The Impact of Ancient Religion on Homer's Odyssey

After Odysseus’ flea from the island of the Cyclopes he docks his vessel on the island of Aeolus, who is the God of Winds. Aeolus provides Odysseus with a sack of wind rapidly delivering him to his home. However, Odysseus’ crew assumes the sack of winds contains treasures and they rip the bag wide open, releasing the wind. Odysseus and his crew are thrusted back to the island of Circe and the God Circe transforms the men into pigs. When Odysseus begins to search for his men the God Hermes approaches and provides him with a herb that will deflect Circe’s altering abilities. Consequently, after Odysseus overcomes Circe, she offers him

husbands and wives, fathers and their children, mothers and sons)  Penelope had been waiting for Odysseus for a long time and he was Circe’s lover for a year o Role of the gods in the lives of mortals  Zeus sends a storm Odysseus’ way  Hermes tells Odysseus to eat an herb called moly to protect himself from Circe’s drugs. Books 13-24: Odysseus’ Return  Arête o Book 15  Telemakhos shows arête when he welcomes Theoclymenus and offers him hospitality once they reach Ithaca.  Euamaeus shows arête when he invite Odysseus to stay for longer when Odysseus tests his hospitality.

Throughout history, tales of great heros, gruesome monsters, beautiful enchantresses, and mighty gods have been told. One such tale that is very important to the greeks is the Odyssey. The main character, “Odysseus, was very important to the greeks because he was relatable to the greeks because he was a mortal man who relied not on superhuman strength, but the power of his own mind” (Mr. Carroll). Although clever, Odysseus has many flaws, and because he was greedy, arrogant, and he lets his crew die, Odysseus is not a hero.

Finally, perhaps the most vital and well-known aspect of Greek culture is its religious beliefs and ideologies. Deeply pious in the gods, the Greeks believed the Zeus guarded the world with other Olympian gods, and these higher beings determined each individual’s future. Fate and destiny were believed in, and sacrifices were constantly committed in order to please the gods and gain their favor. Prayers to the gods for aid and help were common. Prophecies were numerous, although accurate ones were rare. And of course, the Greeks believed in the Underworld, a dreadful land with Hades as its ruler. “The Odyssey”, being in a Greek lifestyle, is naturally filled with references to these religious beliefs and thoughts. Odysseus and his companions often made sacrifices to the gods. He visits the Underworld to speak with the blind prophet Tiresias who accurately predicts Odysseus’s travels. Because of the prophet’s words, Odysseus is able to make his journey safely.

he Odyssey, as written by Homer, intricately and excitingly weaves Colin Renfrew’s Subsystem Theories throughout the entire play. Many of the five subsystem theories can be seen and support understanding of the novel. Of the five systems, trade/communication, social/ political hierarchy and symbolic subsystems will be the focus of analysis in this paper. All of these subsystems come together in The Odyssey to explain the characters and their lives, and also how they fit into the society which they live in. To understand the growth and development of the characters, we must understand the systems theories, “many human actions have a meaning at several different levels, with undertones and overtones… it is the complex interconnectedness of the subsystems which gives human culture its unique potential for growth.” As this paper will demonstrate within The Odyssey, trade and communication, social and political hierarchy and lastly symbolic subsystems create adventure in Odysseus’s harrowing, yet exciting journey back to his kingdom and family. These specific subsystems add depth and excitement because we see how each specific one impacts Odysseus’s journey back home. They help us understand who Odysseus is a man and sympathize with all that he goes through. The communication subsystem helps explain how communication between people (and gods) in different lands aid to the success of his return home. We are able to see from the social subsystem how Odysseus and other men

“Of all the creatures that breathe and creep about on Mother Earth there is none so helpless as man” (Homer 242). As Homer wrote these words the understanding of the greeks was made much more clear. Odyssey was written between 750 and 700 BC, which indeed was during the Trojan war. This epic was written and orally passed down for the people, to enjoy and to teach them the different lessons and values. The epic being written and passed down for this reason shows how important the Greek’s values were to them and how they wanted these values to carry on. In Odyssey, the Greek’s beliefs, values, prejudices, and superstitions are understood through Odysseus’ trials, pitfalls of temptation and his storytelling. Homer symbolizes many of the Greek’s beliefs threw the

Hermes helps him out and gives him a plan to help save his men. So our hero is saved by the god Hermes from a horrible fate. Still Odysseus is not content to sail on and leave the goddess behind (Odyssey 10:269-532). Here Odysseus lost sight of his goal, thinking he was in full control of the situation. Only after a full year has past does he even ask Circe to help them on their way and only at the urging of his crew. He forgets that it was only by the gods help that he was able to triumph over Circe. There was no other way he could have survived her magic. In a sense he is beat by her because he forgets his voyage home and wastes a year in tarring there. By forgetting the voyage he denies himself, a hero, and forgets his family and subjects in Ithaca. Exactly the same threat that the lotus eaters posed to Odysseus and his men. The temptation that Circe offers is a life of pleasure. Anything you desire: food, sport, beautiful women, anything at all. For a time Odysseus is taken in my her offer but thanks to his men he is able to break free of it and remember his home and family.

