Odysseus' Success: Should Athena Get All of the Credit?

In the Odyssey, Odysseus eventually is successful in finding his home to Ithaca. But should Athena get complete credit for leading him there? To start, in Book Five, Athena said to Zues, "

Father Zues- you other happy gods who never die- never let any sceptered king be kind and gentle now, not with all his heart, or set his mind on justice- no, let him be cruel and always practice outrage. Think: not one of the people whom he ruled remembers Odysseus now, that godlike man, and kindly as a father to his children. Now he's left to pine on an island, racked with grief in the nymph Calypso's house- she holds him there by force. He has no way to voyage home to his won native land, no trim ships in reach, no crew to ply the oars and send him scudding over the sea's broad back. And now his dear son... they plot to kill the boy on his way back home. Yes, he has sailed off for news of his father, to holy Pylos first, then out to the sunny hills of Lacedaemon." (pg 152-153).

In this speech that Athena is making to Zues and the other gods on Olympus, she is arguing for help from the gods to free Odysseus from Calypso's control. She is doing this because she favors the family of Odysseus and Telemachus, and she believes that she can help them. At this point in the story, she is the one to give credit to for Odysseus eventually being sent home, because it was her idea in the first place. Athena has also disguised herself throughout the Epic, giving Odysseus guidance. When Odysseus is first arrives to the land of the Phaecians, Athena first, puts a mist around Odysseus, which would shield him from people to get him off track from his journey. Then, Athena disguised herself as a boy, helping Odysseus find the palace of king Alcinous, the one who would end up sending Odysseus back home. Without Athena's help at this point in the story, Odysseus would have never made it home to Ithaca. Although Athena has helped Odysseus in his personal journey home, she has not helped him, as much, in his war and battle success. In the Epic, Odysseus has had tremendous success in a vast amount of battles and war, giving him credit. Odysseus single handedly blinded a cyclops, saving some of his crew members, unfortunately not all of them. Odysseus had also had great success in the Trojan war, along with his battle tactics of saving his different crews in difficult situations. I think that Athena is to get the credit for guiding Odysseus home, but Odysseus gets all of the credit for his battle and war successes.

The Disrespect of Family

Throughout the Odyssey, the values of family have almost been completely ignored. In the Epic, men cheat on their wives multiple times with other woman, and woman have seemed to plot their husband's deaths. This became evident to me in Book 11, when Odysseus and his ship mates traveled to the underworld, visiting ghosts. One of the ghosts that he saw was Clymene, Maera and loathsome Eriphyle. In the book, Odysseus says,

"And I saw Clymene, Maera and loathsome Eriphyle- bribed with a golden necklace to lure her lawful husband to his death..." (pg 260).

This example in the epic shows that wives are okay to take bribes of jewelry to kill their husbands. For a woman to kill their husband would mean that they have extreme anger towards their husbands, or they just don't even care. This just shows how family values are completely different in todays society. In the present day society, wives and husbands are close and have a bond that they wouldn't have had during the time of the Odyssey. I also believe that the roles of a husband and wife, in the society in the Epic, are completely different. The role of the wives are to stay home, waiting to the husbands to return from battle. To them, cheating on their husbands is a sin and is un-welcomed. For husbands, in the society in the Epic, it is ok for a husband to cheat on his wife while he is away. The disrespect of family is clearly shown in the Epic, through the wive on husband murders and complete disrespect of values that are shown.

Influence of Gods Revisited

Throughout the entire Odyssey thus far, the gods clearly hold a heavy influence upon the fate of the characters in the story, namely Odysseus and Telemachus. However, these influences are always committed from the shadows. Despite the fact that the events we are talking about are clearly caused by the gods, the gods themselves stay away from the spotlight. Supernatural occurrences ranging from the dissipation of the Greek fleet on the return from Troy to Odysseus's escape from the island of Ogygia, facilitated by Athena, Zeus, and Hermes. However, the mortals which these gods' actions affect never actually see their benefactors (or sometimes nemeses) face to face...
Until now.
Book 13 of The Odyssey begins with the culmination of Odysseus's tale of adventure, bravery, and suffering which he was recounting to his hosts, the Phoenicians. King Alcinous, being the gracious, kindhearted host that he is, takes pity upon the traveler who has suffered so much, and sends him on his way home to Ithaca in a fast ship and plenty of treasure. Despite all that he has been through, however, it seems that his immortal nemesis, Poseidon, is not yet finished. Long story short, Poseidon sinks his ship (again) and essentially alienates the Phoenicians, who really didn't do anything wrong.
In a strange twist of fate, Odysseus lands on the shores of his home, Ithaca. Finally, after all that he has been through, his divine benefactor (benefactress?) Athena reveals herself to him. Throughout the story she has assumed various forms and assisted Odysseus, though she has never told him her identity. Finally, as Odysseus reaches Ithaca, she reveals herself as Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.
It is now more than halfway through the story, and you can't help but wonder, "why now?" Why, after so much suffering that Odysseus has been put through, why now does Athena reveal herself? This observation leads to a question which I posed in my first post regarding the influence of the gods, which is that perhaps the gods have a higher motive for their actions, rather than just personal preference (Ooh, spooky... not really). At any rate, the answer of this question is up to the individual reader to decide.

