What happens to Elpenor when he hears the men bustling about in prepreation to leave that causes him percede the rest of the crew to Hades?

Answer 1

Elpenor, one of Odysseus's crew members, dies unexpectedly after falling from a roof while drunk and is left unburied. When he hears the men preparing to leave, he realizes he must precede them to Hades to seek their help in securing a proper burial. His spirit appears to Odysseus in the Underworld, urging him to return to Aiaia and honor his memory, emphasizing the importance of burial rites in Greek culture. This encounter highlights the significance of fate and the bonds between the living and the dead in Homeric literature.