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As we know Athene is Odysseus' protector, but what if she was not in the story, who would it be? Hermes, the messenger God, would be a great protector. He could give everyone information that only he would know. He could lead Odysseus on the right path to get him home safe. Hermes could also help fix little situations that are happening throughout the story. Hermes would be the perfect protector for Odysseus. One of the key reasons Hermes would be the best protector is he would be able to deliver messages to Odysseus. Having Hermes as a protector would put Odysseus at an advantage to know the inside scoop on things Odysseus may not be able to find out on his own. He may know what Poseidon is planning on doing and be able to tell Odysseus. Hermes could also deliver important details to Penelope, Odysseus wife. This could allow Penelope to tell the suitors she's waiting for Odysseus to come home. Relieving this problem could allow Telemachus, Odysseus' son, to feel relived about his father and make a different decision on leaving the palace to find him. Hermes could actually change the whole story due to his own power of being a messenger. …show more content…
Hermes could definitely portray an excellent guide to Odysseus. Hermes could give him little items on his journey home to keep him safe. This could be as little as a compass or a map. The item could also be as big as a boat to cross the lake. Odysseus' goal is to get home to Penelope. However, Odysseus may not know the correct path to take. Hermes could lead him on the safest path home. This gesture by Hermes could keep Odysseus safe and calm his whole way home. This guiding home could relate back to his power on delivering messages and being in on plans of others who are out to get Odysseus. Hermes would be the prime
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
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
This was a major step in the hero’s journey because it helped Odysseus discover and meet new friends, mentors, enemies, challenges, skills and new knowledge. This self-knowledge began with Odysseus not having any friends who trust him whatsoever. The main reason to do so is, in book nine, Odysseus doesn’t make any new friends considering the fact that he has a problem with letting his hubris get into the way of letting him believe someone is actually good enough to be friends with him. Here, it is clearly articulated that he was too boastful for him depend on anyone. This is major because not only does he avoid dependence, but he also avoids trust put on him. If he is too selfish, no one will believe his word, as they will think it’s all for himself and not any for them. The part of the epic which identifies this is when Odysseus gives specific instructions to his crew to not open the bag which was given by Aeolus. Only Odysseus knew that the bag contained powerful winds which could help them reach Ithaca, but this is hidden from the crew. They had already identified Odysseus as selfish, so they expected the bag to be full of treasure, and how mankind is, they wanted some too. To the readers’ surprise, this all changes the minute he enters Ithaca. He is welcomed by his dog, Argos, and was helped a kind shepherd who filled in Odysseus
She transforms him into the beggar which allows him to get close to the suitors. She guides his arrow and protects him in the battle against the suitors (22.303). She “turned their shot” so that their arrows would not kill Odysseus. She arrives in the form of Mentor and fights along side Odysseus (22.233). Without Athena, Odysseus would have had an almost impossible job of succeeding in his homecoming. In the end Athena patches things over nicely between Odysseus and the angry fathers of the suitors. Again she protects Odysseus from being killed by “blotting out the memory of sons and brothers slain” of the suitors ' fathers (24.536). Although Odysseus does achieve much of his success seemingly through his own scheme and wit, Athena 's assistance cannot be over
In every journey the hero also has a mentor. In this story Athena, the gray-eyed goddess of wisdom, has taken on this role for both Odysseus and Telemachus. Athena was by Odysseus’ side as a guide for much of the beginning of his Journey. Athena also is a guide to Odysseus when he’s not even aware o...
Freeing Odysseus from Kalypso, controlling the wind so he could float in the correct direction to shore, and arranging a meeting between Nausikaa and Odysseus are just a examples of how Athena helped Odysseus in the book. Zeus, god of gods, also spoke highly of Odysseus by saying, “Could I forget the kingly man Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky.”(Homer 1. 84-86) Odysseus’ ability to do more than most men shows the reader that he is the hero of the story. This archetype allows the reader to understand the importance Odysseus has in the story. It also allows the reader to know why he is loved and known by so
...o all guests saved Odysseus and helped him return home to his wife, son, and kingdom. Even though people from many different kingdoms and islands took Odysseus in their home and showed him great kindness on his return home, the individual who helped him most was the goddess Athena. In many occasions Athena assisted Odysseus. One such example is when Odysseus was fighting of the suitors and they threw spears at him. "Re-forming, the suitors threw again with all their strength, but Athena turned their shots, or all but two (p 566)." Another instance which Athena aided Odysseus was when she disguised him as a beggar on his arrival to his homeland. "Would even you have guessed that I am Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, I that am always with you in times of trial, a shield to you in battle (p 444)." "Your goddess-guardian to the end in all your trials (p 539)."
