Epic Heroes In The Odyssey

For one month Odysseus refuses to leave his safe home on Ithaca. We are not told of the rationale behind his final decision to join the war; however, we must assume that he believes he will be successful, returning home with many spoils of war. His decision to leave Ithaca cannot be merely an external one: he is a young king, and while he rules his land with great strength, he is inexperienced (he does not wish to go off to battle (Book 24, ll. 126-128)). In part, his reasons for initiating his journey must include the experience and maturity he will gain fighting the Trojans.

Odysseus is the leader of his men and it is his job to return them home safely. They look up to Odysseus and follow him, whether they believe he has made the right or wrong decision. When Odysseus and his men are stuck with the cyclops it is Odysseus that comes up with the plan to save them. Odysseus is smart and is favored by Athena and as such, Athena helps him devise a plan. One time when Odysseus’ men do not seek his advice they make a mistake and it costs them on their journey. “While Odysseus is sleeping the men open the bag, thinking it contains gold and silver. The bad winds thus escape and blow the ships back to Aeolus’ island.” “Book Ten, Page 916.” The quote shows that the men need Odysseus there to help them and that without him Odysseus men make stupid decisions. Because the men opened the bag Aeolus did not help them again, he believed that their voyage was cursed.

Had Odysseus thought about the dangers he could’ve been stricter, restricting any of the crew to get to the bag. Then the unfortunate turn of events took place, “They loosed the sack and all the winds burst out and a sudden squall struck and swept us back to the sea, wailing, in tears, far from our own native land” (10. 51-54). Following this mishap, Odysseus was beside himself with grief; additionally, after being lost for ages on his journey to Ithaca, falling back majorly impacts him and demoralizes him. Unfortunately, Odysseus cannot blame anyone because it is in everyone’s nature to be curious about something. Additionally, due to Odysseus’s lack of candor, suggests that he is a captain that can’t form a strong trust with his crew showing his leadership skills to be underdeveloped.

The Hero's Journey is a pattern and a framework that appears in storytelling and myth. The Odyssey by Homer is about a warrior whose name is Odysseus, will have to face obstacles in order to return home. The Netflix Original Ever After High "Epic Winter" ,is about a snow princess whose name is Crystal. She has to also face obstacles to return home, but also to save her parents, the Ice Kingdom, and Ever After High. The Odyssey and the Netflix Original Ever After High both share similarities of the Hero's Journey ,but there are also some differences.

Here he was willing to walk straight into danger and willing to sacrifice himself for his crew. Yes he had to give in to her desires and bed Circe, but this was all within the grand scheme of things, to show her that she could not do to him what she had done to his men, again with some help from the gods. Also, in exchange for him agreeing to sleep with her, she had to agree to undo the spell from his men. Mission accomplished, and they journeyed on, with the help of Circe even. However, For all of his great heroic feats, his accomplishments on the battlefield and his cunning ways, and his willingness to put himself in arms way to save his men, time and time again Odysseus showed us how earthly and human he was by the many temptation to which he succumbed. In book 12, prior to his departure from the island of Circe, Odysseus was warned of the Sirens and was told that he nor his men should allow themselves to listen to the song of the Sirens. However, Circe gave him an alternative so that he could listen to the song without succumbing to its effects. "but if you yourself have a mind to listen, have them bind you hand and foot upright in the mast-step and tie the end of the rope to the mast. then you can enjoy the song of the Sirens" (468). Upon hearing this Odysseus could not help himself, he had to exercise the option and heed to the temptation of hearing the songs of the Sirens.

Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home” He was also tempted with a beautiful mortal Nausicaa who is princess of the was looking for a husband. Evidence of this can be found on page 741 line 570-571 “ I wish my husband could be fine as he and glad to stay forever on Scheria”. Odysseus is loyal to his god or gods. As he does what Tireces tells him and does not eat Helios cows an example of this can be found on page 761 line 1115-1120 “ But if you raid the beeves, i see destruction for ships and crew. Though you survive alone, bereft of all companions, lost for years, under strange sail shall you come home, to find you own house filled with trouble, insolent men eating your livestock as they court your lady “. Odysseus eats the antidot that Hermie’s gives him so he does not fall under Circe’s spell, evidence of this can be found on page 758 in the italicized text. Odysseus leaves the ship and rushes to Circe’s hall. “The god Hermes stops him to give him a plant that will act as an antidote to Circe’s power.” Odysseus also follows Circe’s instructions on what rights he must perform to bring out the dead, evidence of this can be found on page 760

When Odysseus made landfall on the island of Aiolia, the king there gave him a bag of wind. This bag was meant to be opened at sea, and it would bring Odysseus’ ship home to Ithaka. However, the crew let their greed get ahead of their loyalty, and they disrupted the plan. This incident is shown when they say, “‘I say we ought to crack that bag, there’s gold and silver, plenty, in that bag!’ Temptation had its way with my companions, and they untied the bag. Then every wind roared into hurricanes” (X, 50). Not only did the crew ruin the opportunity to use the wind to guide them home, but they got their ship blown back to the island of Aiolia. Here, Aiolos believes that Odysseus is not as much of a hero as he had thought, due to the actions of his shipmates. In fact, Aiolos says, “Take yourself out of this island, creeping thing — no law, no wisdom [...] Your voyage here was cursed by heaven!” (X, 80). Thus, the crew jeopardized Odysseus’ chances of returning home with ease, and they caused Aiolos to think lowly of him. Moreover, the crew members were unfaithful to Odysseus again when they were on the island of Thrinakia. Kirke and Tiresias both told him that when he visited Helios, his crew was not to eat the cattle there, or else there would be destruction for his ship and crew. Although Odysseus told his men this

Without a second thought Odysseus rushes to rescue his men, not caring about the danger, even after Eurylochus begs him to leave the island. The quote reads,” Eurylochus tells Odysseus what has happened and begs him to sail away from Circe's’ island. Against this advice, however, Odysseus rushes to save his men from the enchantress.”(Page: 1225, Lines 46-48) Bravery shines through this act of loyalty, by Odysseus putting his own life at risk to save others. The abundant amount of mental strength that it took for him to do this, really proves how loyal of a person Odysseus

This shows that Odysseus does not deserve the loyalty from his crew. Tiresias tells Odysseus to leave the cattle alone and he will have a safe journey home back to Ithaca. If Odysseus or his crew harm the cattle in anyway then his ships and men will be destroyed, even if he survives when he get home there will be a world of pain (11.122-134). Odysseus fails to tell his crew all of what Tiresias said. Odysseus only tells them about not touching the cattle and that there would be consequences. He did not specifically tell them what the consequences would be. Odysseus fully knowing that something bad was going to happen, yet he decides not to tell his crew. Odysseus “urged them to cut and run, set sail, / but would they listen? Not those mucinous fools;” (9.50-53). Odysseus claims that he told his crew to leave, and he did but he knew that the Cicones was going to overtake them. Odysseus continues to hide things from his crew, and this really hurts their journey home. When his crew thinks that Odysseus was “hauling troves of gold and silver home, / the gifts of open-hearted Aeolus, Hippopotas’ son… / ‘Heaps of lovely plunder he hauls home from Troy, / while we who went through slogging just as hard, / we go home empty handed’” (10.40-47). Many times throughout their journey, Odysseus continues to show that he does not share all of the information with his crew.

In addition, Odysseus was not the only person who made bad decisions. Odysseus’s men, having led to believe Odysseus was hiding treasure, made another one of the worst decisions in this epic. Odysseus’s men thought that the bag of winds he had received from Aeolus was really a bag of treasures that he was saving for himself. Stricken with greed, the men opened the bag of winds which sent them back to Aeolus’s island. If the men would have had trust in Odysseus and believed him, they would never have even thought about opening the bag, and they would have gotten home right then, instead of taking another five years.

