Epic Hero Archetypes

Heroic Archetypes in the Greek Canon: The Role of the Epic Heroine

Across centuries of human history storytelling has been a large portion of how societies have communicated with one another for things as simple as entertainment, education, and social norm building. Many Americans can recall the story of George Washington and the cherry tree and many in the era of Homer’s ancient Greece (and onwards) would fondly know the epic heroic feats of Herakles, Akhilleus, and the man of many adversaries, Odysseus. A common element that all ancient Greek epic poems have is the main hero learns and then applies a cultural lesson throughout their journey. The cultural lessons that are learned are always qualities that are regarded highly by the specific

hero’s society. Going back to the American folktale of George Washington and the cherry tree, this story exhibits the first president’s strong moral obligation to be honest, something that is praised in our modern society to this day.

The ancient Greeks were no different in their approach of adding in moral lessons to their epic poems and the archetypes of epic heroes in them. In fact, what makes an epic hero, an epic hero, is having the ability to successfully show multiple traits of cultural morality, in essence: being a “good” Greek citizen that exhibits numerous characteristics that are held in extreme importance in this specific ancient civilization. Now the archetype of an epic hero can expand and include many more aspects other than just being a “good” Greek male, these qualities of heroism can also apply to female characters in an epic as well. The term to refer to these brave women could be called an epic heroine, nonetheless the gender of said epic hero or heroine does not matter when it comes to their role in the epic poem. A prime example of this in the ancient Greek canon is Homer’s characterization of Penelope, mother of epic-hero-in-training, Telemakhos and beloved wife of the main epic hero of The Odyssey, Odysseus. Although, Penelope is a woman and thus breaks the standard of being the stereotypical male hero that is associated with Greek fiction she does indeed share many of the same qualities as her husband in

terms of their heroic feats and moral learnings on the cultural scope. To the point, Penelope herself may not go on a physical journey like her husband but, she still has the epic hero characteristics of having a clever mind (something the ancient Greeks strived to have), as well as showing great Xenia to all her guests, while protecting her kingdom on Ithaka from harm.
Throughout the epic poem, the audience is cued in on the fact that having a clever mind and being able to deceive people with such wit is a characteristic that ancient Greeks in Homer’s time sought after. This concept is exemplified by how Athena, an immortal goddess and guardian of Odysseus, always praises his clear thinking and knack for deceptive storytelling shown in lines like:
“Whoever gets around you must be sharp
and guileful as a snake; even a god
might bow to you in ways of dissimulation.
You! You chameleon!
Bottomless bag of tricks!”
(Book XIII, lines 371-375, page 239)
However, Odysseus is not the only character in the poem applauded for his clever tricks by gods and mortals alike. Odysseus’s wife is just as cunning as her epic hero husband, given epithets like “Deep-minded queen” and “Wise Penelope.” Like the Kyklopês, Scylla, Charybdis, and many other adversaries Odysseus had to face on his long journey home, Penelope has her own enemies to face and outsmart. These enemies are a large horde of ignorant and destructive suitors that pine after Penelope’s hand in marriage while free-loading off of the resources of Odysseus’s kingdom with no shame or remorse for their wrongdoings.
Penelope uses one notable trick to stall the courting process in the hopes that Odysseus, her true husband, would return home to Ithaka before she had been remarried. In fact, nearing the climax of the poem Penelope explains her act of trickery to a disguised Odysseus. Explaining to him that to hold off the suitors’ advances, she first told them that she would choose a husband from the group once she was done weaving a grave shroud for Odysseus’s father. Penelope continues her story revealing the rest of her plan explaining that “Every day I [she] wove on the great loom, but every night by torchlight I [she] unwove it..” (Book XIX, lines 174-175, page 358) The wise queen, Penelope was able to deceive the suitors and Akhaians for three years with this plan, which is certainly no small feat on her part. Even within the text, Odysseus himself remarks on Penelope’s cleverness with her plan of “Charming gifts out of the suitors with talk of marriage, though she intended none.” (Book XVIII, lines 350-351, page 345) Penelope may not be on a long journey home or on the battlefield using her clever mind and tricks nonetheless, she still has many opponents to defeat in her path. The only difference between the strategies Penelope comes up with and the clever tricks odysseus spins are the stage in which the two put their clear thinking to use. The epic heroine’s battleground is at home protecting her kingdom while the epic hero is away on his physical journey back home.
Another cultural lesson that Penelope demonstrates in the text is the act of Xenia, the ancient Greek concept of hospitality and friendship between hosts and guests. Although, their roles may be reversed (Odysseus is predominantly the guest and Penelope was always the host) the two both show excellent Xenia to those they are in company of. In context, Penelope’s noblest act of Xenia, within the poem, is how she welcomes a mysterious beggar (actually Odysseus in disguise but his identity is kept hidden from his wife until later in the story) into her home. At first, the disguised Odysseus is treated poorly by the suitors with verbal taunts and even physical violence against him, when Penelope hears of this she is deeply offended by the suitors disregard for Xenia. Penelope then asks Eumaios to “Send him here, so I can greet and question him.” (Book XVII, lines 675-676, page 328) Even in the turmoil that has befallen Penelope and her home she still goes out of her way to greet the unknown stranger at her door. Not to mention, Penelope must defend her guest constantly from the hostility of the suitors and even her own handmaids. Wise Penelope even sharply reprimands one of her maids in particular for their cruelty with lines like:
“Oh, shameless,
through and through! And do you think me blind,
blind to your conquest? It will cost your life.”
(Book XIX, lines 110-112, page 356)
Now to the modern reader the act of Xenia may not seem as important in a society filled with various hotels and places to stop when on a trip somewhere, but to the ancient Greeks in Homer’s time such luxuries did not exist, and so it was crucial for travelers to find welcoming homes to stay in that practiced excellent Xenia. The importance of being a gracious host in ancient Greek society is illustrated in how the cultural lesson interacts with text, as those who show good Xenia are the epic heros and those who do not are usually an antagonist of some kind (be it a one eyed giant or a horde of unruly suitors). Both Odysseus and Penelope are of course examples of epic heros that show Xenia just from different perspectives: one as the host and the other as the guest. Penelope is always shown as being a good host as she herself does not go on an extensive journey like her husband where she needs to rely on other to provide her shelter. That however, does not discount her from still being an epic hero or heroine in her case. Penelope’s heroic feat is protecting her kingdom on Ithaka as Odysseus’s is beating all the odds and making it home again.
Even with the restrictions of gender roles, Penelope shares many traits with Odysseus, and was able to use them to her advantage in her situation, which differs from Odysseus' due to the nature of ancient Greece’s patriarchal society. To Homer’s audience a “good” Greek woman protected the home and made sure everything was in order. As stated before, The characters who exemplify the the traits of a model Greek citizen are the protagonists of the story, they are the heros. This same trail of thought can be applied to Penelope’s character. Penelope's clever mind, her excellent practice of Xenia, and successfully defending her homeland are what make her a truly an epic heroine. While the male counterpart of an epic hero is more centered around an actual physical journey which the epic heroine does not require. Summing up all of those main factors of the epic hero archetype, it is easy to see that Penelope is an exemplary model of an epic heroine role and character.