Odysseus Heroic Traits

The poem, The Odyssey, has held up as a monument of literature throughout the ages, and for reason. It is an exciting story about the adventures of Odysseus, an intelligent, cunning, at times manipulative, sailor who defeats the city of Troy. After some decade long twists and turns, he returns home, disguised, kills a few dozen people who have been eating his food and drinking his wine. After it seems like the cycle of violence will never stop, Athena comes down and restores peace. In today’s society, Odysseus would, understandably, be called an “anti-hero”. But the Greeks of the day wouldn't understand why we want to put him in this box. To the greeks, a hero is someone who has an impressive and outstanding trait. And there is no doubt that Odysseus has this in spades. Odysseus’ most defined trait is metis. Metis is a greek word that denotes a quality of cunning and wisdom. Odysseus is smart, he's incredibly smart. He has a silver tongue the can talk his way out of, seemingly, any situation. My favorite example of this is the story of how Odysseus deals with a cyclops trying to kill him and his crew.

They assume it will have no problem with them eating all of his food. So when the cyclops returns home they are shocked to discover that he in none too pleased with Odysseus. He tells the cyclops that his name is “Noman” so when Odysseus stabs him in the eye with a spear, the cyclops yells out, “Noman is hurting me! Noman is killing me!” none of the other cyclopes come to help his because they think that no man is hurting him. Odysseus, not willing to let Noman take credit for this feat, yells his real name. So the , now blinded cyclops put a curse on him and his entire crew gets