The Legend Of Odysseus, An Inventive Hero

The legend of Odysseus is about the most human of all Greek heroes. Popular for his intelligence, he is the main character in Homer’s famous book, The Odyssey. In this he goes through countless adventures and he is always admired for his ingenuity.

He was born just after his mother was caught on the street one rainy day. The word “Odysseus” means “Zeus rained down the street”.

He was born in Ithaca and became king there. Some say he was a disciple of Chiron, a centaur. From a very young age, he began to experience a series of adventures. However, the legend of Odysseus becomes important in the wake of the Trojan War, where he was the main character. When the war began, he was already married to Penelope and had a son named Telemakos.

He pretended to be insane to avoid the war, but he was discovered and forced to participate. The legend of Odysseus says that he first accompanied the initiator of the war, named Menelaus, for the purpose of reaching a peaceful agreement. But because he did not succeed in this, he took an active part in the preparations for the battle.

Odysseus went through many adventures during the war, and he was already noted for his ability to handle any situation. It was here that he invented the famous “Trojan horse” that led his army to victory.

However , the legend of Odysseus becomes much more interesting during his return to Ithaca, his homeland, after defeating Troy. 

The journey to Ithaca in the legend of Odysseus

One of the highlights of the legend of Odysseus is the many problems he encounters when he returns to his homeland. He spent ten years in the war and it took him another ten years to return to Ithaca.

Many consider Odysseus to be the role model of exile because his story captures the experience of being away from his birthplace and beloved, all of which are linked to the problems of returning.

Shortly after embarking on the journey back, Odysseus had a confrontation on the island of the icons, where he took off in a not very good condition.

The wind began to blow hard, and it redirected his ship from its route to Ithaca. Therefore, the ship reached the island of the lotus eaters. It was named so because their primary diet consisted of lotus flowers.

That type of food made them forget the past so they could always live happily and peacefully. The men of Odysseus ate them and forgot everything. Thereby he had to force them to the ship until the effect subsided. Next, they arrived at the island of the Cyclops, the one-eyed creatures.

There he had to stand face to face with a giant who was the son of Poseidon. He fought him by deceiving him and making him blind, so the monster screamed for revenge.

New adventures for Odysseus

According to the legend of Odysseus, he kept sailing with his men. Next, they reached the island of the king of the winds, Aeolus. The king caught all the winds in a vine, and he gave it to the hero so that he could return to Ithaca.

They were already close to their homeland when the sailors opened the skin, which they thought contained a treasure. Thereby, a great storm started that took them away from their final destination.

Later, much of Odysseus’ crew perished on an island with giant cannibals. Next, they found the island, Aeaea, where they mourned their misfortune. There lived the beautiful sorceress, Circe, who turned some of the herd into pigs.

Odysseus rescued them with the help of Hermes and gained the respect of the sorceress, who housed them all for a year and advised them to begin their journey again.

Following Circe’s advice, Odysseus and his men resisted mermaids, erratic rocks, and some monsters named Scylla and Charybdis. His men were punished for eating Helios’ cattle, and Odysseus was left alone without a boat. Thereby he arrived at the island where the beautiful Calypso lived.

Return to Ithaca

Calypso took care of Odysseus. She comforted and took care of him until he recovered. This goddess island was a paradise. However, the hero only dreamed of returning home and being reunited with his wife. However, because of Poseidon’s revenge for what he did to his son, Odysseus had to spend eight years on this island.

The goddess, Athena, who had great respect for Odysseus, talked to the other gods so Calypso would let him go. He cried every afternoon longing to get home. And though Calypso did not want it, the gods threatened to punish her, so she released her guest.

However, Poseidon continued to punish the hero with hurricanes and storms, but Athena helped him once more, and thus he reached the island of the Faiaks.

The king of the Faiaks finally arranged everything so that Odysseus could come home, thanks to the intervention of the princess. He gave him a ship and a crew that could take him to Ithaca. Finally, with the help of his son, Telemakos, the hero met again with his beloved Penelope, who had been waiting for him for 20 years and had never stopped loving him.