The Involvement of the Gods in the Odysseus Journey - Essay Example

Modern Greek Culture Name Student Number Institution Course Code Instructor Date The Involvement of the Gods in Odysseus’ Return Journey to Ithaca The Greek culture has been phenomenal and attracted much attention due to its nature and range of time since its inception. On the same note, religion has been a crucial part of a culture and the aspects of mythical and spiritual affiliation finding centre stage as far as ancient Greek culture is concerned. With the Greek history, there existed a great ruler and legend of Ithaca named Odysseus (Osborne 2004), who has been presented by various writers in an epic manner. The life of Odysseus gives a unique lifestyle within the Greek culture involving the gods in the journey to Ithaca. In the quest to fulfil the obligation as a legend and a ruler, Odysseus struggles in the course of his voyage to get home and thus, significant life changes and reflections are evident. The involvement of the gods in the Odysseus journey indicates great role with respect to their supernatural powers helping with mortals as well as giving pity. Thus, this essay evaluates the involvement of the gods in Odysseus return journey to Ithaca. The geographical state of Greece is strategic making it open to various growth and developmental initiatives. In context, Greece is located at the crossroads of three continents significantly impacting on the Greek civilisation and culture. The Greeks are proud of their culture, depicting the intense passion and feeling they have towards their culture is what that defines their national and ethnic belonging (Maras 1968). The massive history touching on the culture and civilisation of Greece is unique and diverse. It is from these elements from their ancient culture that they took and adapted the ones that were close to the modern way of life like astronomy, sculpture and architecture (Koumarianou 1968). These things lead to the development of a unique civilisation that had the human context at its very centre of the Modern Greek culture. Great lessons are made out from the rich ancient cultural context of Greece and the subsequent civilisation. The Odysseus was a great king of Ithaca who took a ten-year journey back home after the end of the war with Trojan. According to Osborne (2004), Odysseus is depicted as an epic leader of ancient Greece with the journey back to Ithaca presenting great lessons and heroic episodes. Consequently, the gods in the course of the journey play a critical role towards the journey process as well as some of the challenges encountered. Odysseus is celebrated for his brilliance, guile and his versatility he was very intelligent (Rieu 2009). Nevertheless, he is also characterised as very proud and arrogant. The gods greatly contributed to the completion of the epic journey of Odysseus to Ithaca. The journey back home comes as a result of Odysseus being away at war with Trojan. Odysseus left his son Telemachus and Penelope the wife to go to Trojan War for twenty years (Osborne 2004). The stay away from home seems like a lifetime for the family left behind. The name Telemachus means far from the battle that is represented by his absence from the Trojan War. He grows up in the palace where the suitors have taken control of his mother and the court, they used to overstay at his home drinking wine and slaughtering bulls to feast and he was still a small boy and did not have the courage to ask them to leave his house. He travels to various places on the quest of looking for his father (Segal 1994). Telemachus had lost all his hope of ever seeing her father and goes through divine and mortal processes indicating the rich spiritual attachment of the settings surrounding the family. In the absence of Odysseus, Telemachus the son used to receive mentorship from Athena the goddess. Further, Nestor explained to him about the defeat of the Troy as well as outlines the details of their journey back home. Goddess Athena plays a critical role in the return of Odysseus to Ithaca by helping him arrange his plans step by step. Further, Athena watched over Odysseus in the epic journey step by step as well as helping Telemachus become a bold man (Osborne 2004). Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage and justice she was the perfect one to advice Telemachus on how to be strong and be a man and ask the suitors to leave his palace. The goddess Athena played a big role in helping Telemachus look for his father, information about where about he could find him; she also used to encourage him to grow up because she was no longer a small boy (Rieu 2013). The goddess is depicted as an intelligent and stylish woman clearly showing the characters of the current modern woman. As Telemachus was maturing, he began to have the desire to revenge on the suitors who had invaded his home. Zeus had already known about the attack by Telemachus planned to be staged upon the suitors and was ready to assist him. The help to the son came down from Mt. Olympus as a pair of eagles and was supposed to swoop over the suitors (Segal 1994). The indication shows the manner in which the suitors were to meet their death and they also indicated when the appropriate times occur. The contribution of the gods comes in with the inclusion of Odysseus’s son, Telemachus in helping him to safeguard the interest of his family in the absence of the father. Further, the help of the gods to Odysseus’ son are evident with attempts to look out for him. At some point with the help of Athena, Telemachus sets out on a journey to go and find his father, this was a sign shown by the gods that his father was still alive and he needed more information about him (Segal 1994). This came upon as he believed it was time for suitors to stop wasting his wealth (Osborne 2004). Athena gives him hope that his father is still alive and he will return to Ithaca, Telemachus does as he is told by Athena and he makes a journey to Pylos and Sparta to make inquiries concerning his father. Athena acts as a mentor to Telemachus where he asks him to look for loyal men among his who will travel with him in the ship for him to be safe, this makes him have complete faith in the god since he believed that they knew his father was still alive, hence they encouraged him to go on a quest of finding him, this also provided him with hope that the gods were going to protect him (Segal 1994). Another goddess that helped Odysseus on the journey back to Ithaca involves Calypso and Circle, who helped Odysseus through providing him crucial information and advice during the epic journey back home. Zeus as a god also helped both Odysseus and his son in their lives. Zeus who was the father of Athena and king of the gods played a significant role in helping Odysseus return to Ithaca he is the one who assures Athena to go and help Telemachus to pursue his journey of finding his father (Osborne 2004). Zeus also helped Odysseus escape from Calypso where he was held a prisoner. The king of gods and men, Zeus used to mediatate disputes of the gods who stayed in Mount Olympus it is also depicted as weighing men’s fate in his scales (Maras and Koumarianou 1968). Poseidon, who was Zeus’ brother and a god of the sea, also helped Odysseus on the return journey to Ithaca. In the end, Telemachus has made a huge transformation from a child to adulthood through the help and protection from the gods like Athena. After his successful journey where he had visited Nestor and Menelaus and found out his father was still alive, he returns with the aim of vengeance for the suitors (Segal 1994). At the onset, Telemachus is characterised as a having no courage to face the suitors about his disapproval of their invasion to their house, but later becomes much braver and less tolerant to the as he is maturing. When his father finally returns to Ithaca, together they wage war on the suitors in the walls of their home and kill them all (Osborne 2004). In conclusion, the gods played an immense big role in the return journey of Odysseus to Ithaca. The gods’ contribution is evident when they help Odysseus in his adventure as well as the Trojan War coupled with the way they protected him throughout the journey. The contribution is evident in the god’s supernatural powers and their mortal help to take Odysseus out of the piteous state back to Ithaca his homeland. The help of the gods is also evident with their contribution in helping Telemachus the son to Odysseus step out of his former self into a stronger man ready to face the world and its challenges. For example, Athena encouraged him to pursue on a journey to look for where about of his father. This is evident that without the gods Odysseus could have not returned to Ithaca and Telemachus could still be living under the oppression of the suitors. Reference List Maras, K., &Koumarianou, A. 1968. Modern Greek Culture: A Selected Bibliography in English, French, German, Italian. Enl. ed. Thessaloniki: Institute for Balkan Studies. Osborne, M. 2004. Odyssey 6: The Final Battle. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. Rieu, H. (Ed.), 2009. The Odyssey. London: Penguin Classics. Segal, C. 1994. Singers, Heroes, and Gods in the Odyssey. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Read More

