Greek Mythology

Odysseus

Odysseus was one of the greatest heroes in Greek Mythology. He plays one of the central roles in Homer's Iliad, where the Greeks, thanks to his ingenuity, were able to defeat the Trojans and claim the city of Troy. In the other of Homer's epic, Odysseus is the protagonist. As you guessed right, this epic is called the Odyssey and it tells about the hero's ten year journey back to his kingdom Ithaca, where his wife Penelope hadn't seen her husband for ten years because of the war and was about to live in agony for another ten years. Odysseus was the son of Laertes, king of Ithaca, and Anticlea. He was thought to be the most clever greek hero, finding neat solutions to every problem. He was also a great warrior and very charismatic leader who often inspired his men. And on the other hand, he was a very faithful and loyal husband and father, as he declined immortality twice on his journey just to get home to his wife and son. No wonder that he was admired and protected by Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

Appearance in the works of art

In the works of art, Odysseus is usually depicted as fully grown man solving issues in one of his quests. Either in company of his men or alone, he is depicted on journey from the Odyssey or in the war events from the Iliad. There are some arts which are depicting him returning to his wife Penelope.

Life before the war

The myth starts very early in the life of Odysseus. When he was a young man, his mother Anticlea sent him to live with his grandfather near Mount Parnassus. While there, Autolycus, who also taught Heracles, taught him all about wrestling and hunting. One day, he went boar-hunting with his uncle and his grandfather. He was able to kill the wild beast, but was also wounded on the leg by dying animal which cut him with its sharp tusk and made him a permanent scar. This scar will make him recognisable later in his life. As a young prince, Odysseus travelled to Sparta, as one of the suitors for the most beautiful princess Helen. There were so many suitors that Tyndareus, princess' stepfather and king of Sparta, feared that war might erupt over the hand of Helen. But Odysseus offered his services to the king as an advisor and gave the king perfect solution. On his advice, the king made all the suitors swore an oath to respect and protect the union of whoever the princess were to choose. Eventually, Helen chose Menelaus, but Odysseus gained the king's favour who helped him to get Helen's cousin Penelope. When the two lovers came to Ithaca, king Laertes stepped aside and left the kingdom to his son and his bride. In their short period of happiness, they had a son Telemachus. Soon after that, Helen was abducted by Paris and Menelaus reminded all the suitors of their oath and started gathering an army to invade the lands of Troy. However, Odysseus tried to avoid participation, because he was prophesied that he would not return home for twenty years, if he was to join the war. Therefore, he pretended to had gone insane by sowing his fields with salt instead of seeds, using goats and oxen for plough. But when officials came to recruit him, Palamedes put his infant son Telemachus in front of the plough which made him to stop and reveal his sanity.

Odysseus in the Iliad

Once in a war, Odysseus proved to be invaluable asset for the Greeks. Not only being a skilled warrior, he was also one of the most trusted counsellors and advisers. He always championed the Achaean cause, especially when the king was in question. He restored order and morale to the Greek camp.trick from Odysseus Odysseus aided Diomedes during the successful night operation in order to kill Rhesus' horses, because it had been foretold that if his horses drank from the Scamander river, Troy could not be taken. And after all, it was Odysseus who made it possible for the Greeks to finally conquer the city of Troy. After nine years of battle, the Greeks were still unable to break the walls of the city. On top of all, Hector and Achilles were already dead and it seemed that the war had reached a stalemate. But Odysseus had other plans. The Greeks pretended to sail from Troy, leaving a huge wooden horse as it was a gift for the gods for winning the war. In truth they hid their ships on the island of Tenedos, while fifty men along with Odysseus hid inside a horse and the rest of the army stayed hidden not far from the city. The Trojans fell for the trap, thought the war was over and accepted "the gift for the gods". They broke down the walls and brought the horse inside the city and celebrated all day. During the night, when most of the Trojans were wasted, Odysseus and his men sneaked out of the horse, killed the guards and gave the signal to the rest of the Greek army. The Trojans were caught by surprise and the Greeks were able to defeat them and claimed the city.