The Odyssey – the Role of the Gods

The Role of the Gods The role of the Gods is very significant in the Odyssey. The ancient Greeks believed that the Gods were the start of every(prenominal) ideas, and everything that happened, good or bad, happened because of the Gods. However after the Trojan War, Odysseus claimed to the Gods that he did not need them, and he came up with the idea of the wooden cavalry on his own. This is the sin of hubris and arrogance, one of the sins that angers Gods the most. It is because of this that Poseidon vows to show Odysseus that he is nothing much than a mortal man, and men need the power of the Gods to survive.However according to Zeus, Poseidon cannot eat Odysseus, he can only hinder his trip. It is because of the Gods that Odysseus move central office was, in fact, an odyssey. The main Gods that play a part in Odysseus journey home argon Zeus, Poseidon, Athena and Hermes, however there are also several(prenominal) minor Gods and Goddesses including Circe and Aeolus. Each of these plays their own crucial part in the journey of Odysseus. The role of Athena is to be a guardian to Odysseus, and to guide Telemachus.There are many ways in which Athena helps Odysseus She is the one that persuades Zeus to unbosom Odysseus from the island of Calypso, she also calms the stormy winds sent by Poseidon. Also, Athena appears to the daughter of queen mole rat Alcinous in a dream, convincing her to wash her clothes so that she get out discover Odysseus washed up on the shore. Finally, when Odysseus arrives home to Ithaca, she disguises him as an sexagenarian beggar, so he can roam his dry land unnoticed, and spy on the suitors of his wife. Athena also plays a crucial role in the feeling of Telemachus.When Telemachus wants to find more information on his father, Athena appears to him as a family friend Mentor, encouraging him to seek the wisdom of Nestor and Menelaus. She also sends approving winds to help him on his way. The role of Poseidon is equally as impor tant. It is his job to rotary obstacles and tasks to prevent Odysseus from returning home to Ithaca. When Odysseus blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, Poseidons son, he swears payback on him. Poseidon destroys his raft, and one of his monsters, Scylla, eats six of Odysseus clump members.The rest of his crew are swallowed by Charybdis, Poseidons whirlpool. Finally, the roles of Circe and Calypso are to tempt Odysseus to kibosh about his kingdom, and more importantly, his wife Penelope. Calypso holds Odysseus prisoner on her island for vii years against his will. She encourages him to stay on her island forever and to forget about his kingdom of Ithaca. However she eventually lets him go on the orders of Zeus. The reason why the Gods rate Odysseus through so much in the first place was because he was arrogant after the victory in Troy.The role of the Gods (particularly Poseidon) was to show Odysseus that all men need the Gods to survive. There was a point in his journey where Odysseu s was reduced to nothing. He had no crew, no ship and he was in the power of the Gods. This is where he realised that men are at the organization of the Gods, and he is no better than anyone else. As a result of his get word with the Gods, and his journey home, Odysseus learns to respect the Gods, he learns the true importance of his family and he learns to eer be humble, and never become too arrogant.