The Odyssey

Cedric Erhard

Great Books

Sept. 28, 1993

Period 1

The Idea of the Greek Hero

Homer’s Odyssey outlines the three basic qualities that the Bronze Age Greeks expected in a hero. Like heroes in almost in any age, the Greek hero had to lead a life of daring risks. The Greeks expected the hero’s deeds to exhibit both strength and courage. In addition, he must experience the patronage of the gods. Yet most importantly, the Greek hero had to possess a mind that matched his brawn. Odysseus provides a paragon of all these heroic virtues.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh of Uruk conquers the volcano-like Humbaba, defies the goddess Ishtar, defeats the Bull of Heaven, passes through the darkness of Mashu, and crosses the waters of death in quest of immortality. Like his more ancient predecessor, Odysseus also takes on the challenges of both the natural and the supernatural worlds - with relish. On his way home from the Trojan War - before he enters the mysterious Otherworld of his wanderings, Odysseus leads his men on a raid against Ismaros, a Ciconian city, where he hopes to increase the store of treasure he will take home to Ithaca. Later, in the Otherworld phase of his journey, he braves the dangers of the Cyclopes, of Scylla and Charybdis, and even of Hades itself. Then, within three days of his return to Ithaca, he takes his vengeance on 108 suitors with the help of only his son and two servants.

A man of both strength and courage, Odysseus proves those virtues in scene after scene. After Zeus destroys his last ship with a thunderbolt, Odysseus floats on the ship’s keel back to Charybdis where he hangs on to a fig tree while the whirlpool swallows his ship and waits until it spews it back up again hours later. Finally, after repeated failures on the part of Penelope’s suitors, Odysseus takes up his great bow in the presence of an overwhelmingly large and hostile crowd. “Then as easily as a skilled musician stretches a new string on his harp…without an effort Odysseus strung the great bow.” (242)

Like most Greek heroes, Odysseus also enjoys the special concern of a god. Athena plays the role of his divine protector. From the very beginning of the epic, Homer shows her interceding on Odysseus’ behalf. She pleas to Zeus in an assembly of the gods, “I am anxious about him, poor fellow, kept from his friends all this while, in trouble and sorrow…Don’t you owe him something for all those sacrifices he used to offer in their camp on the plain of Troy?” (12) After winning Zeus’s approval, she busies herself not only with getting Odysseus safely home but also in guiding Telemachos through a maturing quest of his own. When Odysseus arrives home, she praises him, saying, “A cunning rogue he would be, master of craft, who would outwit you! Even a god couldn’t do it . . . you are the paragon of mankind at planning and story-telling . . .” (154) Athena guides and guards Odysseus through retribution and into peace at the end of the story.

In the end, wit and words win out over might and muscle. The Greek hero must use his mind with the same skill that he uses his sword or spear. Odysseus does. Even before he skewers the single eye of Polyphemos, he introduces himself as Noman. Consequently, when the Cyclops cries in agony for help, he can only tell the others that “Noman is killing me.” (108). Because his desire for knowledge and experience outweighs even his lust for treasure, he cleverly has himself lashed to the mast so that he can hear the Sirens’ song without falling prey to the deadly creatures. Back home on Ithaca, he responds to the need for caution by fabricating convincing tales of a Cretan who has met Odysseus. His patience in dealing with Iros, Antinoos, Ctesippos, and the others all testify to his mental control. Indeed, Homer states the theme of his epic as that of “one who was never at a loss.” (11)

Throughout the story, Odysseus’ adventures exhibit his sense of daring, his strength and courage, his special relationship with Athena, and his cleverness. Helen tells Telemachos one tale of his father’s exploits at Troy. That tale sums up all of Odysseus’ heroic qualities.

“He had allowed himself to be cruelly scored with lashes; and with a ragged old rag over his shoulders, like a menial, he entered the streets of the enemy town; he pretended to be a beggar, when he was anything but that in the Achaian fleet. In this disguise he entered the city of Troy, and they were all taken in…He killed many a Trojan with his own spear before he got back again, and he brought away many secrets.” (49)

Odysseus stands as the supreme example of the Greek hero, a man perfect in body, mind, and spirit.