In Greek mythology there are over a thousand stories about heroes and their adventures against nature and mystical and dangerous creatures. But there are always a few traits in the heroes that are repeated in all of these stories. And the Odyssey is not different. Through out the Odyssey the main character, Odysseus, shows a number of heroic qualities. Some of those qualities he shows is his kindness for his men, and bravery when facing all of the hardships in the Odyssey.
Kindness can help a person more than actions sometimes. A kind word can help a person in many ways whether that be spiritually or emotionally. Odysseus displays his kindness in book 1 when Elpenor died from falling off of Circe's roof while drinking. When Odysseus had found him in the land of the dead, Odysseus had vowed to give Elpenor a proper
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Odysseus's display of bravery can be seen in book 12 when he needs to choose between the hideous beast, Scylia and the whirlpool of death, Charybdis. Odysseus asks the witch Circe for advice about what he should do: "-only instruct me goddess, if you will, how, if possible, can I pass Charybdis or fight off Scylia when she raids my crew?" (Allan, 1133) Despite what Circe tells Odysseus about all the dangers he and his men will face ahead of them, Odysseus doesn't run away or cower in fear. Odysseus tries to face the dangers with his men. Another act of bravery in the Odyssey can be found in book 9 when Odysseus had tricked the hideous man-eating Cyclops Polyphemus. One of the most important steps that led to his escape from the cave was: " ...said his name was Nohbody. Hides under the sheep." (classmates) Instead of thinking irrational like his crew and killing Polyphemus while he slept, Odysseus had waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. Furthermore, when in the face of danger, not cowering from it shows how heroic Odysseus