The Odyssey by Homer is a literary classic that presents many themes about the natures of both man and god. Although the characters of the book display characteristics relatable to those of the people today, one of the most prevalent differences between the two eras and their people is the intense violence that takes place throughout the entirety of the epic. This violence serves several functions in the work as a whole. The violence that is enacted upon the characters of The Odyssey serve as a device to convey the Greek cultural value of reverence of the gods and as a method for the author to create nuances to his characters.

The Odyssey is an epic poem that showcases the heroic actions contrasted with the grave disasters of Odysseus, a tragic hero on his way home from the war in Troy. The author, Homer, shows through Odysseus’ actions that even a hero such as he, has flaws. Flaws that if not acknowledged and learnt from, can spell grave disaster in the journey yet to come. Many Greeks recognize Odysseus as the most renowned hero of the Trojan war, thanks to his own accounts of his years away from Ithaca. Following the Greek beliefs, many believe that Odysseus couldn’t have kept himself away for so long, for only the gods can do something like this, and Odysseus can’t be the cause of the crew’s deaths, only the gods could be so cruel. While

Homer’s The Odyssey and The Holy Bible, are writings from the ancient civilizations! The proximity regarding similar narratives between the two publications has produced curiosity in inquiring minds. Interchangeable associations of both texts have prompted an investigation to explain why this literary phenomenon has occurred.

One of the issues in Homers The Odyssey is understanding the role and function of the goddess Athena. The problem is most pronounced when examining Athena’s duality. She provides Odysseus both her counsel and assistance throughout the story yet she’s also the entity that keeps him exiled from his home. Athena’s role, similar to the other gods, is to correct apparent injustices. “Oh father Zeus and gods and bliss forever let no man holding scepter as a king think to be mild the fatherhood and mercy through his reign. Meanwhile he lives and grieves upon the island of the nymph…” Book 5 lines 9-21. These lines show that Athena is concerned about the injustice that surrounds Odysseus and his son. This suggests that gods can become active in the role of mortals and may aid them to correct inequity through their fate. This paper will explore the obligations Athena had to ensure Odysseus’ voyage home safely as well as the thematic importance of fate in The Odyssey and the intervention and the power of the gods and goddesses. Fate is one of the occurring themes throughout the Odyssey, where the intervention of the gods and goddesses is common due to the triumphs of men and women.

In the Hebrew Bible and The Odyssey there are heroic figures that play an important role through out each of the books. These heroic figures from the Bible and The Odyssey have many similarities and differences that reflect the different cultures they are from. These heroes are called upon by greater beings, such as gods, to complete difficult journeys and or tasks that the god has made them destined to complete. Each of these legendary heroes demonstrates a particular culture’s needs. Through these journeys and or tasks they are forced to overcome challenging obstacles and make sacrifices.

The Odyssey by Homer and the Old Testaments: King James Version are two of the most read and most sophisticated pieces of literature that have transcended through generations. While they share similar qualities; both greatly differ as well, especially when it comes to the women characters. Classical historian and professor of classical studies at Wellesley College, Mary Lefkowitz, makes a significant contrast between these two famous writings. She believes that a major difference between the women of each story differ dramatically when it comes to their personality and actions. “[Although] the notion... that a man should be active and aggressive, a women passive and subjected to the control of the men in her family, are expressed in virtually every Greek myth, even the ones in which the women seek to gain control over their own live.…[so] that it is possible to show that the Greeks at least attributed to women a capacity for understanding that we do not alway find in the other great mythological tradition that has influenced Western thought, namely, the Old and New Testaments." (Women in Greek Myth, Mary Lefkowitz). I completely agree with Lefkowitz statement on these characters, it’s very clear that most of the women in the Old Testament are very flat while the Odyssey is full of well rounded characters especially when it comes to Jacob’s wife Rachel and Odysseus 's wife Penelope.

In ancient Greece, there was veneration for the gods as mystical powers who governed the universe. There were gods for all the important aspects of life and the ancient Greeks believed the gods influenced all human activity. Today we would generally refer to such beliefs as religion. Interestingly, the Greeks did not have a word for “religion”. Such beliefs were not a distinct aspect of everyday life, but rather a fundamental part of it (Garland). It may seem ironic to analyze “religion” in Oedipus Rex; but, in reality, the Greek’s relationship with the gods is a fundamental aspect of the story of Oedipus. “Certain forms of behavior did offend

Homer’s The Odyssey is home to many classics within its pages. From the Cyclops, Scylla and a myriad of other creatures, The Odyssey is a classic in every sense of the word and its influence on modern day culture is plain to see. However, it wasn’t just the monsters that drew people into Homer’s tale, it was also characters. Describing the tale of Odysseus, who after winning a ten-year long war thanks to his quick wits and high intelligence. The story delves into his journey on trying to get back to his wife, Penelope and child, Telemachus. For twenty years, Odysseus sailed, fought and outsmarted many obstacles, losing most of his men in the process. And when he finally reaches his home, suitors trying to court his sorrowful wife, who