Here is where Odysseus displays all his heroic qualities. Odysseus picked twelve of the best warriors from his crew to accompany him on the visit to the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and son of the god that shakes the Earth, Poseidon. Polyphemus takes Odysseus captive and proceeds to eat his warriors for meals. Odysseus dreams up an ingenious plan. He reveals to the Cyclops that his name is Nobody. Then, while the Cyclops slept, Odysseus sharpened a log, heated it to an ember, and blinded the Cyclops. When Polyphemus cried to the other Cyclops that he had been blinded, he told them that Nobody had blinded him so the other Cyclops did not come to his help. Then to complete his plan, Odysseus and his remaining crew hid in the under belly of Polyphemus" sheep when they went out to pasture. Odysseus had to actually hold on to the sheep's under belly with his arms, unlike his crew who was tied to them. Odysseus uses his heroic qualities to over come all the conflicts that the fates and the Gods throw at him. He uses his cunning when he returns to h!.
is household. First he has to figure out a way to defeat all the suitors when there are only three of them. After he defeats the suitors, he has to play mind games with his wife Penelope because of the warning Agamemnon gave him at the river of death. Another heroic quality is his looks and charm. If Odysseus had not have been as handsome then Circe would not have seduced him and he would not have been giving the advice about the river of the dead, the Sirens, Scylla and Charyboidis. Also, at the end of his journey had he not been handsome, Calypso would not have taken him in, fed him and gave him shelter, and he would have died on her island. And after all that, I do not believe that he would have been as welcomed at the Kingdom of Pheaecia by the princess Nausicaa. Having the protection of a god is also a certain quality of a hero. Athena constantly helps Odysseus during his travels.
