The Role Of Mortals In The Odyssey

When I was young, it was easy to wish for infinite days on earth and beautiful youth for all eternity. As time passes, and more knowledge is gained, this wish starts to diminish. Reading the Odyssey really highlighted the differences between mortals and immortals. Over the course of the story we discover how different characters develop in these categories.
A mortal is a human being that has a time-span on their life. They will die eventually and are usually at the mercy of the immortals. Mortals tend to have a more compassionate nature, and have significantly less power than the immortals.
One example of a mortal in the Odyssey is Penelope, Odysseus’s wife. In the story, Penelope waits for 20 years for Odysseus’s return, and refuses to

marry another suitor. She says, “Eurymachos, all my excellence, my beauty and figure, were ruined by the immortals.” (Book 18) This is a great example of how the mortals are usually at the mercy of the immortals (or the gods).
Another example is Euriclaya, the old maid that was Telemachus’ nanny in the story. She was treated like a family member and was highly respected for her wisdom, as a result of her many years of life. The narrator recalls, “Then he opened the doors of the well-builded chamber and sat him on the bed and took off his soft doublet, and put it in the wise old woman’s hands.” (Book 1) The title of “Wise old woman” makes sense because as a mortal, Ericlaya can age and learn as the years pass, but will eventually die.
A final example of a mortal in the Odyssey is Arete, the queen of Phaicia. She is the mother of the princess that finds Odysseus on the river shore and takes him back to their palace. Arete is hospitable, like many other Greeks in the story, and helps Odysseus on his journey. She was a highly respected queen, “So she was held high in the heart and still she is so, by her children, by Alkinoos himself, and by the people, who look toward her as to a god when they see her.” (Book 7) These remarks were made about Arete and they show that although she is not an immortal god, she is respected as they are in the story.
In the Odyssey, the counterparts to the mortals are the immortals, usually referred to as Gods, fairies, nymphs, or any other mythical being.

These beings can be part human or completely mythical and tend to mess with the lives of the humans. They usually have the magical capability of disguising themselves, as Athena does throughout the story.
The first example of an immortal woman in the Odyssey is Athena, the god of wisdom in Greek mythology. Throughout the story, Athena plays a part in Odysseus’s journey and helps him return home. She has the ability to disguise herself as a mortal/human when really she is not. “So he spoke in prayer, and from nearby Athena came to him likening herself to Mentor in voice and appearance.” (Book 2) This is a quote that shows how Athena can disguise herself to help the mortals.
Another example of an immortal in the story is Calypso, the beautiful sea nymph. Calypso uses her magic to hold Odysseus on the island of Ogygia as a sex slave for seven years. She loved odysseys but eventually let him go. Her holding him hostage shows that immortals like Calypso had power over the mortals. “She loved me excessively and cared for me, she promised to make me an immortal and all my days to be ageless, but never so could she win over the heart within me.” (Book 7) Immortals were ageless and Calypso wanted Odysseus to be hers forever, so she promised to make him an immortal as well but Odysseus

refused.
The final example of an immortal woman is Circe, a sorceress that Odysseus and his men come across on their journey. She turned his men into pigs and she meddled in their journey to get back home. She played a part in the human’s lives, which is what immortals tended to do. “When she had given them this and they had drunk it down, next thing she struck them with her wand and drove them into her pig pens, and they took on the look of pigs.” (Book 10) She also hated men, which is why she turned them into pigs, and with a thousand more years to live, she had all the fun she wanted with the mortal’s lives.
Many types of women exist in The Odyssey, immortal and mortal are two examples of these types of women. Homer creates a world where these two types collide and intertwine in each other’s lives. Each character is special and exemplifies the traits of each type in different ways.