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Odysseus in his journey back to Ithaca

            Within Greek mythology, different characters are portrayed in the works. Each has its own cast of human characters. Also within each epic are a cast of gods and goddesses. They have a very specific role within the plot. Their roles within each epic can vary from story to story. Homer's "The Odyssey" is no different. In "The Odyssey" there are six main deities that are portrayed and have relatively major roles. They are Athena - goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts as well as daughter to Zeus, Poseidon - god of the sea, Zeus - King of gods and men, Hermes - messenger of the gods, specifically Zeus, Calypso - nymph and daughter of Atlas, and Circe -dread goddess. .
             This paper will discuss the roles of each of these deities and the contribution that they made to Odysseus in his journey back to Ithaca.
             The first in the series of goddesses that played a role in the Odyssey was Athena. Athena's role in this epic is that of action (Kerestes 3). She is willing to help Odysseus in any way possible so that he can get back to Ithaca to his wife Penelope. She starts out by going directly to Zeus and begging him to allow her to help Odysseus. She even goes as far as speaking up for him in the counsel of the gods on Mount Olympus (Phillips 3). .
             She helps him later on by disguising him so that when he does return home, his wife's suitors will not kill him (Kerestes 3). The underlying theme with Athena is that she is the one that will do whatever it takes to ensure that Odysseus remains on his planned fate -to return to his wife Penelope (Phillips 2). .
             The next god that we will examine is Poseidon. Poseidon is the exact opposite of Athena. He does whatever he can to rid the world of Odysseus. Poseidon has extreme resentment and hatred for Odysseus because of what Odysseus did to his son Polyphemus. When Odysseus left Troy to return home, Polyphemus captured Odysseus and his crew. Odysseus blinds Polyphemus and escapes.


Essays Related to Odysseus in his journey back to Ithaca

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2. The Journey Of Odysseus And Telemachos

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4. Qualities for Survival - Odysseus

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6. Odysseus: The Trickster

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8. Odysseus' Obstacles

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9. The Parallel in Hermes w. Odysseus

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