Homer's Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey

The Odyssey or the myth of the universal journey.

No matter when or where in the world there will always be heroes who are destined for greatness, who will accept their quest or journey with various obstacles and trials to overcome. The Odyssey appears to be just an epic poem about the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus, after his victory in the Trojan War, when he at last returns to his native land of Ithaca. Although, at a first glance, we are talking about one particular man's journey, in fact, it is Horace who depicts the essence of the entire epic in his first Satire when he says that "mutato nomine, fabula de te narratur," just change the name and the story could be told about you."

The Odyssey depicts with a remarkable ability to see through someone's eyes, deep into the soul, the exploration of the hero's sensitive interior life. He undergoes some major changes in the process of evolving into a man superior to all mortals. This process of transformation is supported by a set of adventures that turn into obstacles which Odysseus and his crew have to confront with during their journey: the adventures with the Cicones, the Laestrygonians, the Cyclops, the Lotus-eaters, the island of the Sun god Helios. Each one of these challenges can be seen like tests in his evolution as a superior being. Any of us could go through such tests, even if in a different way, but the purpose would remain the same: to reach a superior level in the development of our inner selves.

In the Odyssey there are many important themes that resonate with our every day life. One of them is the idea of faith or the fact that people have no control over their lives. We, humans, appear to be just some rolled dice in the games of the gods. A very good example of the complete lack of control finds Odysseus across the sea to Phaiacia while Poseidon tries to stop him:" With that he gathered the clouds and troubled the waters of the deep, grasping his trident in his hands; and he roused all storms of all manner of winds, and shrouded in clouds the land and sea: and down sped night from heaven."(Homer's Odyssey, Book 5, Butcher-Lang translation).Although this lack of choice seems obvious for Odysseus whose only thing left is to face his fate, there is in fact a way for him and for us also, to take over, by the censorship of our own reactions to the happenings of life. All these show us one thing: even if we do not control our own lives we cannot but fight our own battles hoping that by doing this we are one step closer to achieving our goals.

The sea is a recurring symbol throughout the epic. Everything happens on the sea, his return to Ithaca cannot take other path than on the sea. Due to his mistake, that of blinding the god's son Polyphemus, and consequently to the sea god's determination to listen to Cyclop's prayer, our hero has to go through all the hardships and a long struggle and return home all by himself. if, the sea represents for him his only possible way to return home, for us the sea represents the sea of life, a great man's journey throughout life with all its victories and heartbreaks.

A crucial element in the hero's journey is the power of seduction and the strength to fight it. Clypso, Circe and the Sirens are all examples of beautiful women whom Odysseus must face and overcome in order to return safely to his homeland. Although each of them has a different method of enticement, they all have the same goal: to hinder him in his way back. Even if he does not have prior knowledge of their powers he does not give in to temptation, he has the power to fight them even if curiosity, one of his major "faults," is the root of all his problems (he insists on hearing the Sirens call, even though to do so, he must have himself go through excruciating torments, strapped to the mast of his ship).

The important thing to bear in mind from all this is that people are weak and easy to influence and that there will always be dark forces to impede them from the right way, the only thing that makes the difference is how hard they fight to remain on the right track.

A powerful symbol of the epic is Ithaca which symbolizes home, the end the journey, the goal of the mythic track. Home was everything he wished to reach, the last twenty years. Here he must pass his ultimate test. Initially Odysseus must enter his home in disguise because it had been invaded by the enemies, the suitors. Being a military leader, he first gathers pertinent information and than plans the time and place of his attack. Helped by his son and two loyal herdsmen he wins the fight but not without Athena who intervenes only to encourage his victory as long as Odysseus fights well. As a reward for his courage he joins his wife and Homer describes the deeply moving reunion of the couple with elegant and meaningful simile-filled language:" as the sight of land is welcome to men who are swimming towards the shore, when Neptune has wrecked their ship...even so was her husband welcome to her as she looked upon him, and she could not tear her two fair arms from about his neck" ("The Odyssey," translated by Samuel Butler, Book xxiii).