Why Is Odysseus An Epic Hero

Odyssey Essay

“Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It’s strengthening of his powers of accomplishment” - Thomas Carlyle. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca goes upon a journey, and encounters danger and challenges that prevents him from going back to Ithaca, which is his goal. And during the journey, he begins to become an epic hero. Odysseus fits the description of an epic hero because he had cleverness, exceptional knowledge, and supernatural conflict. The first reason why Odysseus fits the description of an epic hero is because he had cleverness. The first time Odysseus shows that he had cleverness was in the cyclops, Polyphemus adventure.

The first time Odysseus shows that he had supernatural conflict is in the cattle of the sun god, Helios adventure, and it was caused by Odysseus’s crew, who killed Helios’s cows. In the Odyssey, it states that after Odysseus’s crew ate Helio’s cows. Helios, the god of the sun, was extremely angry, so he asked Zeus, the god of the sky, for revenge on Odysseus and his crew. Zeus had to accept it, otherwise Helios would have created trouble for Zeus in the Underworld. As the results, Zeus’s destroys Odysseus’s ship with his thunderbolt, only leaving Odysseus alive, which clearly demonstrates that Odysseus had supernatural conflict. The second time Odysseus shows that he had supernatural conflict is in the Aeolus adventure, and it was caused by Odysseus’s crew members, who opened the bag of storm winds. In the Odyssey, it states that Aeolus, the god of winds, gives Odysseus the bag of storm winds. The plan was to allow the west wind to only blow Odysseus and his crew back home. However, the plan failed because some of the crew members opened the bag, since they were curious because the inside of the bag was kept as a secret to them, which clearly demonstrates that Odysseus had supernatural conflict. As the results, Poseidon’s power, the storm winds blew Odysseus and the crew further away from their destination. The third time Odysseus shows that he had supernatural conflict is in the cyclops adventure, and it was caused by Odysseus and his crew, who tricked the cyclops many times. In the Odyssey, it states that Odysseus taunts at Polyphemus, and reveals his real name after Odysseus injured Polyphemus, and tricked him, which enraged him. After Polyphemus about Odysseus, he requested from his father, Poseidon, the god of sea, to curse Odysseus, and ask for revenge on Odysseus and his crew. As the results, Poseidon alternated the ocean’s courses during the journey