Homer and Odysseus

Homer not only created a great hero with Odysseus, he set the precedent for all Greek heroes. Greek heroes are strong willed, skillful in combat and most importantly extreme pride. All of these traits, lead to another, his abilities lead to excessive pride and confidence, which eventually mark his down fall. Also unlike many Greek heroes Odysseus is very clever.

A Greek hero is the hero in its simplest form, although relative to other archetypes the hero is very complex, even the ones that appear in ancient Greek Mythology. A hero must obtain many traits, one of these traits being strength, another being skillful, and the last of course being excessive pride, which wouldn’t be included except for the fact that it is baggage that comes with the first two traits. Odysseus is one of the very first examples of what is now known today as a hero, this means that the traits and actions he set in The Odyssey would later be followed and mimicked by others.

Look at any modern day super celebrity, with all their money and sense of power they become big headed. This inability of man to maintain humility when they receive power is seen throughout history and literature. Odysseus, just so happens to have that flaw. An example of Odysseus’s incapacity to hold down his ego is seen when he defeats the ugly Cyclops, Polythemus. Polymethus, captured Odysseus and his men, closed them in his cave, and ate them every so often. Yet, the cunning Odysseus would not die by the hands of a big ugly monster. He first got the Cyclops tipsy by giving him large quantities of strong wine; he then waited for the Cyclops to go to sleep and blinded him. With a few more sneaky tricks, Odysseus and what was left of his men escaped. Of course this left the already pride crazy Odysseus with a swollen head, so in order to make himself known, he yelled to the Cyclops his name and mocked him as they sailed away. In the end, Polythemus got the last laugh, his father who was Poseidon, cursed Odysseus and his men so they will never return home. Ultimately Odysseus was victorious, but his next one wouldn’t come for a long time.

Already having touched on Odysseus’s intelligence, it is necessary to take at an in depth look. Many heroes have strength, and many have intelligence, yet very few have both. A good modern day example of a hybrid hero is Iron Man; through his intelligence he obtains strength. Odysseus is also a good example. With his wit he is able to effectively use his strength. An example of a one sided super hero is the Hulk, even though the human part of him is very intellectual, the hulk side is not. This ability to use intelligence to fully take advantage of brawn wets Odysseus alone with a select group of heroes.

In conclusion, it should now be well known who Odysseus is as a character, his traits strengths and weaknesses. Homer not only created a hero, he created the first of a special breed of archetypes, archetypes that will forever inspire and amaze society for generation to come.