Odysseus

Odysseus is a mythical Greek hero. His father is Laertes (332); his mother is Antikleia (333). He is king of the land of Ithaka (219), where his wife, Penelope and son, Telemakhos live. Odysseus is well known for his brain and crafty ways.

Before the Trojan War, he was among those seeking to wed Helen, daughter of Zeus. He is credited with coming up with a plan to soothe the tensions among her suitors. He proposed that all suitors must abide by Helen’s final decision in picking a husband and that each should swear an oath to protect the sanctity of this marriage, if it were ever threatened from outside (Herzberg 188).

When this threat did come, from Paris of Troy, Odysseus was reluctant to fulfill the oath he had originally proposed. By this time he had wed Penelope, a cousin of Helen, and had a newborn son to care for. The Greeks sent Palamedes to Ithaka to recruit their king, and Odysseus faked madness in an attempt to dodge his pledged responsibilities. He hooked an ox and an ass to a plow, and began to sow salt down by the seashore(Herzberg 189).

Palamedes saw through this trick and managed to get the better of wily Odysseus. He took up the infant Telemakhos and placed him in the path of the plow. When Odysseus turned away to avoid the boy, his sanity was proven (Herzberg 189).

Odysseus held a grudge against Palamedes from this moment on. Later, during the Trojan War, Odysseus framed Palamedes for treachery and brought about his death at the hands of the Greeks (Parada).

Once Odysseus is drafted to fight, he turns his attention to gathering other members of the Greek force.

One unusual story involves the recruitment of Achilles. According to this story, Thetis, mother of Achilles, sent her son to stay in a far away kingdom, where he was persuaded to dress like a woman, to keep his identity unknown. Odysseus, knowing that Achilles was hiding among the ladies of the court, comes to the palace disguised as a peddler. He displays his various goods for sale. Most items shown are appealing to ladies. Mixed among the ribbons and other pretties, he has placed a sword. One ‘lady’ ignores the jewelry and picks up the sword, revealing the identity of the manly hero Achilles (Herzberg 190).

Odysseus is one of the major characters in The Iliad, regarded as the craftiest of all the Greeks at Troy. He is credited with the invention of the Trojan horse, bringing about the end of the war (301).

He is the star of The Odyssey, which is named in his honor. This epic details his adventures on the journey home from the war and the troubles he finds in Ithaca when he arrives there (100).

During the 10 year journey from Troy back to Ithaka, Odysseus had many encounters that prolonged his journey home. He has to free his men from the Lotus-Eaters, the Kyklops giant, Polyphemus, and the enchantress Kirke. He traveled to the underworld, where he receives valuable information to help him continue his trip home. This new knowledge that he received helped him to have a safe passage from the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. But, he could not save his crew when they violated commandments by slaughtering and eating the cattle of the sun god. Through this action their ship was struck by a thunderbolt and only Odysseus survived. He swam on the island of the nymph Kalypso, where he became her lover, was held prisoner (263), and lived there for seven years. He built a raft and sailed for Ithaka, but once again he ran into Poseidon's furious storm (269) and was shipwrecked on the island of the Phaiakians where he told his tale of wandering at a banquet in the palace (303). After his fabulous tale, he was allowed onboard a Phaiakian ship, given untold riches, and deposited, sleeping, on his home island (362-363).

Once he returned home, he still had problems. After being gone for twenty years, Penelope had remained faithful. But the palace was occupied by a group of suitors who were waiting on Penelope to pick one of them to marry. Odysseus arrived at the palace disguised as a beggar and saw everything in disarray. He slaughters the suitors and cleansed the palace before Penelope sees all the blood and bodies. But, then he had to deal with the anger families of the suitors. But Athena stepped in and told the people of Ithaka that there would be peace and that the King of Ithaka was home.

There are conflicting reports surrounding the end of his life. Some stories say that he died peacefully at home. There is another account that says he went on more adventures and found death in a strange land, far from home (Herzberg 215).

Works Cited

“Odysseus.” Encyclopedia Britannica from Encyclopedia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article?tocID=9373899&query=odysseus>

“Odysseus.” The History Channel from The History Channel Online. http://www.historychannel.com/per/print_book>

“Odysseus.” The Mythweb from the MythWeb Online. http://wwwmythweb.com/odyssey>

Herzberg, Max. Myths and their Meaning. Allyn and Bacon, Inc. Boston. 1984.

Parada, Carlos. http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Palamedes.html