Goddess Athena plays a critical role in the return of Odysseus to Ithaca by helping him arrange his plans step by step. Further, Athena watched over Odysseus in the epic journey step by step as well as helping Telemachus become a bold man (Osborne 2004). Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage and justice she was the perfect one to advice Telemachus on how to be strong and be a man and ask the suitors to leave his palace. The goddess Athena played a big role in helping Telemachus look for his father, information about where about he could find him; she also used to encourage him to grow up because she was no longer a small boy (Rieu 2013).

The goddess is depicted as an intelligent and stylish woman clearly showing the characters of the current modern woman. As Telemachus was maturing, he began to have the desire to revenge on the suitors who had invaded his home. Zeus had already known about the attack by Telemachus planned to be staged upon the suitors and was ready to assist him. The help to the son came down from Mt. Olympus as a pair of eagles and was supposed to swoop over the suitors (Segal 1994). The indication shows the manner in which the suitors were to meet their death and they also indicated when the appropriate times occur.

The contribution of the gods comes in with the inclusion of Odysseus’s son, Telemachus in helping him to safeguard the interest of his family in the absence of the father. Further, the help of the gods to Odysseus’ son are evident with attempts to look out for him. At some point with the help of Athena, Telemachus sets out on a journey to go and find his father, this was a sign shown by the gods that his father was still alive and he needed more information about him (Segal 1994). This came upon as he believed it was time for suitors to stop wasting his wealth (Osborne 2004).

Athena gives him hope that his father is still alive and he will return to Ithaca, Telemachus does as he is told by Athena and he makes a journey to Pylos and Sparta to make inquiries concerning his father. Athena acts as a mentor to Telemachus where he asks him to look for loyal men among his who will travel with him in the ship for him to be safe, this makes him have complete faith in the god since he believed that they knew his father was still alive, hence they encouraged him to go on a quest of finding him, this also provided him with hope that the gods were going to protect him (Segal 1994).

Another goddess that helped Odysseus on the journey back to Ithaca involves Calypso and Circle, who helped Odysseus through providing him crucial information and advice during the epic journey back home. Zeus as a god also helped both Odysseus and his son in their lives. Zeus who was the father of Athena and king of the gods played a significant role in helping Odysseus return to Ithaca he is the one who assures Athena to go and help Telemachus to pursue his journey of finding his father (Osborne 2004).

Zeus also helped Odysseus escape from Calypso where he was held a prisoner. The king of gods and men, Zeus used to mediatate disputes of the gods who stayed in Mount Olympus it is also depicted as weighing men’s fate in his scales (Maras and Koumarianou 1968). Poseidon, who was Zeus’ brother and a god of the sea, also helped Odysseus on the return journey to Ithaca. In the end, Telemachus has made a huge transformation from a child to adulthood through the help and protection from the gods like Athena.

After his successful journey where he had visited Nestor and Menelaus and found out his father was still alive, he returns with the aim of vengeance for the suitors (Segal 1994). At the onset, Telemachus is characterised as a having no courage to face the suitors about his disapproval of their invasion to their house, but later becomes much braver and less tolerant to the as he is maturing. When his father finally returns to Ithaca, together they wage war on the suitors in the walls of their home and kill them all (Osborne 2004).

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