Odysseus’ determination is shown when he loses the opportunity to go home with the bag of winds. When Odysseus and his men land on the island of Aeolus, Odysseus received a “prime ox-hide to hold the ways of the roaring winds…” (Homer 103). After they leave the island, Odysseus does not tell his men what’s in the bag. The ship had been extremely near their home, Ithaca.

Hermes helps him out and gives him a plan to help save his men. So our hero is saved by the god Hermes from a horrible fate. Still Odysseus is not content to sail on and leave the goddess behind (Odyssey 10:269-532). Here Odysseus lost sight of his goal, thinking he was in full control of the situation. Only after a full year has past does he even ask Circe to help them on their way and only at the urging of his crew. He forgets that it was only by the gods help that he was able to triumph over Circe. There was no other way he could have survived her magic. In a sense he is beat by her because he forgets his voyage home and wastes a year in tarring there. By forgetting the voyage he denies himself, a hero, and forgets his family and subjects in Ithaca. Exactly the same threat that the lotus eaters posed to Odysseus and his men. The temptation that Circe offers is a life of pleasure. Anything you desire: food, sport, beautiful women, anything at all. For a time Odysseus is taken in my her offer but thanks to his men he is able to break free of it and remember his home and family.

This time spent on Circe's island was a test of whether he could resist lust from a goddess, and he fails. At first it appears as though the only reason Odysseus sleeps with Circe is to regain his companions, but she easily persuades them to stay. What makes it worse is the fact that Odysseus is not even the first one ready to go. His men are the ones who urge him to leave: "What ails you now? It is time to think about our own country" (Book X, line 472). At a glance, it appears that Odysseus is merely succumbing to Circe's schemes for reasons related to their health and well being, if we read between the lines, we soon begin to realize that Odysseus is weak in the voracious hands of lust. Odysseus arrives on Calypso's island in her cave. At first, it seems like Odysseus doesn't seem much to mind her taking care of him, but over time it is plainly evident that he is unhappy with her. When Hermes arrives on Calypso's island to give her the message from Zeus to release Odysseus, he is bawling on the beach-- a daylong activity for him. Calypso is holding him with her by force; she has no companions to help him back to Ithaca, nor has she a ship to send him in. Athena pleads with Zeus to give Odysseus good fortune,

When Odysseus arrives at the island of the Cyclops, his first mistake occurs when he decides that he and men should stay in the cave and meet Polyphemus, even when his men advised him to take the goods and leave (IX.215-217). At this instance, Odysseus’s decision is influenced by his ego. He sees all the goods in the cave and the reason he stays is because he hopes that the Cyclops would give him a gift of hospitality. This is interesting because Odysseus does not know whether the Cyclops is civilized or a brute; however, Odysseus goes forward with his plan because he believes the Cyclops will listen to him since the gods are on his side. In this instance, Odysseus is calling himself powerful because he has the support of the gods especially Zeus, when he threatens the Cyclops that “Zeus avenges strangers and suppliants” (IX. 262). If his ego was not already high, Odysseus boosts it even more when he believes that he has outsmarted the Cyclops by not falling into the trap of telling the location of his ships (IX.273-277). At this point, Odysseus

This quote reveals that one of Odysseus’s men has just accidently killed himself, under the watch of Odysseus. In fact, under Odysseus’s watch, the men were permitted to be constantly drunk and stay at Circe’s for a full year. Odysseus had no concern for the families he and his men had yet to return to, and had no urgency to get the crew in a safer place and off the island of Aeaea. It took a death to snap some sense into him. This is not a one time issue. In a later story, Odysseus and his men have landed on the island of Thrinakia, land of Helios’ holy cows. Circe has prophesied that if any of Odysseus’s crew touches the cows, that they will all be killed. Odysseus allows them to go onto the island, and simply tells them to not touch the cows, without a reason. Within weeks, Odysseus’s men kill and eat the cows, and within days, all are dead. This blatant mistake made by Odysseus kills all of his crew, leaving him to feel guilty.