The Cattle of Geryon

THE CATTLE OF GERYON In Greek myth, apart from the red-coated cattle of Geryon, there were also red cattle on the island of the sun-godHelios. In theOdyssey, we read that Odysseus’ companions, when they were returning to Ithaca, stopped off at this island and ate the cattle, even though Odysseus had warned them that the gods would be enraged at this lack of respect. His compan- ions, however, didn’t listen to him and they paid with their lives, for the gods sent a storm and they all drowned, apart from Odysseus. Cows are sacred in India. They roam freely on the roads and people revere them and look after them. Look up in an encyclopaedia or on the internet how humans benefit from raising cattle. Write down what you find. • How did they raise them in the past and how do they do it today? • What are the positive and negative points of the contemporary method of raising these animals? • How are cows raised in your country?