Essay About Odysseus Adventures And Athena Disguises

Oddesy
Oddesy
When you think about Greek Epic heroes, Odysseus will most
likely come to mind. Odysseus is the main character in
Homers poem “The Odyssey.” “The Odyssey” is a narrative
poem that describes Odysseus adventures and obstacles in
his quest to return home to Ithaca, where he is king, from
the Trojan war. Odysseus has been gone for two decades. All
the other chieftains have returned home, however, Odysseus
whereabouts are unknown.
One of the things that makes Odysseus a Greek hero is that
he is favored by the gods. In the Odyssey the gods help
Odysseus many times. When Poseidon struck Odysseus ship
with lightning, Odysseus was able to survive because a
goddess named Ino gave him a magical cloak. The cloak
prevents Odysseus from drowning. When Odysseus men are
turned into swine by Circe, Hermes the messenger god gives
Odysseus a magical herb that prevents Circe from using her
spells on him. Due to this Odysseus was able to gain favor
in Circes eyes and he convinced her to turn his men back
to normal. Towards the end of the book, when Odysseus
returns to Ithica, Athena disguises him as a beggar. The
disguise was to fool the suitors, who are eating Odysseus
out of his home and are harassing his wife Penelope, and to
get Odysseus access to the palace.
The ancient Greeks used to say that a true hero must show
respect to the gods by giving them sacrifices and praying
to them. Odysseus gives sacrifices to the gods in many
instances in “The Odyssey.” When Odysseus goes to Hades ,
the underworld, he sacrifices a ram and an ewe to the gods.
When Odysseus defeats Polyphemus, the Cyclops, who is the
son of Poseidon the god of the sea, Odysseus gives
sacrifices to the gods. Lastly when Odysseus defeats those
horrible suitors that outnumbered him by so much Odysseus
realizes that it was the gods who helped him do this. The
feats of strength and the ability to overcome
insurmountable odds could not be performed by a mere mortal
without help from the gods. Therefore he makes sacrifices
to the gods. When Odysseus is in trouble he always shows
that he is depending on the gods by praying to them. The
fact that the gods usually listen to him shows that he is
well liked by the gods. In order to be a Greek hero you had
to be liked by the gods since religion was such a big part
in their lives.
Odysseus, with the help of the gods, can survive adventures
that kill most other men. Odysseus travels to the island of
the Cyclopians. The Cyclopians are giants that have one
eye, they dont fear the gods because they believe that
they are better than the gods and they eat people. They
represent the opposite of what Greek men should be.
Odysseus and his men meet Polyphemus the cyclops.
Polyphemus being a cyclops eats some of Odysseus men.
Odysseus with the help of the gods figures out a plan to
escape and he does. Scylla is a ferocious monster with six
heads that kills