A hero is a person with great strength or courage. Odysseus portrays a true hero in The Odyssey. He is the true hero of this epic because he has saved his men on many occasions using his cunning behavior and vast intellect. It shows he has the courage of a true hero.
The Character Odysseus in Odyssey "Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus was one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscles. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character.
Odysseus was an epic hero depicted in the Homer's The Odyssey. He responded to the call to travel to Troy to help Agamemnon get Helen. He encountered great confrontation along the way. He fought the Cicones, the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, the witch goddess Circe, the lonely Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the Sun, and Calypso. He and his men traveled great distances under severe circumstances. Odysseus answers a second call to return home to his family. He returns a more mature warrior and a wiser man. Because of this he is able to conquer the suitors and reclaim his palace and his family. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life.
She knows that it will make him stronger. There is an old saying, which goes along with this situation, ‘what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’” (Lower). Athena is widely alluded to as a guardian angel in this epic, because she is constantly watching over Odysseus and Telemachus. At the climax of the epic, Athena assists Odysseus one last time.
Odysseus plays the role of an ideal human figure for the Greeks because he has a lot of spiritual qualities about himself that make him a good individual to get guidance from. When he leaves Ithaca on his ten year voyage he has a good spiritual relationship. On his voyage Athena is a great supporter of his and encourages him along the way. Throughout his journey his spirituality becomes much stronger with the difficulties that he has to face with each monster or person he encounters. Once he gets through one obstacle, it gives him more faith that he can conquer the next problem he has to face. Through his spiritual journey his develops more wisdom and smarts
Was not Odysseus your favorite when...he sacrificed to you?’...’Can I forget godlike Odysseus, most astute of men, whose offerings were so unstinting when he sacrificed to the undying gods,’” (5). Athena takes her time to remind Zeus that Odysseus has been faithful to them even in the midst of war, when Zeus would have otherwise forgotten. If Athena had not done this Zeus would not have helped Odysseus in his recurring times of need. This help from Athena allows it to be seen that without Athena's help Odysseus would not have had Zeus’ help alongside her own. This lack of help would have resulted in many times where Odysseus would have met death instead of continuing on to be considered a hero. Although Athena is the one who used her powers to give the unworthy Odysseus this title. Also, as Odysseus finally returns to Ithica he plots to take down the suitors that still reside in his
The prolonged conflict in this circumstance is the amount of time he has spent in Ogygia. If Odysseus acted like the brave man Hermes thought he was, Odysseus would have been up, using every bit of brain power he had to think of any way possible to escape the nymph with lovely braids and get home to restore the city dear to him. Another reason as to why Odysseus is more accurately described as battle-weary in Book 5 is because of how Odysseus reacts to Poseidon’s wrath out at sea on the way to Scheria, home of the Phaeacians. As Odysseus is out at sea sailing on his makeshift raft to Scheria, home of the Phaeacians, Poseidon realizes what Odysseus is trying to accomplish, becomes angry, and creates a huge storm, providing a massive obstacle for Odysseus to overcome. Instead of Odysseus fighting through the pain, he questions whether or not he should have been dead years ago in the Trojan
For instance, without the help of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, Odysseus could not have completed his journey back home. With Zeus and Poseidon fighting against him, Odysseus is left with a vigorous and unruly predicament. He has no other choice to receive help from Athena, who could not be happier to assist. In multiple circumstances, Athena disguises Odysseus, which in turn helps him retain information as another persona. As he arrives on the island of the Phaeacians, Athena disguises him in a cloud of mist, allowing him to make an entrance without causing attention. This aids him in the long run because he is able to create trust between him and King Alkinoos, a fortunate ally. Later in the Epic, Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar on his home island of Ithaca.