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Athena In Homer's The Odyssey

693 Words3 Pages

In ancient literature, poets often write about the God either tormenting or assisting a mortal in their life, similar to marionette controlled by a higher power. The Odyssey is not different as Athena assists Odysseus on his journey home from the Trojan War. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus would have been unsuccessful returning home to Ithica without the aid of Athena who chose Odysseus as her mortal equivalent as they both shared similar values.
Athena was immediately drawn to Odysseus after proving himself in the Battle of Troy with the invention of the Trojan horse which gave the Greeks victory over the Trojans. She had admired his cunning trickery to build a horse which was “inspired by Athena- the ambuscade Odysseus filled with fighters and sent to take the inner town of Troy” (140). This creation showed that Odysseus was “inspired by Athena” therefore Odysseus had felt more connected to the goddess prior to her becoming aware. Since …show more content…

The most crucial one in which Athena assisted Odysseus the most was helping him escape from Kalypso following Poseidon’s wish for him to live there forever. At Poseidon’s absence, Athena pleads to Zeus to assist Odyssey as “he cannot stir, cannot fare homeward, for no ship is left him, fitted with oars- no crewmen or companions [are there] to pull him on the broad back of the sea” (81). Athena had begged for his mercy from Kalypso in order to return home to his family in Ithika. Without Athena brining awareness to Odysseus’s struggle, he would have forever stayed upon the island with Kalypso with no aid from the Gods. In this setting, Homer has once again established Athena’s loyalty to Odysseus by assisting him off the island and watching over the remainder of his journey home. Furthermore she goes on to prepare for his battle against the

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Odysseus receives guidance, and help, from mainly Athena, the daughter of Zeus. She helps Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, throughout the whole book. Often, she disguises herself as the Mentor or another person. Athena was also the one god who spoke up for Odysseus and his son during the council of the gods. Although Odysseus does gain support from a few of the other gods, at the same time, he becomes an enemy to others, such as Poseidon, so having Athena on his side helps him to further move towards his end goal to return home.

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Athena helped Odysseus return home, after being away from Ithaca for about twenty years. (Greek Goddess Athena) When Odysseus finally found his way home to Ithaca, Athena protected him by disguising him as a beggar. (Greek Goddess Athena) After Odysseus “shot an arrow through twelve ax handles and killed all of the suitors”, (Sparknotes) Athena changed him, from a beggar, back into Odysseus. Athena was known to give Odysseus strength.

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In the epic poem The Odyssey, Athena mentoring Odysseus greatly changed 8th century BCE society’s opinion of him. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is mentored throughout the “books” over and over by the goddess Athena. Most of the times that Odysseus needs help, Athena is there. So, how did this affect society’s opinion on him? For starters, it made them believe he was an epic hero.

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Athena Research Paper Odysseus’ continued survival in The Odyssey is an incredible feat, but much of it can be attributed to the Greek goddess, Athena. Athena is a well-known and revered Greek goddess, and is a major hero throughout The Odyssey. Athena is a very powerful, instrumental woman who uses her powers to help those in need, including Odysseus. Athena, the pantheon of Greek mythology, contributes immensely to Odysseus’ journey.

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And they fell to the ground at the goddess’ voice / Sent shock waves through them. They turned / Back toward the city and ran for their lives. / With a roar, the great, long-suffering Odysseus / Gathered himself and swept after them” (Homer 24.553-560). This piece of evidence shows Athena helping Odysseus by making the villagers forget about their children’s murder and recognize Odysseus as their King. This was very significant because without her help, the whole village would have been against Odysseus, and he would have most likely died.

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She helped him come up with the revolutionary idea of building a horse to get inside the walls of Troy; it was told to be “an offering to Athena and that they should take the horse into their city to get Athena’s protection” (“Trojan War.”). Furthermore, she had a particular liking for Odysseus and manipulates his fate often (Erin), aiding him on his journey home from the war (Budzik) and protecting him from death and injuries (Erin). Most of the things she did in the Trojan War was for a good purpose, thus illustrating how she really was a heroine herself. Previously, the Greeks were struggling with the battle, but after her ingenious strategies, they emerged victorious. Even though Athena is the Greek goddess of war, her difference in comparison to Ares “derived in part from the fact that she represented the intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill, whereas Ares represented mere blood lust” (“Athena”.

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