When many people think of Greek mythology, gods, goddesses, and other supernatural creatures will come to mind first. True, but what makes Greek mythology so popular is actually the ordinary human figures in the stories. Odysseus is one of them. Of course, don’t be fooled by what we call ordinary, Odysseus is a person who amazes even the gods with his courage and is punished at the same time.
Although there are countless stories about Odysseus, we encounter his greatest heroic adventure in the Trojan War. Our hero, who played a major role in the victory of the Greeks in the war, had many different adventures when he returned home after the war, and these were interpreted as the punishment of the gods who were disturbed by his arrogance. Let’s take a closer look at who Odysseus is and see some of his legendary heroic stories.
Who is Odysseus, one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology?
Born on a small Greek island called Ithaca, also known as Little Kefalonia, Odysseus is the son of Laertes and Antikleia. In another story, it is said that Antikleia was with Sisyphus before she married Laertes, and that Sisyphus was actually Odysseus’ father.
Odysseus was with the physician Chiron throughout his youth. During this period, he got a wound in his leg while hunting wild boar with his grandfather Autolykos. This wound is important because it will be recognized when he returns home after the Trojan War.
Odysseus’ marriage ceremony was eventful:
Odysseus, whose details are scarcely given in Greek mythology, became the king of Ithaca after his father. Spouse selection is interesting. Odysseus was the first to suit Helena, but when he saw that there were too many suitors like him, he gave up and chose Ikarios’ daughter Penelope as his wife.
There was a condition for him to take Penelope, Helena had to decide who would be his wife among the plethora of suitors. Odysseus told Helena to choose what she wanted. Helena chose Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother. Since this event will lead to the birth of the Trojan War in the future, we can say that Odysseus himself sowed the seeds of the war that he would later be the hero of.
Odysseus, who changed the fate of the Trojan War, actually did not want to go to war:
Odysseus and Penelope had a son named Telemachus. Meanwhile, news spread that Paris had kidnapped Helena and that the Trojan War would begin. Odysseus didn’t want to leave his baby in swaddling clothes and go to war. When Agamemnon’s soldiers came to his house, he tried to get away by pretending to be crazy.
Odysseus was planting salt in his field as if it were a seed, running to the plow instead of an ox, trying to convince the soldiers that he was crazy. One of the soldiers understood this and placed Odysseus’ baby in the middle of the field. While Odysseus was plowing like crazy, he changed his way so that his son would not be crushed, it was understood that he was not crazy and fell on the path of war.
Odysseus literally writes epic about the Trojan War:
The Trojan War, in which the Greeks besieged the city of Troy with a large army, lasted for years. Finally, Odysseus had the idea to put a wooden horse for your city. Immediately this wooden horse was prepared, the Greek army retreated. The Trojans accepted the horse as a gift of peace and took it into the city.
The Trojans drank copiously to celebrate the peace, and at night they leaked. Seeing their infiltration, Odysseus and his soldiers in the horse went out and took the remaining Greek army into the city. What follows is great destruction. In other words, Odysseus helped the Greeks win the Trojan War.
He was cursed by the gods for his evil deeds and arrogance:
During the Trojan War, Odysseus had successfully fulfilled numerous duties such as advisor, warrior, ambassador, commander, and mediator. In addition to coming up with the idea of the horse, his discovery of Achilles made him the greatest hero of the war. After the war, he took the big and most important weapons as booty.
Odysseus, who was away from home for ten years because of the war, was away for another ten years on his way back. Because he stole a statue enchanted by Athena, he caused Palamedes to be stoned to death, Rhesos had his horses killed while he was sleeping, he blinded Poseidon’s son in one eye. So he was cursed by the gods. Finally, this curse was lifted by Zeus.
Odysseus and his ships hunted on their way to hunt:
After the Trojan War, Odysseus, who sailed with his 12 ships, was separated from the rest of the navy due to a strong wind. When they saw an island belonging to the Kikons, they decided to dock here and plunder. The people who saw them fled. They killed the rest and looted the wines, which had a very strong effect.
They were attacked by the Kikons during the daytime, when they leaked on the shore under the influence of the wine they had plundered. The Kikons had helped the Trojans during the war. Odysseus and his crew lost their lives in this attack and barely escaped. Thus began the curse of Odysseus.
Other stories about Odysseus’ curse:
In Greek mythology, there are 12 different stories about Odysseus’s experiences because of the curse of the gods he was exposed to while returning from the Trojan War. These; It is titled as Lotus, going to the Cyclops, Isle of Aiola, Cannibals, Isle of Circe, Hades, Sirens, the adventures of Scylla and Kharybidis, Kalypso, the Palace of Alkinoos, Return to Ithaca, Penelope’s Test.
During all these adventures, Odysseus saw a different wrath of each god he was cursed and barely saved his life each time. In fact, the fact that Odysseus survived as a result of all these experiences was also the reason for his forgiveness. Because although he received the wrath of the gods because of his arrogance, he also gained the admiration of the gods thanks to the heroism he showed during these wraths.
After many years, Odysseus returns home:
When Odysseus returns home after nearly twenty years, he is an old and scarred man. The king of Ithaca has returned home, but his people, let alone his wife Penelope, do not know him. No matter what he does, he can never prove to his wife or people that he is the real Odysseus.
Then his wife Penelope has an idea. When Odysseus was a young man, he was wounded in the leg while hunting a pig with his grandfather. He is asked to immediately open his leg and show the wound. Odysseus opens his leg and shows his wound. Years of longing are over when his people and his wife get to know him. Odysseus was finally recognized because the curse of the gods was lifted by Zeus for his heroism.
We answered the question of who is Odysseus, one of the greatest human heroes of Greek mythology, and talked about the details of his legendary story. Odysseus stories actually tell humanity the importance of courage and also the evil of arrogance.
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