Well, there's the adventure on the island of the Lotus - Eaters. His men who ate the lotus lost all desire to return home. Odysseus had to drag them back to the ship. Then there was his encounter with Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla was a six - headed monster and Charybdis was a whirlpool. He had to choose between the two deadly perils, and he chose to pass by Scylla, sacrificing some of his men in the process.