The idea of a supreme being is something that is held at the centre of many belief systems and religions all around the world. The earth is constantly moving, our climate changes unpredictably, and human beings and civilizations are constantly developing and evolving. This begs the question, what is the cause of this? Some may propose arguments in the favor of science, while others may just accept things for being the way they are. For the majority of people however, a faith provides the answers to these essential questions. Humans have constantly been showing their gratitude to a being that they call their creator, a being who has bestowed life upon them and is responsible for their every breath. In Ancient Greece, the citizens of one of the most powerful empires did exactly that; praising the names of gods that brought them anything crucial to their existence. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, gods play a very significant role to the plot of the story. We must contemplate whether or not Odysseus would have been able to survive his journey back to Ithaca without goddess Athena. Although Athena supported Odysseus throughout his voyage, other gods including Poseidon, Calypso, and Circe made it difficult for Odysseus to return home. This is what made Odysseus’ voyage an odyssey. While Athena assisted Odysseus in surviving throughout the toughest times, other gods exacerbated the perils of Odysseus’ voyage.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, assists both Odysseus and his family in numerous ways throughout The Odyssey. At the opening of the poem, Athena pleads with her father Zeus to let her help Odysseus on his journey, so he can go home to his family. She says, “My heart breaks for Odysseus, that seasoned veteran cursed by fate so long” (Homer 79). In Book One, Athena takes the form of Odysseus’ friend, Mentes. She informs Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, that his father is still alive, and advises Telemachus to sail to Pylos and Sparta to find news of his father. Athena tells Telemachus, “…Odysseus is not dead. He’s still alive somewhere…held captive, out at sea, on a waved-washed island” (Homer 83-84). Thus, from the very beginning of the epic poem we see that Athena is out to help Telemachus find his father. She also gives Telemachus confidence and support. Athena’s generosity is further explicated in Howard Clarke’s, The Art of The Odyssey. Clarke states that Athena provides Telemachus with encouragement. He points out that on Telemachus’ way to Sparta, “Athena encourages him, and tells him not to be so shy, to rely on his native wit, and to have faith in the assistance of god…” (Clarke 35). In other words, Athena reassures Telemachus that she is out to help him in what ever way possible, as Clarke explains in his book. This is why she disguises herself as a mentor, and as an eagle to protect Telemachus and his men on their voyage to Nestor, the city’s king, to find news of Odysseus. In addition, Athena also prepares Telemachus for the stages of heroism. In other words, like Odysseus, Athena wants Telemachus to build a heroic reputation. This is why she convinces Telemachus to leave for Pylos and Sparta. Clarke points out that Athena knew that Telemachus needed “…experience in a heroic society, the kind of experience he [Telemachus] had never known in Ithaca…., and this was the only way he could’ve gained it” (34). Through this example we see that not only did goddess Athena provide Telemachus with moral support, but she also looked out for his reputation. Furthermore, Athena also provides Odysseus with support throughout his voyage. To illustrate, when Odysseus is stranded on Scheria, the island of the Phaeacians, Athena makes him look attractive, this way Nausicaa, a Phaeacian princess, would fall in love with Odysseus and help him find his way home. Athena also disguises herself countless times to assist Odysseus. For example, in Book Seven of The Odyssey, Athena disguises herself as a young girl, and helps Odysseys find the Phaeacians palace. Athena tells Odysseus, “Good old stranger…here is the very palace that you’re after – I’ve guided you all the way. Here you’ll find our princess dear to the gods….Be bold, have nothing to fear” (Homer 181). Here again, we see Athena guiding Odysseus along the way. In Emile Mireaux’s, Daily Life in the Time of Homer, Mireaux comments on Athena’s guidance. Mireaux states that gods like Athena “…establish relationships in different ways [with mortals], as guides and counselors and as bearers of warnings…” (26). In other words, the Greek gods establish relationships with mortals on earth and ensure that people are going in the right path. Further examples of Athena’s role in The Odyssey prove this. Athena disguises herself as a shepherd when Odysseus reaches Ithaca. She informs Odysseus that he must take revenge against the suitors because they want to wed his wife, and overtake his palace. Here again we can see the importance of goddess Athena in Odysseus’s life. Athena is constantly at his side, providing him with knowledge and support. Athena’s assistance to Odysseus is also seen in Book Thirteen of the poem. Athena disguises Odysseus as an old man. Homer states that she “…shrivels the supple skin on [Odysseus’s] lithe limbs, strips the russet curls from his head, and covers his body top to toe with the wrinkle hide of an old man…” (Homer 300). As a result, this conceals Odysseus’ identity and helps him in taking revenge against the suitors. At this point of the text, it becomes clear to the reader that without Athena’s help Odysseus would never have made it home. Athena’s role is one of strength and power. She is also shown as being nurturing and affectionate towards Odysseus and Telemachus as she aids them throughout their journeys.
