Odysseus

**Odysseus** (also spelled **Ulysses**) was a major ancient Greek hero, and a legendary Greek king of Ithaca, credited for his infamous Trojan Horse trick. He is the eponymous hero of the *Odyssey*, which tells the story of his ten-year-long journey back to his homeland of Ithaca after the Trojan War.

## History

### Role in the Iliad

Odysseus was one of the most influential Greek champions in Homer's *Iliad*. During the battles, he was one of the most valiant and mighty heroes.

He came up with the idea of the Trojan Horse with the help of his patron goddess, Athena. The Trojan Horse allowed the Greek forces to sneak into the protective walls of Troy under the cover of darkness, while the Trojans were celebrating the fallback and retreat of the Greeks.

When night fell, a troop of soldiers led by Odysseus came out from the Trojan Horse, having hidden inside, and opened the gates of Troy, allowing Agamemnon's troops to invade the city.

After Troy was sacked, Odysseus threw Hector's infant son, Astyanax, from the walls of the city in order to kill him. Such a dishonorable act by Greek standards made him be cursed by the gods.

### Role in the Odyssey

Odysseus is the central hero in the second of Homer's epics, the *Odyssey*. The legend describes Odysseus' travels as he tries to return to his home after the Trojan War and reclaim his rightful title as the King of Ithaca. Odysseus' way home becomes quite troublesome because of the curse the gods had laid on him for killing Hector's son. After he blinded Polyphemus, Poseidon became wroth with him as well.

First, he meets the Cícones (Ciconians), who were allies of the Trojan, but after taking their city, they came back with a whole army and they had to run to the ships in order to survive. Then he stopped at the country of the Lotus Eaters who ate only the fruit of the Lotus tree, which made them drowsy. When Odysseus' crew ate the fruit, they lost their will to return home. After deciding to continue the trip and go back home they ended up on the island of Polyphemus, a Cyclops. After admitting Odysseus and several members of his crew into his cave, the Cyclops trapped them and began eating two of Odysseus' men a day. In a clever scheme, Odysseus allowed Polyphemus to drink his wine until the Cyclops had passed out. Once out cold, Odysseus and his men sharpened the Cyclops' great club and gouged his eye out with it. Blinded and confused, the Cyclops staggered about, and Odysseus and his men escaped in a flock of the Cyclops' sheep. Poseidon, Polyphemus' father, sought retribution for this, and made Odysseus' journey fraught with peril.

They came to Aeolia soon after leaving the Cyclops. There Aeolus gave Odysseus a bag holding all the winds, which would allow them to sail to Ithaca quickly. When they were close enough to see Ithaca's lights, greed overcame Odysseus' crew, who promptly opened the bag in search of gold, and thus the winds blew them back to Aeolia. The god of the winds angrily dismissed them as cursed by the gods. Since they didn't have a choice, they started the hard way to Ithaca without the god's help. They stayed at the sea for seven days until they stop at Telépio, in which the cannibalistic Lestrygonians devoured many of his men, and destroyed all the ships but one, upon which Odysseus escaped. They got to Circe's island after a few days and tough a rush arrival and a few problems in the begging, they stay there for a year. When they decided to head back to Ithaca, Circe advised them to pass by the Underworld. There they talked to many deceased people, but specifically to Tiresias, one of the wisest men ever who could see the future. Upon hearing a prophecy they sail back to Circe's and then restart the long way back home. At Aeaea (Circe's island) one crew member, Elpenor, was so excited at the prospect of returning home, that he, in a drunken stupor, accidentally fell off the roof of a building and broke his neck. This forced the crew to return to Aeaea to give him a proper burial.

They passed by the Sirens (Odysseus heard them and survived, after instructing his crew to bind him to the mast), Scylla and Charybdis (they passed close to Scylla) and then they stopped at the island of Helios' sacred cattle, the oxen of the Sun. Odysseus' starving crewmen, despite being warned, decided to slay and eat some of the cattle, for which they are later punished. As Odysseus and his men set sail once more, Helios beseeched Zeus destroy Odysseus' ship for revenge, and thus a sea storm wrecksed the ship, killing all but Odysseus, who didn't eat the meat of the sacred cattle. Clinging to a part of his ship, the gods sent him to Ogygia (Calypso's island) and he stayed there for seven years. Finally, he left, and at sea, was struck by another storm sent by Poseidon. Fortunately for him, the goddess Ino appeared and gifted him with a magical veil which would protect him from drowning. After the storm ceased, he washed onto the island Scheria, in which the Phaeaceans lived. There he encountered Nausicaa, who spotted him as she played upon the shore, when he stumbled up to her clothed in nothing but a tree branch, and King Alcinous, her father. There, he recounted his story, which is how the reader gets insight into what he went through. The Phaeaceans then bear him to Ithaca. However, when he arrives, Athena clothes the island in mist, as to initially obscure his home, and then she dramatically reveals it to him.

He then encountered his faithful swineherd, Eumaeus, with whom he had short discourse, and also he met his son. However, he kept his identity hidden from the public. He was received into the palace of Penelope, who was beleaguered by suitors following Odysseus' departure for Ilion. While he was being washed by a maid, the maid recognized him from a scar he had on his leg, but Odysseus bade her not to reveal anything to Penelope. He then began to conspire with his son to get revenge upon the suitors. While dining, several suitors, such as Eurymachus, began insulting Odysseus, even hitting him with a footstool, but Odysseus did not react.

At the palace, he was faced by a beggar, Arnaeus (also called Irus, the masculine form of Iris, because of his willingness to run messages), who challenged him to a fight after insulting him. Odysseus agreed, and broke Irus' jaw with a single strike.

Finally, it was decided by Penelope that she would marry whosoever could string the great bow of Odysseus, and shoot an arrow through twelve axes. Each suitor tried, including Antinous (the leader) and Eurymachus, however, none could even string the bow. Finally, Odysseus (disguised as a beggar) strung the bow and shot it through the axes. He then revealed himself, and the battle in the hall began.

Together with Telemachus and two faithful servants, he killed all the suitors (only a singer and a musician get out alive because of Telemachus' mercy). Telemachus also hanged all of the maids who had been flirtatious with such suitors.

Initially, after Odysseus revealed himself to Penelope, she was doubtful, as it had been twenty years. Thus she asked their marriage bed to be brought thither, which she knew to be rooted to the ground (being constructed around a tree). Odysseus was first confused, and thought she had cut down the tree, and accused her of destroying the bed. It was because of this that Penelope knew Odysseus was truly her husband, and they rejoiced, to finally be in each other's embrace after two decades apart.

After that, Ithaca entered chaos, as the fathers of the suitors went after Odysseus and his followers looking for revenge. The gods stopped the civil war in the middle of the battle and peace was made, keeping Ithaca from destruction. He later made peace with Poseidon by making a sacrifice for him in the land where people did not know about the sea.

Odysseus would die after many years as a righteous king, although the details surrounding his death are vague. One story says that he was accidentally killed by his son, Telegonus, whom he had begotten with the sorceress, Circe.