Athena says to Odysseus, "Here among mortal men you"re far the best at tactics ." Zeus also acknowledges Odysseus qualities early in the poem, "Great Odysseus who excels all men in wisdom, excels in offerings too he gives the immortal gods who rule the vaulting skies ." Odysseus is famous everywhere for his cleverness and resourcefulness.
Odysseus is famous due to his heroic achievements where he utilizes his mind rather than his strength. The Trojan horse scheme has become a universal trick that is still fresh and new today. The episode from the Iliad is recounted twice in the Odyssey, in Sparta by King Menelaus and in Phaeacia retold by the bard Demodokos. The episode with the Cyclops Polyphemus is an excellent account of Odysseus's wit. Rather than irrationally murdering the beast, Odysseus" realizes he and his men are no match in strength to remove the boulder from the door. Wisely Odysseus blinds the Cyclops and he and his men escape disguised as his sheep. Giving only the name Nobody to Polyphemus, the Acheans escape unharmed by the other Cyclops on the island. When the crew must surpass Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus acknowledges that there will be losses, but they can be minimized with strategic planning and navigation. Odysseus's ingenuity shines through again in his scheme to defeat the suitors. He realizes his odds and infiltrates the palace disguised an elderly beggar to discover those who have remained loyal to his family and how to overthrow the slovenly suitors. Slowly Odysseus sets up a situation in the barricaded courtyard where he, Telemachus, Eumaios and Philoitios are armed and the suitors unarmed. Odysseus responds to every adversity he is faced with throughout the poem with calculated resourcefulness, which allows him to always be successful. .
Clever as Odysseus is, he is still subject to the supremacy of the Gods. No mortal is untouched by this sphere of ultimate control.
