Odysseus As A True Hero In Homer's Odyssey

According to Zeus “A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his HEART.” In the Odyssey, Odysseus tries to get home to his wife and son, but he always seems to get set back. Along the way, Odysseus faces obstacles on his journey home. Odysseus shows he is a hero throughout the story when he saves his crew from the Cyclops, he makes sure his crew doesn’t die from the Siren’s songs, and he had the favor of Zeus against the men he fought for his kingdom, highlighting that he was the hero in Zeus’ eyes. Odysseus having the favor of Zeus is a big deal because he taught good meaning, Odysseus is a hero. Early on in his journey, Odysseus shows he is a hero when he saves his men by coming up with a clever plan to

I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye, and I leaned on it turning it as a shipwright turns a drill in planking, having men below to swing the two handled strap that spins it in the groove” (Homer 9.280-295). This emphasizes how Odysseus’ leadership helped save them by keeping their courage up to drive the pike in the Cyclops’

After landing on the Island Aeaea, Odysseus discovers that Circe has doomed his men with magic, turning them into pigs from Eurylochus’ lips. Odysseus heroically goes to save his men, despite Eurylochus’ fear. He then runs into Hermes, who is a hero also who supports Odysseus with a plant that allows him not to be protected by Circe’s power. He threatens to kill Circe after she offers him a magic drink that doesn’t affect him and she turns his men back to men but puts them in a trance and later she allows them to go after a year but first they must visit the land of the dead, “Circe gives Odysseus a magic drink, but it does not affect him and he threatens to kill her with his sword. Circe turns the pigs back to men, but puts them all into a trance. They stay for one year, until Odysseus finally begs her to let them go home. She replies that they must first visit the land of the head and hear a prophecy from the ghost of Tiresias” (Homer 10.45). This shows that Odysseus was willing to risk his life to save his men despite the fear of Eurylochus and shows how he saved his crew once more from a horrible