Although goddess Athena acts as Odysseus’ guardian angel and protects him on his journey, other gods constantly work against Odysseus to prevent him from getting home. For instance, the sea god Poseidon becomes enraged after Odysseus blinds his son, Cyclops Polyphemus. As revenge, Poseidon makes Odysseus’ voyage back to Ithaca much more difficult. For instance, when Odysseus is on his way home with the Phaeacians, Poseidon sinks the men’s ship, and turn their ship into stone. Poseidon states, “…I’ll crush that fine Phaeacian cutter out on the misty sea….[the men] will learn at last to cease and desist from escorting every man alive – I’ll pile a huge mountain round about their port” (Homer 291). This shows that Poseidon had intentions of killing Odysseus and his men before they made it back to Ithaca. A similar idea is also seen in Bernard Evslin, The Adventures of Ulysses, a retold version of the Odyssey. Evslin points out that Poseidon constantly “…rouses the winds and tides against Ulysses (12). Evslin goes on to say that Poseidon constantly threw Odysseus’s ships off guard, and gave Odysseus bad weather. To illustrate, when Odysseus left Calypso’s island of Ogygia, Poseidon immediately “…launch a colossal wave, terrible, murderous, arching over [Odysseus], pounding down on him…” (Homer 163). He is responsible for many of the detours and trials Odysseus must face on his journey. His wrath is shown when he sends a storm to wreck Odysseus’ raft which he had built in order to get off Calypso’s Island. This storm leaves Odysseus without a boat and he is forced to swim ashore through brackish, tumultuous waters stirred up by Poseidon’s trident. Another thing he does is turn the Phaeacians’ boat that rowed Odysseus safely home to Ithaca to stone. Poseidon is not a god someone would want on their bad side and we can see why when we read about all the terrible trials and havoc he causes on Odysseus and his men. He seems to be just an angry god who will do anything to hurt the man who hurt his son. Parents can relate to Poseidon because they are truly willing to do anything for their children. Every good story needs a villain, and perhaps without Poseidon the story of Odysseus’ journey would not be as interesting. Poseidon makes this an exciting story of exploration and revenge. Poseidon also makes Odysseys realize his longing for home, but at the same time makes him stronger along his trip. The story of The Odyssey would almost have no point if it did not contain the many adventures it possesses; many of which are a result of Poseidon’s bad temper. Despite all of this however, Odysseus perseveres the Poseidon’s wrath and eventually makes his way back home.
The goddess Calypso, an immortal nymph, also confronts Odysseus with many challenges. For instance, Calypso keeps Odysseus captive for seven years. As a nymph and a goddess, Calypso displays an intense sexual desire to make Odysseus her eternal mate. She keeps Odysseus on her island, which delays his mission, and seduces him to sleep with her against his will (Homer 159). Within that time, she offers him immortality, but Odysseus refuses. Instead, Odysseus longs to be reunited with his wife, Penelope. Thus critics may question whether or not Calypso was a virtuous goddess. If she was indeed virtuous, she would have never held a man captive from his wife and son for seven years. The role of goddess Calypso in Homer’s epic poem is to show Odysseus’ loyalty to his wife. Odysseus was stranded on an island with a beautiful goddess but yet he desired to be home with his wife. Calypso displays an intense and almost smothering sexual desire to keep Odysseus with her forever, thus making herself an eternal wife, forever dependent on him. This is flattering to Odysseus’ stature as a hero, being a mortal man and having the ability to satisfy a goddess. She keeps Odysseus on her island, which stagnates and stifles his mission. She also seduces and compels him to sleep with her against his will. Her ability to enchant and charm Odysseus demonstrates the influential power immortal female sexuality has in relation to the mortal male hero. She proves that she is in full control. At night, he sleeps with her out “of necessity, in the hallow caverns, against his will” (Homer 159). In her book, Calypso and Circe, Alicia LeVan writes, “Perhaps the necessity he has for unity with the feminine, coupled with his yearning for home, represents a need for a feminine figure in his life after years of functioning in war” (LeVan 35). After ten years of functioning as a killer and destroyer, he must connect with his feelings. The emotional outpouring when he weeps in pain from being in exile from his home suggests that he has begun to integrate the feminine virtues of sensitivity, patience, contemplation, depth, ripening, healing and transforming insight that enable him to continue, and to be drawn back home. Thus, he is reborn through the goddess Calypso. We can view Odysseus’ seven years with Calypso as seven years of feeling engulfed by his own need for dependency on the feminine, both the mother principle which forces him to come to terms with the powerless boy within who craves a mother’s care, and also the inner adolescent who is at the mercy of his sexual desires. This engulfment of Odysseus by Calypso expresses his own lack of control as his deeper unconscious self takes him over and possesses him. He both desires and despises the very union with the feminine he craves. He despises it because within it there is no space for his masculinity. Jean Houston writes in The Hero and The Goddess, “Calypso provides him with a regular daily life in which he has no need for the cunning qualities that saw him through the Trojan victory and his subsequent adventures” (Houston 87). Houston is saying that Odysseus lives a very easy life with the nymph, a life that may appear very appealing. Odysseus must learn to use the qualities of sensory enjoyment and emotional relationship. His existence with Calypso is effortless, but it is a kind of living death. He is, by nature, an adventurer and a man of war. With Calypso however, he had to live for seven years without the kind of adventures he’s had. It is the challenge of having no obstacles to face and no chance to be a real hero. Perhaps at first it was appealing because it was a much needed rest, but afterwards he became entrapped by Calypso. It was almost like hibernation for him. After the struggles he faced in the Trojan War and during his journey home, and losing his fellow men, it appears as if Odysseus has given up and succumbs to Calypso. He surrenders for the seven years that he stays with her. Perhaps only by surrendering for a period of time could he have gotten the inner strength to move forward on his journey home. Only by surrender could he have released the grief he had been carrying for all those years and break down and cry. It is often said that as humans, we must first fall before we can rise again. Odysseus’ time with Calypso is his fall from his heroic stature, but he certainly does rise again to be a true hero and move forward on his journey. Through the goddess and nymph Calypso, we witness a rebirth in Odysseus.
