Athena continues to show her care giving side after pleading with her father Zeus to free Odysseus which he does after he sent Hermes to tell Calypso to free him and she does which shows that she has a sense of decency despite her sexual ambitions to keep him on her island. After building a raft and sailing out to sea, he continues to receive bad treatment from Poseidon after he conjured up a storm that knocked him down into the water. Watching him being tossed like a rag doll around in the sea, a goddess named Ino, like Athena, showed a caring side for protecting Odysseus by providing him a scarf and with it he abandoned his raft and belongings and “dove headfirst into the sea, stretched his arms and stroked for life itself” (Book V, 411-412). While swimming toward the shore, he also had assistance from Athena who calmed Poseidon’s storm and stopped the winds by “commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep” (Book V, 423) and eventually he would make it toward land.…
Athena's role in the Odyssey is helping Odysseus get home. At first Athena talks to Zeus, they speak about how she pities Odysseus and how he should come home. Her exact words were, "My own heart is broken for Odysseus (Homer 3)." Zeus agreed. That the man,Odysseus, should come home. Then Athena left Zeus and went to see Telemakhos. She left as Mentes,so that when she saw Telemakhos he would not know she was Athena. Telemakhos showed xenia to the xenos and when she was satisfied Telemakhos asked Athena who she was. She told him that her name was Mentes. They then had a conversation about many things, one of which was Telemakhos's father. She had told him that his father is truly not dead but "only detained somewhere on the wideseas, upon some…
At the palace of Alcinoos, they pray to Poseidon. For the well being of Odysseus, she creates this mist to hide his heroic and godlike aura. Additionally, Odysseus himself does not expose his name to Alcinoos in Books 5-8. “A thick mist hid him from sight, as Athena did not wish any one to meet him and provoke him and ask him who he was” (81).…
In this scene in the book, Odysseus is woken up by Nausicaa’s maids playing in the river. When he comes out of the bushes and the maids take sight of him, they are frightened and they run away from him. They do this most likely because he is a foreign stranger and they are unfamiliar with him. They are also frightened because Odysseus appears out of the bushed naked.…
To allow Odysseus to get into his home without being recognized Athena disguises him as a beggar, and then as his plan continues he begins to slaughter the suitors. If Athena had not helped Odysseus by causing the suitors to miss their target each time they attempted to fire back at him, then he would have surely been dead fighting against so many puissant men. Without her constant help Odysseus would have never persevered through these tasks he so brashly went through, including this one. Making Athena the true hero of this story.…
When I was deciding on a character, right away I chose Athena. I chose Athena because I believe she is the most interesting (besides Odysseus) character in the book. Speaking of Athena, Athena is a very important character in the first few chapter of the Odyssey. She is the one who puts Odysseus's son on the path to find Odysseus and learn what is his faith. She did this by showing up to Odysseus’s house in human form and convincing Telemakhos to call all of his mothers suitors in front of the gods and try to convince them to leave. When that didn't work “Athena was nearby and came to him, putting on Mentor’s figure and his tone,” and told him that she will find him a boat She told him to sneak out of the house and go down to the docks to…
There are many gods throughout the story the odyssey that helped the men through their very long journey to get home. To start off with there was Athena she was the most influential god towards the men. Athena is the daughter of zeus, she is the goddess of wisdom, purposeful battle, and the womanly arts. She had an eye out for odysseus throughout the whole book watching him and helping him through everything. Specifically his shipwreck in Book 5 and the mismatched battle of Book 22.…