The Character Eurylochus

Many times during The Odyssey, Eurylochus (a kin of Odysseus) does not follow the orders of Odysseus and tries to persuay his other crewmates against him sometimes. Whether he thinks his advice is better for their crew or that maybe he is a better leader than Odysseus, are both viable options for why he speaks out multiple times with opinionated statements differing from Odysseus. The first situation where this occurs, is the first time Eurylochus is even mentioned. Eurylochus, along with a bunch of other men, were at Circe's palace. Eurylochus stayed behind while the other men were enticed by Circe and turned into pigs. He told the other men and Odysseus what happened and Odysseus was compelled to help his men so he requested that Eurylochus leaded him there. Eurylochus replied, "'leave me here on spot. You will never return yourself, I swar, you'll never bring back a single man alive'" (238). Not only does Eurylochus refuse to comply with Odysseus' request, but he also doubts his leader, saying that his journey will result in failure.
In another situation, Odysseus told the men that they could not reside on this specific island, even though it was close and night was approaching. Eurylochus was exhausted like all the other men and fought with Odysseus to sail the ship into the port, also making Odysseus feel bad and the crew members unite against him. Eurylochus said, "'Look, your crew's half-dead with labor, starved for sleep, and you forbid us to set foot on land...No let's give way to the dark night, set our supper here'...So Eurylochus urged, and shipmates cheered"(280). Odysseus obviously had his crews mind at heart when he told them they could not land at the island, although Eurylochus challenged him and turned the crew against him in order to do what feels right short term, instead of waiting it out like Odysseus had planned to benefit the ship for the long term. Odysseus only agrees because everyone is against him and warns them all not to slaughter any animals and to eat in peace. That was his one concern and warning that he made.
The final time where Eurylochus tempts and manipulates the crew was while their leader Odysseus was asleep. He warned them twice not to eat any cattle or flocks, although Eurylochus has a separate plan in store. Eurylochus said, "'All ways of dying are hateful to us poor mortals, true, but to dide of hunger, starve to death- that's the worst of all. So up with you now, let's drive off the pick of Helios' sleek herds, slaughter them to the gods who rule the skies up there'... So he urged and shipmates cheered again" (281). This is another time where he persuaded his crew against Odysseus' words. He convinced them of doing something which went against an oath they made and which went against their leader. He convinced them to trust him instead. His words were always filled with lust and impulsiveness and what feels right and good immediately. Eurylochus persuaded these crew members to do give into their needs instead of listening to their faithful leader who truly knows what is best for them. Overall, Eurylochus is not following requests from Odysseus and making the crew follow him instead of Odysseus.

The Importance of Wealth

In the Odyssey, wealth and gold are a huge part of the culture. When Odysseus reaches a new island and meets the locals he is often offered a "guest gift" of gold and silver. Why do these rich kings give away their wealth, and what stops them from holding back? There are two main possibilities, one being that they are simply incredibly generous by nature, or the other reason is that it was an important part of hospitality and culture at the time.

The second idea makes more sense because down in the cities there are bound to be many poorer people who cannot afford rich lavish houses or belongings. If the kings are so generous, why would they let their people starve? When an important man like Odysseus arrives at a court, the king and his staff will do everything in their power to make him feel happy and at home, out of respect. Although the unspoken hospitality rules state that one must feed a guest first and then ask questions, when the visitor's true identity is revealed they are treated differently than before. For example, when Odysseus reveals himself to the Phaecians that he is "Odysseus sib if Laertes, known to the world for every kind of craft--my fame has reached the skies" he does not hesitate to boast a bit about his identity (212:21-22). This shows his want to be important to these people. Before he had revealed himself, Broadsea, one of the Phaecians had accused him of being a "skipper of profiteers roving the high seas in his scudding craft reckoning up his freight with a keen eye out for home-cargo, grabbing the gold he can!" (196:186-189). Broadsea clearly has a bad opinion of pirates, and is rude to Odysseus, but when Odysseus proves himself as an athlete, Broadsea is forced to eat his words. A wealthy king like Odysseus is welcomed far more kindly than a pirate.

The wealth shown by the host while providing hospitality to his guests is also very important. The guest gift is a key aspect of this facet of hospitality. When Odysseus asks Polyphemus for a guest gift and Polyphemus replies "I'll eat the others first! That's my gift to you" (223:414). In the eyes of the Greeks, this makes the Cyclops even more appalling than before, because he refuses to share his wealth with visitors. When Odysseus pokes the Cyclops' eye out he most likely felt that the monster deserved it.