Like Poseidon and Calypso, the goddess Circe also gives Odysseus and his men many troubles that delayed the journey home to Ithaca. When Odysseus landed on the island where she lived, she turned some of his men into pigs. Odysseus says that Circe “…ushered [his men inside her home] mixed them a potion – cheese, barely, and pale honey…,” and turned them into pigs (Homer 237). Odysseus managed to escape her enchantment, and through a show of force managed to rescue his men and share her bed. He and his men then received her hospitality for over a year. Circe is a temptress who proves that conquering sometimes just involves a show of force. To us, she looks like a beautiful witch, but it is important to remember that she is not. In The Odyssey, Homer writes, “And we came to the isle Aeaean, where dwelt Circe of the braided tresses, an awful goddess of mortal speech, own sister to the wizard Aeetes (235). Like the detailed description of Calypsos rich environment, Homer pays careful symbolic detail to the environment inside of Circes home, emphasizing her connection to the domestic sphere. Circe intimately bathes, feeds, and clothes Odysseus with her own gentle hands, which is described in detail along with the healing and soothing effects it has on Odysseus’ aching body. She does this for his men as well. During the full year on Aeaea, described in seasons, Circe provides an abundance of food and wine. The entranced life with Circe idealizes the mortal activities of feasting and drinking the abundance of roasted meat and dreamy wine. She senses and identifies with their grief stricken hearts and prompts Odysseus and his men to stay so as to heal and restore their brave hearts. Thus, she heals them emotionally so that they can continue their journey. She has great wisdom of the underworld and of the sacrifice to ensure Odysseus’ future. She prophesizes and ordains the deed he must do. Circe warns Odysseus about the sirens’ pleasing song, which is an incantation that can create confusion and make him forget his home. Circe, who is also considered a nymph, is of divine beauty. She is clearly sexually desirable as even Hermes notes what a pleasure it is to share her bed, informing us that she is a sensual goddess. Odysseus is aware of the fact that Circe is highly skilled in the art of sex magic and so he consents to have sex with her only if she swears an oath. This indicates his fear and distrust of her sexually. Circe has the power to take away Odysseus’ manhood, making him into a weakling in her dangerous bed. Thus, she has significant control of sexual forces. When viewed differently, Odysseus’ power to take her immortal life coupled with his ability to outsmart her drug with the imparted wisdom from the male god Hermes and the amulet, are signs of him dominating her. She controls the forces of nature and is wise as to when she should use her knowledge, power and skill in magic and human sensuality for the benefit of herself and others.
Although the god Poseidon and the goddesses Calypso and Circe delayed Odysseus’ voyage home to Ithaca, it can be argued that the hardships he encountered made him a much stronger man than he was when he left Ithaca. Furthermore, we must question whether or not The Odyssey would have actually been an odyssey if it were not for the cursed gods who worked against Odysseus – Poseidon, Calypso and Circe. However, without any doubts Odysseus would have been unable to survive if it was not for Athena. The goddess protected him throughout the hardships that he encountered with Poseidon, Calypso, and Circe. With Athena’s guidance, Odysseus was also able to make it back to his homeland Ithaca. At last he was able to achieve justice against the suitors. Nevertheless, the journey of The Odyssey depicts how a man who holds faith in a God can survive through his obstacles in life. Odysseus was a clear illustration that even in the dire of circumstances and hardships, when we feel there is no possible way to move forward, we must have faith in a superior being to help us achieve the impossible.
Works Cited
Clarke, Howard W. The Art of The Odyssey. Bristol Classical, Bolchazy-Carducci, 1989.
Evslin, Bernard. The Adventures of Ulysses. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1980.
Homer. The Odyssey. New York: Penguin Classics, 1999.
Houston, Jean. The Hero and the Goddess. New York: Macmillian Company, 1993.
LeVan, Alicia. Calypso and Circe, New York: Random House Publishing, 1998.
Mireaux, Emile. Daily Life in the time of Homer. New York: Macmillian Company, 1962.
