This book contains two short adventures (Aeolus and the Laestrygonians), followed by one long one (Circe); cf. Introduction to 9.

1–79 Fourth adventure: Aeolus. This episode illustrates that Odysseus has fallen out of grace with the gods (cf. 9.554–5): Aeolus, himself a man ‘dear to the gods’ (2), concludes, on account of the mishap with the bag of winds, that Odysseus is a man ‘hated by the gods’ (74, 75). Again, the misery of the Greeks is self-inflicted (cf. adventures 1 and 3), as Odysseus-narrator notes, speaking of their ‘folly’ (27) and ‘stupidity’ (79).

The adventure revolves around the *‘sleep’ motif: the companions open the bag of winds while Odysseus is asleep. Their foolish behaviour forms an anticipatory doublet † of their slaughter of Helius' cattle during his sleep (Book 12), an act which will have much graver consequences. For Odysseus, who is worn out, sleep was at first ‘sweet’ (31: γλυΚὺς ὕπνος, a standard combination), but afterwards he calls it ‘cruel’ (68–9: ὕπνος | σχέτλιος a unique combination; the enjambement highlights the qualification). A similar change of focalization of his sleep occurs in 12.327–96n.

This adventure confronts Odysseus with a new variant of hospitality (cf. Introduction to 9): his host first receives him properly (entertaining him, asking interested questions, and providing him with an escort to his next destination), but later rejects him when he returns a second time.