Divine Intervention: Athena's Protection of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey - Essay Sample

Introduction

It is correct that divine intervention remains the primary them in the poem Odyssey. Odysseus was the main character, and Athena was his goddess. (Miles, and Geoffrey 31). The goddess was a crucial pillar of protection for Odysseus as she has been able to assist him in many issues. The poem tells us that this hero was lucky for he had this goddess who continuously offered help and protection to him every time he needed the assistance. From the poem, we can be able to find out that it is Athena who helps the reunion of Odysseus and his son Telemachus after his father went missing mysteriously. (Miles, and Geoffrey 31). The poem tells us that it was Athena, the goddess who went to Zeus and insisted to them that it was time to let the hero free and reunite him and his son.

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Odysseus was also brave as the poem tries to explain it defines him as a cunning war strategist. His title, the hero, also describes him as a brave person. (Miles, and Geoffrey 31). It is also captured that he had returned from a war when he mysteriously disappeared. However, all through his war missions, the goddess was always with him to ensure that he was protected. The poem also indicates that this man returned safely from the war at Troy because of the guidance and the aid he was getting from Athena. We can, therefore, refer to Athena as his catalyst in the whole story of the heroism of Odysseus. (Miles, and Geoffrey 31) Therefore, as per my views after going through the poem, I would say that the much assistance that Athena was according to Odysseus was both adding to the epic glory as well as detracting him from this glory as most would think that were it not for the goddess, most of the things he did successfully would fail. To support the idea of adding to his epic glory, the support that he was getting from the goddess always assisted him to succeed in several that he did.

However, with such massive assistance from the goddess, Odysseus in himself is a hero. From the poem, we see him being described as a patient-minded person by Hesiod. (Thornton, and Agathe 19). Patience is a critical quality of a hero, and he achieves this without any support from the goddess. He is also described as a homer by Hesiod, and he also describes him as godlike. The description he gets from Hesiod paint a picture of an able man who has his glory. This means that he can do well even without the help of the goddess.

Besides, Odysseus was not only an excellent thinker, but he was also a brave warrior. (Thornton, and Agathe 19). He is fearless as the poem portrays when it describes him when it paints an image of his courage and his fighting ability. These characters have been referenced in the sacker of cities. From the poem, we can see instances when Odysseus was involved in crucial occurrences where he depicted his intelligence, wisdom, and wits, which were essential to the success of the Greek war. (Thornton, and Agathe 19). All these are instances that show that the hero could do his issues independently without any support whatsoever from the goddess.

Odysseus braveness is also seen when he goes to Greece's best fighter to leave his wife and the son and get ready to fight with the forces that were led by King Agamemnon. It is therefore evident that his success did not primarily depend on the guidance and protection or whatever kind of assistance from Athena. His strong characters of braveness, prowess in battles could also be among the reasons why he always stood out in his endeavors an indicator that he did not necessarily depend on the goddess for his win. (Thornton, and Agathe 19).

Odysseus begun as a glorious man and still finished with the same glory as per the story. He was brave to face what was seemingly difficult to him and other people. These hard encounters were making him stronger and stronger. He literary underwent massive suffering in his, which was contrary to what the King of Ithaca was used to. (Thornton, and Agathe 19) The endurance and perseverance that Odysseus portrayed were heroic, and this made him an epic hero at the end of everything. Even though he was conceded he remained stronger, more powerful as well as loyal. The strength that this hero portrayed was seen when he engaged in a heart to heart discussion by Athena.

Without support from the goddess, Odysseus, when he got stuck in the caves where he was with the Cyclops Odysseus, manages to formulate a plan that he successfully used to escape. It is also during this encounter that we find his emotional strength when he can control his emotions. (Thornton, and Agathe 19). Power such as this was crucial in assisting himself in winning the glory and in becoming a real hero that he was.

Conclusion

Even though Odysseus was getting abundant assistance from the goddess, the support did not detract him but added to his glory. However, his excellent qualities such as braveness, emotional strength, loyalty, his battle prowess, wisdom, patience, and intelligence are among the most critical reasons why I say that his glory was not to be shared nor was it to be attributed to the support that he used to get from the goddess. (Thornton, and Agathe 19) His final victory would define him as an epic hero as he uses his ability and qualities mention earlier in the paragraph, even if the goddess sealed it. Additionally, he got direct involvement with the difficult situations which he faced, but the goddess did not confront them physically.

Work Cited

Miles, Geoffrey. "Chasing Odysseus in Twenty-First Century Children's Fiction." The Reception of Ancient Greece and Rome in Children's Literature: Heroes and Eagles (2015): 213-32.

Thornton, Agathe. People and themes in Homer's Odyssey. Routledge, 2015.