Athena (Roman name: Minerva), goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, is one of the most beloved and well known gods of the Greek myths. According to Greek mythology, Athena sprang from the head of Zeus, fully grown and wearing battle attire. Athena is always portrayed with her armor and helmet, carrying her shield and lance. Athena is also a gifted craftsman; she created the bridle to tame horses, along with many other crafts and useful objects. Her favorite bird is the owl, which is the symbol of wisdom, watchfulness and the hunt. Athena made all of her followers live a life of purity, and she created a big impact on Greece’s history. On of the most famous myths involving Athena is the origination of the city of the Athens’ symbol. The story begins when Poseidon and Athena have a dispute over who is to rule Athens. Whoever greats the best symbol to represent the city would become patron god or goddess. Poseidon, god of the sea, produced a freshwater spring for the Acropolis. Athena chose to present an olive tree, one of her many symbols. Because olive trees are deemed very useful, Athena became crowned patron goddess of Athens, and she has been ever since.…
When studying modern mythos in terms of comic books, I kept myself in the lense of female superheros being the goddesses of today. I use the comic books as the goddesses’ mythic narrative, but it also moves beyond written and into a visual medium which seems to be a very intriguing thing to the culture of our world today. The pictures and narrative storyline of the female superheroes provides a clear understanding of their purpose in the world created by the writers. When I posed a question of are these writers using these characters as tools to maintain a patriarchal culture or are they strong female role models created to instigate a change in the views of the world, the answer I arrived on was that they were no different from the heroines…
Athena is pivotal in assisting Odysseus by aiding in his struggle to return home and in Ithaca. She supports Odysseus throughout the epic. Athena first helps by explaining Odysseus’ predicament to others on Mount Olympus. Athena begs “Olympian Zeus” to “care for him in [his] lofty heart” (Homer 1.72,73). Athena knows that if she is able to convince the other gods and goddess to be on Odysseus’ side it would positively impact his…
Homer states, “When he awakens, he fails to recognize his homeland until Athena appears and tells him that he is indeed home. She disguises him as an old man, so that he can surprise the suitors, and then urges him to visit his faithful swineherd, Eumaeus” (Homer 1242). As one could see in this statement, Odysseus abides the goddess and realizes he cannot barge in to slaughter the suitors. Odysseus is now patient and knows he needs a plan to defeat over 100 suitors. As Homer also states, “Telemachus sends the swineherd to let his mother know he has returned safely. Athena appears and urges Odysseus to let Telemachus know who he really is” (Homer 1245). In this quote, one can see the imperturbability that has evolved in Odysseus. In the beginning of the story, Odysseus would have broken his disguise instantly to let his son know it was truly him. As the story shows, one can see that Odysseus was patient to let Telemachus know it was himself, and allowed the goddess of wisdom, Athena, to show his identity when the time was…
He is favored by Athena the goddess of wisdom. When dealing with the cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus manages to get the cyclops drunk, blinds him, uses the cyclops’ sheep to get out of the cave, and uses the clever name “Nobody” to disguise his identity(although in an irrational moment he reveals himself and is cursed by Poseidon). Inquires Journals claims “this act of sheer cunning depicts Odysseus as a shrewd character who actively outthinks his opponents in whatever challenge with which he is encumbered” (Tartell). Also, the choice of Scylla rather than Charybdis quickly reveals Odysseus's quick thinking skills. He manages to drag his crew away from the Lotus Eaters and goes to the Underworld to get advice from Tireaisa. Also, with the aid of Hermes, he resists Circe’s spell and convinces her to release his men. He gets him and his crew out of many peroulis…
Time and time again, Athena has had to help Odysseus on his journey home. Frankly, without her, Odysseus’ trek back to Ithaka would have been much more difficult. Specifically, as Odysseus is nearly at Ithaca, Athena has to cast a grey mist over Odysseus to protect him from others hurting him. Likewise, she has to disguise Odysseus frequently to ensure his safety and his successful journey home. If Odysseus did not have these disguises, the unfolding of events…
Homer the Odyssey tells the tale of a journey of the hero Odysseus and the journey…
Homer’s The Odyssey is a tale about a man journeying home to his family while facing many trials along the way. Throughout the story, there are many themes that illustrated the Greek Society’s beliefs at the time. One of the most prominent themes is how the Greek Gods were portrayed throughout the story. Due to their significant aid to Odysseus’s endeavors, the Gods in Ancient Greek Society were revered as good and pure.…