The Role Of Zeus In The Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Homer portrays the Greek gods in many different ways. While some desire to be feared by humans (Poseidon), others prefer to help guide mortals that they find worthy on their own journeys(Athena and Calypso). They each have their own set of characteristics like other people in the story, but usually show some sort of majesty over the vast majority. Poseidon especially seems to show that conceited and overpowering nature that we tend to associate with “higher beings”. He acts more like a power hungry god than Athena who basically acts as Odysseus’

Whoever judged from Odysseus from his errors, was only focusing on the inadequate side; this idea was falsified numerous times. In fact, many quotes have been written about judging people from their mistakes, one of many being “To judge a man by his weakest deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave” (Elvis Presley); in the end, Odysseus is a hero, not a god. To conclude, Odysseus was considered a hero because of his qualities and actions; focusing on a specific point changes our view of a person. The king of Ithaca was a hero, mainly because of self-control and leadership. With both of those qualities in his arsenal, he led his army in the trials bestowed upon him.

Although Beowulf and The Odyssey are not usually referred to as similar many comparisons can be made between the two. Especially if focusing on the side of what kind of story they are. Both stories revolve around a hero although some may question that the characters are not heroes they are. At that time a hero wasn’t always the best person it was whoever got the job done however they could. Beowulf and Odysseus are seen very different because of morals and religion, but they show much to be compared as well.

A hero in Greek Mythology was regarded as one who would manifest substantial amounts of fortitude in situations of great adversity. Furthermore, Theseus was regarded as a hero. Unlike many heroes who possessed the traditional heroic qualities of strength and courage, Theseus additionally possessed the qualities of wisdom and knowledge which he exemplified when being faced with his father’s challenge to lift a sizable stone. While Theseus was considered a founding hero of Athens, he was a great reformer of Athens as well, making him one of the most highly regarded kings and heroes of Greek Mythology. Theseus was born of Princess Aethra and Athenian King Aegeus, although he was raised by Aethra and his grandfather King Pittheus of Troezen.

Myths of both Hermes and Coyote involve love, sexuality, and fertility. Hermes has many great examples of those categories. One of which being his use of music as a type of courting tool. Another example of love in Hermes myths is his meeting with Aphrodite when one her sandals was brought to him in order for her to come meet him. As seen in Hermes, Coyote also has great examples of those same categories in his own myths.

Zeus’s Influence in Mythology Zeus is an incredibly important character in Greek Mythology, and plays a role in almost every myth. Some believe his actions are for good, while others oppose by saying he is mostly a negative god. Evidence that proves Zeus’s personality is in the Myths: Kronos and Zeus, proving he is a good god, Prometheus, proving he is a negative god, and Demeter, which is most enjoyable to me. In the end, Zeus has proven to make some unfavorable decisions, but also many admirable ones. The myth Kronos and Zeus, illustrates some acts of Zeus that are in a positive light.

Although he is completely honest about his emotions, Holden still habitually lies to those around about other subjects such as his name. Even though Holden is sometimes honest, most of the time he confirms that he is a “pathological liar”, which demonstrates that he is a phony. Holden Caulfield is a phony because he frequently lies to those around him and regularly pretends to be something that he is not. He continually lies about insignificant subjects, such as his name. On multiple occasions he pretends to be tough, even though in reality he feels weak.

In the beginning of story writing, authors portrayed heroes with human-like flaws. They were greedy, ambitious, stubborn, and even cruel. Their perception of being a hero was totally different to what we have now. Despite those characters having severe weaknesses, they were and still are heroes. Odysseus, ruler of Ithaca is the main character in Homer’s epic.

In the Odyssey by Homer, numerous gods affect the plots of the stories. They play a key role in causing the adventure to happen, but they also help Odysseus find his way; however, many gods and creatures want to make him suffer. The stories are an account of all the scenarios that occur because of the gods. Some of the gods favor specific people throughout the multiple books; for example, Athena convinces Telemachus to try to find his father. Also, she helps him stand up against the suitors and become a man.

The strength of the relationship between god and mortal greatly affected a mortal’s life. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the different relationships between Poseidon and Odysseus, Odysseus and Athena and Telemachus and Athena affect whether or not Odysseus’ will complete his nostos. God and humans shared many similarities. Like humans, gods experienced feelings of happiness, love, loneliness, anger and jealousy. Homer makes it evident that no mortal should ever underestimate the power of a god.

The Greek god I am researching is, Zeus. Zeus is the most power full god. He has the power to throw lighting bolt control the weather and control the heavens. The reason I picked Zeus as my god is because he is a good strong leader. Zeus has a kind of small family, his mothers name is Rhea, his fathers name is Cronus, and his brothers and sisters are, Hades, posiden, Demeter, and Hsia.