These two examples provide a clear map of the importance of being kind to visitors and sharing your wealth with the strangers who come to your doors. Refusing to follow the code of hospitality and sharing can have disastrous results such as loss of an eye, but being kind to guests and giving them gifts can make them feel at home and they may have wonderful stories to tell.

The Game of Taunting and Response in The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, I have seen examples of taunting and and arrogance throughout. Taunting is used constantly during this epic, although for a multitude of reasonings. The characters use taunting in order to get what they want, in order to show off what they got, and in order to request a competition. One of the first examples of taunting is with Athena and Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous. Athena went to Nausicaa's palace and provoked her to get up and go to the pools of water in which Odysseus resided in. Athena said, "' Nausicaa, how could your mother bear a careless girl like you?... The washing-pools are just too far from town'"(169). In this quotation, Athena is making a challenge for Nausicaa to live up to and her plan succeeds. There, she meets Odysseus and helped him along on his journey. In this example, the taunting was to get what she wanted and she succeeded.
Another example seen is during the time where Odysseus is in the land of the Phaecians. Laodamas, the son of Alcinous, offered Odysseus a chance to partake in the sports competing with native inhabitants. Odysseus politely refused, saying that he has suffered enough and just wants to return home. Although this might be a sufficient response for some, Broadsea saw this as a weekness of Odysseus and an oppurtunity to enhance it. Broadsea said, "I never took you for someone who skilled in games, the kind that real men play throughout the world... You're no athlete. I see that'"(196). In this quote, not only does Broadsea make Odysseus look like weak, but he also said that he is not manly enough.Odysseus responds to this false statement by throwing a discus farther than any of the other contenders. He then continues to prod about how great he was. Odysseus remarked, "'Now go match that, you young pups, and straightawat I'll hurl you another just as far, I swear, or even farther! All the rest of you, anyone with the spine and spirit, step right up and try me-you've incense me so- at boxing, wrestling, racing; nothing daunts me'"(198). Odysseus made sure to prove the point of how he was much better than any other man.
Another example in which Odysseus glorified himself included the great Cyclops Polyphemus. This story in the epic begins with Odysseus and his crew landing on the land of the Cyclops. They ventured into Polyphemus' territory and expected a gift as a sign of hospitality. Instead, two of his men were killed on the spot, and the others were frightened beyond compare. Polyphemus shut the cave closed with a rock while Odysseus had devised a plan to escape. He got Polyphemus drunk off of wine and then stabbed him with a burning wooden pole in the eye, leaving him blind. Although Odysseus and his men escaped, Odysseus felt the need to make fun of Polyphemus. Odysseus recalled, "I called back to the Cyclops, stinging taunts: 'So, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour there in your vaulted cave- you with your brute force! Your filthy crimes came down on your own head, you shameless cannibal, daring to eat your guests in your own house'"(226). Odysseus had already blinded Polyphemus but felt the need to torture him with taunting. The Cyclops threw a huge rock towards Odysseus and his crew's ship which sent them almost back to the island. This still had not been enough for Odysseus. Odysseus continued, "So they begged but they could not bring my fighting spirit round. I called back with another burst of anger, 'Cyclops- if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus, raider of the cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithica'" (227). Odysseus continued to torture Polyphemus long after it was due and risked the lives of the men in his crew and his own. He also revealed his name in his rant to Polyphemus, wanting praise for his great accomplishment. Although, this led to his own fate because Polyphemus was Poseidon's son and he cused Odysseus to never find his way back home to his native land of Ithica. Odysseus sealed his own fate in his arrogance.

Food: The Trademark of Wealth

In the Odyssey, I have found that the amount of food one consumes, shows of their wealth and social status. In the Epic, the distribution of food from one to his guests, has been connected to the beginning of hospitality, as a guest enters the home of someone. I have noticed that every time that one is welcomed into someone else's estate, they are offered food before anything else. It has also been shown that the amount of prime cuts of meat and wine have been connected to a social status. I have concluded that since the greatest amounts of food are often tied with the highest social classes, that food is very valued in the different societies in the story. At the beginning of Book 9, Odysseus is thinking back to the banquet that King Alcinous has thrown for him, before his journey home. Thinking about the large amounts of food, Odysseus says,

"There's nothing better than when deep joy holds sway throughout the realm and banqueters up and down the palace sit in ranks, enthralled to hear the bard, and before them all, the tables heaped with bread and meats, and drawing wine from the mixing-bowl the steward makes his rounds and keeps the winecups flowing. This, to my mind, is the best that life can offer" (pg. 211).

With Odysseus saying that the amount of food is the best that life can offer, he is implying that he himself values food. Food is also important because it is used in rituals and sacrifices to the different gods. Usually, a part of the animal that is being cooked, will be burned, as a symbolization of a sacrifice. I think that Odyssues values food as showing his thanks to the gods, by having enough food to become full. He is also implying that he is grateful to be able to eat the kind of food he is eating, instead of being stranded during one of his long journeys, scrambling for the luxury of having large amounts of food.