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Odysseus As A Hero In The Odyssey By Joseph Campbell

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In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is trying to get his crew and himself home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. On the journey, Odysseus comes across creatures, dead souls, and gods. “The Hero’s Journey” by Joseph Campbell represents many world-wide views of what a hero is. In the article, it tells about many traits that universal heros seem to always exude in different stories. To me, Homer’s “The Odyssey” reflects many points made in Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey”. Odysseus has a supernatural aid, a reward on the journey home, and a supreme ordeal. These points are all illustrated in “The Hero’s Journey” which show us that Odysseus is a hero. Throughout “The Odyssey”, Odysseus is aided (or burdened) by supernatural events, places, and figures. This supernatural aid is highlighted as a trait of a hero in “The Hero’s Journey”. This makes sense since many hero stories that we read and hear about have supernatural elements. In “The Odyssey”, the goddess, Athena, helps Odysseus by making him “lithe and young… ruddy with sun…” (Homer, 599, part 2). Athena is a big help to Odysseus throughout the whole epic. She also fits the description of “[a] …show more content…

In “The Hero’s Journey”, the supreme ordeal is described as “the obstacle [the hero/ protagonist] has journeyed so far to overcome” (Campbell). Although the Trojan War was previously mentioned as the supreme ordeal in “The Odyssey”, the ending fight between Odysseus and the suitors could also be considered the supreme ordeal. This consideration could be made because at the end of the big fight in “The Odyssey” we are left with a description of “...blood and dust… that crowd all fallen, many and many slain.” (Homer, 613, part 2). This viewpoint makes the battle seem very deadly and significant. This is why the final fight in “The Odyssey” fits the supreme ordeal point made in “The Hero’s Journey” very

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