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Religious Beliefs In The Odyssey

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Odyssey Essay Do you think that the values and religious beliefs have changed from 2800 years ago, and how are they alike and different? Well in the Greek story the “Odyssey” by Homer, it tells you all about how people acted towards religions and values. Religious beliefs and values have changed over the years in many ways. Loyalty is much more different then it was long ago. Today there are not as many loyal people as there was 2800 years ago, people today can’t even be trusted going out without hooking up with someone else. Odysseus’s wife Penelope waited 20 years for him to return even though he may have been dead. Odysseus’s men even stayed with him through his journey even though they died. Today you won't find many people like that. At his home two of his servants even helped him remove his unwanted guests. …show more content…

In the Odyssey, Odysseus shows great courage by facing great monsters that could have easily killed him. He also shows courage by going to the underworld where he could have never came back. When Odysseus had to lose some of his men to keep the rest alive he was showing courage. Respect for the gods today is not like it was 2800 years ago. Then mostly everyone thought the gods were real and feared them. Today many people are not religious, they do not fear the gods. In the Odyssey, Odysseus shows respect for lots of gods. One god Aeolus helps Odysseus by giving him fair winds so he could travel back to his home. Another time he shows respect for the gods is when he is going to remove the suitors from his home, Athena helps him by …… “”(). Odysseus also prays to the gods for protection in times of

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It can be seen in the Odyssey through Odysseus’ and his men’s actions, for the most part they respected and feared the gods like every good Greek. The meaning of God is different in O Brother Where Art Thou? compared to the Odyssey, not as many people believe there is a God in O Brother Where Art Thou? , while in the Odyssey the belief was universal.

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Despite being seen as a god, Odysseus is not self-centered and shows respect to everyone through his prayers, actions, and words throughout his journey at Scherie in The Odyssey. Odysseus first displays respect towards others after being escorted to the town by Nausicaa, where he prays to Athena. He proceeds to say, “Hear me, Atrytone, Unwearied One, Child of Zeus who bears the aegis, and hear my prayer this time… Grant that the Phaeacians may receive me with kindness and compassion” (6.324-327). Even after all of the years of pain that Poseidon has caused to him, Odysseus continues to pray to the Gods, showing that he still has the utmost respect for them.

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Throughout the story of Odysseus’s journey told by Homer, there are many defining examples of interaction between humans and their gods. The gods primarily interact with humans by either siding with or against them. The gods would often side with humans since they wanted to help them such as Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, helping Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, whereas the gods seeking revenge such as Poseidon, who sought revenge on Odysseus for slaying his son Polyphemus, would turn against them. While actual interaction between gods and humans seems to be a rather risible idea, there was much guidance given to humans by the gods throughout the Odyssey.

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Meridian Lattig Ms. Czerkies AFEa per. 1 26 Oct. 2017 Amazing Title Polytheism; the doctrine or belief in more than one gods or goddesses (Dictionary.com). In Greek Mythology, the gods decide the fates of every mortal that is brought to exist.

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With “Homeric heroes, who strove for honor and faced suffering and death with courage” (Perry 37). The popularity of his worked lasted centuries later and are still referenced in present day literature. Homer’s epics were hugely influential on Greek mentality and humanism. Inspiring, what would become, a fundamental attitude of the Greek mind. Often times, the messages in works had lasting affects

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We can’t be the kind, hospitable societies that were portrayed in the Odyssey, because time has progressed. Nor can we be or do the barbaric things that were the “norm” in Ancient Greece. The social standards of today are a lot different than what they used to be. Today we fight for equality, women's rights, and freedom; we don’t solve everything with fists, but with words. We respect all different kinds of people (or at least try to), and everyone lives by the same laws.

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Homer’s Influence of The People. How does Homer, through the Odyssey, help his people to become more civilized? Notwithstanding, Homer helped his people become more civilized by remembering the mistakes of the past people through stories. Also, He told them of past heroes accomplishments, so they will feel important and work towards something big and important for the people’s sake or their own sake. Consequently, He kept the history of the people of Greece alive, so they didn’t have to start over constantly from animalistic humans.

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In both The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou? , there are several explored cultural values that reoccur in both the film and epic. These key cultural values are hospitality, cunning, loyalty. These values are the base foundation of the ideology in the past. Hospitality is an important cultural value that has came up numerous times in The Odyssey.

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For example; when Homer begs the god of art to let him narrate his story before the book starts; “Sing to me, o muse, of that man of many troubles, Odysseus, skilled in all words of contending, who wandered for after he helped…” When Odysseus talks to Poseidon is another example of religion. Odysseus sails from Calypso's island to Phaeacia, but Poseidon interrupts him from his way, making him beg for his mercy and letting him pass. When he arrives there, he washes up, they give him food and cloth. He was well treated. They had the same habits; their religion, art, beliefs, sports, and more.

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Also, the text shows the beneficial outcome of resisting from temptations that distract people from completing their goal. As well, how learning from mistakes can prevent their repetition. The Odyssey, a text of antiquity, serves its purpose as a moral guidebook for contemporary behavior. A distinguished moral in the Odyssey was learning how to view

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Odysseus shows an egotistical attitude to not only the gods but towards everyone. Odysseus, merely a mortal man, thinks he belongs right beside the gods; this does not go well with the irascible god, Poseidon. Pride isn't always a bad thing. Pride drives the Odyssey and assembles

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Most of the gods in fact aren’t even on Odysseus’s side; they are actually trying to advance his defeat and to make sure he doesn’t reach Ithaca’s beaches. There are very few gods that are willing to aid in Odysseus’s journey to reunite with his family, most in which are only helping because they want to show their strength to the other gods that oppose of Odysseus’s success. This is significant with Odysseus’s blindness to have a sensitive connection with his men who would lay down their own lives to ensure Odysseus’s

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Throughout the text, the idea persists that when humans obey the orders of gods, they have success and receive praise and when humans disobey the orders of gods, they struggle and receive punishment. For instance, men of Odysseus’s troops are killed because of disobeying the sun god, Hyperion. The narrator explains that Odysseus attempts to protect his men, but they die of their own madness, which in this case would be eating the cattle of the Hyperion sun god when no permission exists to do so.  From witnessing the result of disobeying a god, Homer implies to readers that possessing respect for the gods proves vital and if a mortal disobeys a god a severe punishment persists. Another example that Homer utilizes in his novel to prove the importance of piety to the Greeks is Aeolus, a friend of the gods and the manager of the winds, who offers to assist Odysseus and his men travel home.

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Odysseus’ reverence to the gods is shown again after the suitors families and the town learns of Odysseus’ homicide, they come after the royal family. Athena and Zeus come to Ithaca, ordering a peace. Homer describes the event and Odysseus’ reaction, “So she commanded. He obeyed her, glad at heart." (Homer 24.598).

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The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.

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