, the secret lover of Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra, when Agamemnon hasn’t reached home. In general, the return is not just about physically returning home, but about retaining a hero’s identity, status, and property upon arrival.
In the book Odyssey, Nostos is one of the main themes of the book. It happened to many heroes in the book— Nestor, Menelaus, and Odysseus— in different ways. Besides, the story is either told by heroes themselves who experienced Nostos or by others who may or may not see the process. When Telemachus, son of Odysseus, went visiting Nestor to find the trail of Odysseus, Telemachus knew the nostos of Nestor from Nestor’s recall: Nestors acquired the god’s sign that told him the right direction, and he safely reached his homeland. It is a perfect Nostos with no real issue. Telemachus also learned from Nestor that Little Ajax failed his Nostos and died on an island. When Telemachus went visiting Menelaus, he also learned about Menelaus’s Nostos: Menelaus was punished by gods and lost the direction because he didn’t give sacrifice to gods to show his respect. He wandered around Egypt for several years until he met a goddess who told him the reason for his suffering and how to end it. From the goddess, he also learned that Odysseus was trapped in an island. Menelaus then gave sacrifice to god to appease the gods’ anger, and he finally reached home. It’s a Nostos with mild suffering. The main character Odysseus’s Nostos, is the hardest. According to his later recall and Menelaus’s hearing, Odysseus’s team first met goddess Circe who turned most sailors into pigs. Later, Odysseus’s ship collapsed near the shore of Island Ogygia. He was the only person alive at that time. The owner of the island, goddess Calypso fell in love with Odysseus and did not want to let him leave. Consequently, Odysseus was trapped by Calypso on the island for seven years. When he left the island and was about to reach the land, god Poseidon created a strong wave that almost killed him. It’s a Nostos with lots of suffering.
While Odysseus was far away, his love for his family and home motivates him to seek ways to reach home, to complete his Nostos safely. He kept watching in the direction of his home when staying on the island. Even he could become eternal by staying with goddess Calypso, his longing to go home remains as a strong desire.
The book Odyssey is going to tell what Odysseus is going to do after he finished his Nostos. One unresolved problem is how to deal with those suitors that robbed the possession of Odysseus. It is a new journey of restoring a hero’s identity and property, a journey that accompanies the theme of Nostos.

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