Is Odysseus an Epic Hero?

An epic hero is defined as one who embodies several heroic traits such as having superior or super-human strength; being intellectual and courageous; and being a strong and responsible leader. An epic hero struggles and is overwhelmed with difficulties and, is on a quest of self-discovery, war or some sort of goal. There is no better way this definition could fit the character Odysseus in the very old novel: The Odyssey, which still enthralls readers today. Odysseus faces merciless creatures, powerful gods and goddesses, the underworld and ungrateful suitors on his quest to return home from Ithaca after ten years of war from Troy. Through the journey he takes to fulfill his quest, we see that Odysseus portrays all these heroic characteristics which make him a true hero.

People normally refer to a hero as someone who has fought a great battle, saved lives or one who has made a great impact to people's lives such as Fire-fighters or even Superman -who are known to save many lives each day. Obviously, Odysseus himself can be referred to such a hero. It was his wise plan to invade Troy with the wooden horse that gave the army victory over the war against the Trojans. Laura Crkovski quotes Stephen Harris and Gloria Platzner in their novel Classical Mythology: Images and Insights: 'Odysseus was "the most gifted speaker among the Greeks, [using] his characteristic diplomacy and common sense to his advantage", it was Odysseus who persuaded the Greeks not to "retreat their ships, stepping into the gap when Agamemnon's leadership momentarily falter[ed]"' (7). Like a heroic leader in war, he didn't give up when the rest of the soldiers wanted to and instead being the intelligent man he is, he came up with the brilliant idea of the wooden horse which lead them to victory. He was brave to face the Trojans and he did not accept defeat and wanted to go on like a hero would.

Odysseus' intelligence and cunningness, his two famous characteristics, is shown to us, in Book IX, when he faces one of his first obstacles, the Cyclops, Polyphemus. In lines 228-229, he says 'if I killed him we perished there as well, for we could never move his ponderous doorway slab aside (Homer 154). Odysseus was intelligent enough to realize this so instead, cunningly, he got Polyphemus drunk and then blinded him. By cheating the Cyclops telling him his name was 'Nohbdy' (Homer 156), the Cyclops friends did not help him because they thought nobody played him so Odysseus and his men managed to escape by the means of his wit. Odysseus is a hero here because he was brave enough to face the Cyclops and he ended up saving the lives of his men. Jean White also clearly notes, 'he is continually and repeatedly described as 'subtle', a man who thinks on his feet and is possessed of a 'cunning intelligence'("Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspectives").

We see his intelligence and cunningness once more when he returns back to Ithaca and confronts the suitors at his house. He was well disguised and a good liar when he fooled everyone he was a beggar even to his own wife Penelope. He waited for the right time to reveal his identity in order to gather enough allies in the house and catch the suitors off guard. Once again through a brilliant strategic plan, like a hero he defeated his enemies. Andrew Nordin states, 'the myths of ancient Greece are full of great battles in which gallant heroes combat hordes of vicious enemies. Only these kinds of grandiose battles are worthy of the epic heroes of mythology' ("A comparison of heroic values"). Even according to Andrew's description, Odysseus would perfectly fit as an epic hero.

We learn a lot from this fight against the suitors. We also see the great strength in Odysseues. Andrew Nordin brilliantly notes from the quote: '[he and his men chase them] "like vultures... descending from the mountains upon a flock of smaller birds" (Ody. XXII.322-3), saying, 'this simile not only demonstrates the extent to which the suitors are outmatched but also compares the valor of Odysseus to that of his enemies. Odysseus is brave like a giant bird of prey, and his enemies are the small birds who fly away at the slightest sign of danger' (2). From this simile we can see that Odysseus was fiercer than the suitors. We also see that they were also scared of him. In Book XXII, Eurymachus blames the already dead Antinous, in order to get Odysseus' forgiveness and to let them go. People are usually scared of the hero. Andrew again notes from a quote: 'with his "wellwrought helmet with a plume that [makes] his every nod a threat" (Ody. XXII.127-8), Odysseus must have appeared terrifying' (6). I can picture this scene with Odysseus taking a firm stand and control of his battle.

Jean White states, 'more predictably, perhaps, for a legendary hero and warrior, he [Odysseus] is 'headstrong', fearless and able to be ruthless when the occasion demands, whilst remaining a caring, compassionate leader of his men' (qtd. in "Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspectives"). As Jean also clearly stated, indeed, even though he was a strong, wise, courageous and cunning hero, he was also a caring, compassionate