Athena In The Odyssey Essay

Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. She is one of the 12 Olympians that live on top of Mount Olympus. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, strategy, skill, and justice, and the owl is her sacred bird. In Mandelbaum verse translation of the epic poem the Odyssey of Homer, Athena helped Odysseus by providing guidance, physical, and internal help. Without this help, Odysseus would have to forge the path home by himself and face the challenges that are to come alone. He would be left to face the wrath of both Zeus and Poseidon without another major god’s help. Athena aided Odysseus in the trials he was to face, which gave him the guidance and help he needed to return to his home, Ithaca.

Athena aided Ody in his journey home by providing guidance and advice on difficult obstacles. She gives Odysseus a lot of advice on how to handle perilous obstacles. For example, Athena tells Odysseus to go home in a disguise. This is the reason that she transforms Odysseus back into a poor, shriveled beggar from a godlike man. The new disguise allows Odysseus to get home

safely and plan how to slaughter the suitors. In addition to this, she enhances Odysseus’ abilities multiple times throughout the epic. In book 5, Odysseus was being flayed by the waves in water near sharp, jagged rocks. As Homer says, “His skin would have been flayed, his bones been smashed, had not Athena spurred his wits to act” (5.109). Athena gives Odysseus the power to keep himself safe and alive on his journey home.

Another way that Athena helps Odysseus on his journey is by inspiring him internally. As mentioned above, she blesses him and others connected to him with values like strength and courage. She lead Telemachus throughout his journey, which indirectly benefitted Odysseus. Telemachus will become more responsible to match his father’s image, which will not only make Odysseus proud but also allow him to leave in peace knowing he has a strong heir to take over the throne. When Odysseus visits the Phaeacians and sleeps under the bush, he looks terrible. He looked so terrible that anyone who set their eyes upon him would flee, but Athena blessed Nausicaa with courage so she could talk to Odysseus: “The daughter of Alcinous was left alone: her spirit had received the gift of courage from Athena, who had freed the limbs of the young girl from fear and trembling” (6.120). Odysseus used Nausicaa’s generosity to get to the king and the queen. This ultimately leads to Odysseus receiving numerous gifts and heading back home.

Last, Athena aids Odysseus with his external problems and challenges.

When Odysseus was scrubbing his body in the river, Athena made him look like a god so he would be accepted by the king’s wife. As Homer states, “...Athena, the grey-eyed goddess, made him more robust and taller; and she gave him thicker hair, which flowed down from his head in curls and clusters that seemed much like the hyacinth in flower” (6.123). Besides the looks, Athena also gave him massive amounts of strength. During the physical competitions, Odysseus was showing off to the Phaeacians and he threw the largest and heaviest rock the farthest distance out of all of the men. This action awed both the royal family and the spectators, which allowed Odysseus to be even more admirable. Finally, Athena shrouds Odysseus in a mist so he would remain invisible from other people, preventing him from being questioned by

everyone.

By providing guidance, giving advice, and multiple internal and external blessings, Athena played a massive role in Odysseus’ journey home. She helped Odysseus greatly through multiple aspects and smoothed his rough path home.