ODYSSEUS

"Tell me, goddess, the tale of the resourceful man who was driven off course many times after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy."

These are the opening lines of Homer's Odyssey. Homer addressed these words to the goddess Athena, carefully adhering to the rules of narration and grammar.

Odysseus, in my view, embodies the cunning and sharp intellect associated with Athena. An ancient Greek hero featured in numerous films and cartoons, Odysseus is seen as the earthly representative of the goddess Athena. Throughout the epic, he faced various challenges, overcoming them with the help of the goddess and steadfastly maintaining his belief in her. The epic seems to emphasize not only Odysseus' cleverness but, more importantly, his unwavering determination.

After more than nine years of the Trojan War, Odysseus, on the journey back home, lost his comrades, his ship, and almost his own identity and life. Yet, he clung tenaciously to the hope of reuniting with his wife and only child. The real reason Athena admires this hero lies not just in his cleverness but in his resolute determination. The theme of Athena in ancient Greece precisely encapsulates qualities like intelligence, cunning, determination, and resilience against challenges. Even his stepbrother, the god of war, couldn't resist this goddess on the battlefield. These traits align perfectly with the essence of Odysseus.


Now, I want to introduce this resourceful hero a bit. Written sources mention that Odysseus is descended from Prometheus, one of the Titans who is believed to have been punished for bringing fire to the world, and that he is married to a Greek woman named Penelope from the same lineage. Odysseus is known to be the king of Ithaca, a small island assumed to be located in the northwest part of Greece. He also has a son named Telemachus. When the Trojan War, one of the bloodiest and longest wars of ancient Greece and Anatolia, first broke out, and Greek commanders began assembling their armies, this boy was born. Due to his knowledge of the bloody consequences of this war and his reluctance to leave his newborn son in his mother's arms, Odysseus ignored the call to join the war. Here, alongside his cleverness and determination, Odysseus displays another characteristic of the goddess Athena by trying to avoid participating in the war to not abandon his family, fabricating various excuses.

Odysseus, in this situation, not only showcases his cleverness and determination but also attempts to avoid joining the war by creating various excuses to not leave his newborn son and wife. He couldn't fully utilize his sharp wit here. The reason for this, who can know now, no one. To make a small interpretation, we might see the interference of the gods, a common feature of Greek myths, here. Perhaps they wanted to play their game or maybe they wanted him to be personally involved in the war. When Odysseus gathered his army and left Ithaca, he left behind his son and wife. But at the same time, he made a promise to his wife and son: "I will return." Probably, the only consolation in Penelope's heart during these long years of separation was the promise of faithful Odysseus. Whenever Penelope faced difficulties or doubts in the epic, the gods reminded her of this promise, advising her to wait.


Odysseus showed his first cleverness as soon as he left the island. The plan was to make a large wooden horse and hide the commanders inside it. This horse would be left on the shore, and the Greek army would then circle the island and wait at sea. According to this plan, a Greek soldier would be left behind to tell the Trojans that it was the will of the gods for the horse to be taken inside the walls as a gift. Later, when the horse was brought in, the commanders would come out, give a signal, and open the gates for the army. Considering the era, such a clever plan truly amazes with the limited technology they had. The design of the wooden horse, as described in the epic, leaves no option but admiration. It had a cover protecting the compartment where the heroes were hidden, and inside the cover, a foldable ladder. The cover could only be opened from the inside. Once the plan was put into action, only a small problem arose, and it was resolved due to the interference of the gods. A Trojan warned that the wooden horse would bring death and destruction and asked not to bring it inside the walls. But just as he finished his words, two giant sea serpents emerged, killing him and his two sons by drowning. The Trojans were convinced that this was the will of the gods.

After the conclusion of the war and the distribution of the spoils, our hero, who had been away from his island for a very long time, became one of the first to set sail. Perhaps it was ingrained in him that he was the one destined to return to Greece last. This very famous hero's actions, although praised, also had many lessons waiting to be extracted and learned, making the epic still relevant today. Odysseus is the hero in both epics. He has gathered all the virtues one should possess. Besides, in his ten years of adventures, he made many mistakes and paid for them by losing his ship and crew. But he never gave up and never forgot his promise. It's challenging to summarize the 350-page epic here, but truly, Odysseus faced tremendous dangers without faltering. Although I won't go into much detail about the war, even though his effects were felt in the war, his influence intensified after the war and determined its outcome.


After nine long years of violence and losses, the Greeks, who were assumed to be near the Troy vicinity in Anatolia, attacked the city of Troy and suffered significant losses. I won't dwell on the war here because, despite its effects in the epic, its intensity increased after the war and determined the outcome. After the end of the war and the distribution of the spoils, when everyone was intoxicated with celebration, the commanders came out of the wooden horse and signaled, determining the fate of the war. Up to this point, what I have narrated forms part of Homer's epic "Troy." After this, the Odyssey epic, for which Homer took his name from Odysseus, begins, telling the ten-year ordeal of Odysseus at sea and the terrible games the gods played on him.

Odysseus's role in ending the war is truly significant. Just when everything seemed over, he devised a plan using his determination and cunning to completely change the outcome. Zeus did not seem pleased with Odysseus's plan and its consequences. When Zeus sent the first storm that would drag him into terrible adventures and his fate, he was almost reaching his island. The gods displayed all their tricks, doing everything in their power to keep him away from his home. Athena was always by his side during these journeys.

Taking into account that these two epics were written around 700 B.C., it is not a coincidence that they have maintained their relevance until today. Besides Homer's narrative and the fluency of language, the epics have endured due to the lessons they contain and the lessons yet to be discovered. Odysseus is the hero in both epics, embodying all the virtues one should possess. In addition to that, he made many mistakes during his ten-year adventures, paying for them by losing his ship and crew. But he never gave up and never forgot his promise. Until we meet again, take care of yourself.

Thank you for reading.

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