Odyssey Hero's Journey

Merriam-Webster defines a hero as,”A person who is admired for great or brave acts.” In the epic poem The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must go through a journey to become a full fledged hero. The journey of a hero has three main stages; The Separation, Initiation and Transformation, and The Return. Odysseus becomes a different person by the end of the poem due to these stages. Each one of the stages are vital to Odysseus’ transformation as a hero.
The first stage of The Hero’s Journey is The Separation, within The Separation there is the call which is the “invitation”for the hero to go on his journey. In the case of The Odyssey the call occurs according to greek mythology, when Odysseus is called to fight in the Trojan War. The second

part of the Separation is The Threshold, which is the “door away” or “jumping off point” that the hero must go through to start his journey. Odysseus’ threshold is his boat that he uses to get to Troy. There is also the Threshold Guardians, those who protect the hero or point him in the right direction, and the Helpers, helps the hero throughout his journey. Odysseus has Athena as both his Threshold Guardian and Helper. Throughout the poem Athena helps Odysseus; for example, in Book 18 Athena makes Odysseus looks stronger when he’s about to fight Irus. Odysseus is getting prepared for his journey in the first stage with receiving the Call, going into the Threshold, and receiving Threshold Guardians, and a Helper. This stage is important because it starts the Hero’s Journey and is the beginning of Odysseus’ adventure.
The second stage of The Hero’s Journey is the Initiation and the Transformation.

The parts of the Initiation are the Challenges, Tempters, and the Abyss. Odysseus’ main Challenges is him trying to find his way home. He has two tempters, Calypso and Circe who both tried to keep him from going home, and his Abyss is him going into underworld. In the underworld Odysseus must face those who have died before him, “The souls of the dead gathered...with an eerie cry, and pale fear seized me”(11;159;36-41). This quote shows how Odysseus is afraid of the ghosts, but he must get over this fear in order to question them and receive information. Once Odysseus leaves the Underworld he goes into his Transformation. During the Transformation the hero has a Revelation and Atonement. Odysseus’ has his Revelation later on in the poem when he returns home to Ithaca,”Odysseus went up from, the harbor….he would find the noble swineherd”(14;206;1-4). Instead of being impulsive and going to straight to his suitors and murdering them he goes to his swineherd's home. Odysseus has become less impulsive and thinks things through more after leaving the Underworld. Odysseus has become one with his new self and has his Atonement. He uses his Atonement to his advantage by planning out the murder of the suitors. In this second stage Odysseus changes the most with him becoming less impulsive. These stages are the most important parts of The Hero’s Journey;this is where Odysseus is shaped into the mold of a

hero. He has a new attitude and views which will greatly help him in the return.
The final stage of the Hero’s Journey is the Return.

In the return the hero must return to everyday life and often becomes a better person. Odysseus’ return is filled with murder but he does become a better person afterwards. He now thinks things through more and he plans how to deal with the death of all the suitors,”Then sponge down all of the beautiful tables and chairs,”(22;350;464-465). This quote shows that he knows that he must get rid of the evidence and break the news of the suitors death himself. In the Return the hero is often has gifts in Odysseus’ case it is his family,”This brought tears from deep within him, and as he wept he clung to his beloved wife,”(23;360;238-239). Odysseus weeps when he is finally with his wife. The main point of The Odyssey is Odysseus getting home to the family he loves. This quote shows just how much Odysseus cares and loves his family. Odysseus has received many gifts throughout the Odysseus and has lost all of them one way or another, except for the greatest gift of all his family. The Return is the last part of The Hero’s Journey and is where the a person becomes a hero, Odysseus finally achieves that title at the end of the

Odyssey.
In order for Odysseus to become a hero he has to go through the stages of a hero, each one of them being extremely vital for his transformation. Odysseus will now become a better person due to his change in personality and views from the Transformation stage. He is no longer impulsive and may become a better husband,father, and even leader. Each stage helps Odysseus; The Separation is what starts the adventure for Odysseus and forced him to become a hero, The Initiation and The Transformation causes Odysseus to face his fears and to become a new person, and the final stage The Return has Odysseus becoming a better person and finally a hero. The Hero’s Journey has created a hero out of Odysseus, one that will be known for centuries.