Odysseus
Posted on | February 19, 2008 |
Odysseus was a legendary Greek King of Ithaca, an island in the Ionian sea along Greece’s northwestern coast. He figured prominently in Homer’s epic poem Iliad, and was the hero of Homer’s The Odyssey. He was beloved by the Greeks for his cunning and resourcefulness, and became one of the most trusted advisors during the Trojan War. He is perhaps best know, though, for his ten-year journey home to Ithaca following the end of the Trojan War.
Mythology
Odysseus was the son of an Argonaut, Laertes, and his wife Anticleia.
Prior to the Trojan War, and Oracular prophecy told Odysseus that he would be delayed greatly in getting home if he chose to participate in the Trojan War. After the war’s inception, Odysseus tried to feign madness in order to escape going. In an attempt to convince others he was crazy, he harnessed an ox and an donkey to his plow and covered his fields in salt. Palamedes saw through Odysseus’ charade and placed Odysseus’ son in front of the plow. Odysseus veered the plow away from his son and was thus sent off to war. He never forgave Palamedes, and eventually had Palamedes framed as a traitor. As a result, the Greeks stoned Palamedes to death.
Odysseus was a tireless champion of the Greek cause throughout the Trojan War, and was instrumental in convincing Achilles to return to the battle. After Achilles was killed in battle, Odysseus and Telamonian Ajax recovered Achilles’ body and battle armor in the midst of heavy fighting. Achilles’ arms were offered to the bravest Greek, and only Odysseus and Telamonian Ajax dared lay claim to them. After much dispute, Odysseus was rewarded with Achilles’ arms. Humiliated, Ajax committed suicide.
Many other important advances in the war were the work of Odysseus, including persuading Achilles’ son Pyrrhus to fight, and retrieving the poisonous arrows of Heracles. He and Diomedes conspired to steal the Palladium from the city of Troy after learning from Helenus the prophet, who Odysseus had captured, that Troy could not be defeated unless the Palladium had been captured.
As a punishment for his crimes during the Trojan War, Odysseus was cursed to endure a belaboring ten years before he could return home to Ithaca. After departing Troy, Odysseus’ ships stopped in Ismara, where they raided and looted the city. Even though Odysseus urged his men to return to the ships quickly, they did not listen and fell asleep on the beach. They were attacked the next morning by kinsmen of the Ismara, the Ciconians. Odysseus’ men made a hasty retreat but left many men behind.
Odysseus and his men stopped in the land of the Lotus-Eaters, where some of his men went ashore to eat and drink with the inhabitants. The men ceased to care about even going home, and had to be dragged back to the ship against their will by Odysseus.
A scouting party in the territory of the Cyclops revealed a large cave filled with livestock. Odysseus and his men proceed to eat the sheep and cattle, unaware the Cyclops shared the cave. The Cyclops trapped Odysseus and his men inside the cave by blocking the door with a giant boulder. Odysseus gave the Cyclops a bowl of strong wine and introduced himself as “Nobody.” The Cyclops became very sleepy, allowing Odysseus and his men to fashion a spear out of a tree, which they used to blind the Cyclops. In the morning, the men escaped by tying themselves to the bottoms of sheep, which the Cyclops let out of the cave to graze. Only upon sailing away did Odysseus reveal his true identity to the Cyclops, which lay a curse that he should only return home alone and without his ship.
Among Odysseus’ many other adventures on his journey home was his stop in Circe. Her magical potion had put his crew members to sleep, allowing Circe to turn them into pigs. Odysseus had been warned by Hermes, though, about her potions, and had advised Odysseus to take the herb moly to counteract its effects. When Circe could not put Odysseus to sleep, she fell in love with him. Odysseus stayed with her for a year, and they had a son together, named Telegonus. Odysseus also managed to convince Circe to return his men.
After surviving the underworld, the Sirens, and having his ships and his men destroyed by Zeus after they ate Helios’ sacred cattle, Odysseus finally arrived back in Ithaca. He found that his wife Penelope had been faithful to him during his entire absence, and had managed to ward off the suitors who demanded she remarry. While dressed like a beggar, Penelope concocted a contest to win her hand in marriage that only Odysseus could win. After he had won, Athena lifted Odysseus’ disguise and he was reunited with his wife. Odysseus, his son Telemachus, and Eumaeus, together killed the would-be suitors and those who had supported them. Eventually the families of the slain suitors and Odysseus made peace with each other.
Odysseus in Popular Culture
- Odysseus is paralleled in novels bearing the name Ulysses, written by both Lord Tennyson and James Joyce.
- The song Tale of Brave Ulysses by Cream alludes to Odysseus’ experience with the Sirens.
- The hero in the book The Weird Wanderer travels back in time and discovers he is the reincarnation of Odysseus.
- A Japanese-French anime series, Ulysses 31, is a futuristic version of the adventures of Odysseus.
- The Odyssey was recreated by The Simpsons, with Homer Simpson playing the part of Odysseus.
- Many songs make reference to Odysseus, including The Police’s song King of Pain, Suzanne Vega’s song Calypso, Symphony X’s The Odyssey, and composer Cecil Armstrong Gibbs’ second symphony.
- Actors such as Armand Assante and Sean Bean have portrayed Odysseus in the movies The Odyssey and Troy, respectively.
- The video game Age of Mythology features Odysseus as a playable character.
- George Clooney plays Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother Where Art Thou?, which was based on the Odyssey.
- The character Odie on the cartoon Class of Titans is a descendant of Odysseus, and Desmond Hume’s character on Lost is believed to be partially based on Odysseus.
- A Reenactment of Odysseus’ journey across the Aegean Sea is documented in the German film Unterwegs met Odysseus.
- Lindsay Clarke tells of Odysseus and his journeys in The War at Troy and in The Return from Troy.
Comments
2 Responses to “Odysseus”
Leave a Reply
April 29th, 2009 @ 4:31 pm
i like the site and the info is fab i will use this 4 my homework.
April 30th, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
hello