Gods, Myths, and Heroes - Part 70a

Odysseus/Ulysses, part 1

Odysseus was one of the heroes of Greek myth.  In Homer's epic poems, The Iliad is the story of the Trojan War, and The Odyssey, which we will look at today, is the story of the adventures of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, returning from the Trojan War and trying to get back to his kingdom.  Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus – he's the same guy.

Above, a 1932 statue of Odysseus by Czech artist Jakub Obrovsky.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus is aided by some gods and opposed by other gods.  Above, Odysseus is is protected by the goddess Athena, depicted by Hans Scherfig, 1954.

Odysseus' journey in The Odyssey is long, with so many episodes that we're going to take two days to look at them.

After leaving Troy, Odysseus and his men visit the island of the lotus-eaters.  Despite the image of the lotus-eater with flowers, above, the lotus in The Odyssey is not the lotus flower that we know today; it's an intoxicating fruit whose effects are somewhat like pot, making Odysseus' men feel good and forget about going home.  Odysseus has to force the men back onto the ship.

Then they sail to the island of the Cyclops, a one-eyed giant named Polyphemus who captures them.  Above, Odysseus arrives on the island of the Cyclops.

We have seen Odysseus and the Cyclops in a previous post in this series.  For now, we'll just say that Odysseus outwits Polyphemus and escapes.  Above, Ulysses Fleeing the Cave of Polyphemus by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1812.

Then they sail to the island of the sorceress Circe, who transforms Odysseus' men into pigs.  The god Hermes intervenes, helping Odysseus defeat Circe's magic using a magical herb.  Circe is forced to return the men to their human form.  But instead of sailing away, Odysseus becomes Circe's lover, and he and his crew stay on Circe's island for a year.

Above, Hermes (left) shows the herb to Odysseus (right), in a painting by Friedrich Preller the Elder, c. 1835.

Eventually they leave.  They sail past the Sirens, beautiful naked nymphs who sing enticing songs that lure sailors to their deaths.  Having been warned by Circe about the Sirens, Odysseus plugs up the ears of his crew, but he wants to hear the Sirens' songs, so he doesn't plug up his own ears.  He has his men tie him to the mast so he cannot escape, no matter how alluring the Sirens are.

Today, a "siren song" means an appealing and alluring proposal for something that is actually dangerous or destructive.  For example, Russia's proposals for peace in Ukraine have been described as a siren song.

Above, Odysseus and the Sirens by Otto Greiner, c. 1900.

After sailing past the Sirens, Odysseus' men land on the island of Thrinacia, where there are cattle belonging to the sun god Helios.  Circe had warned them not to harm these cattle, but while Odysseus sleeps, his hungry men kill and eat some of the cattle.

Well, it's not a good idea to anger a god.  When they sail away, Helios complains to Zeus, who destroys their ship with a thunderbolt.  All the men die except Odysseus, who is not guilty because he was asleep when the cattle were killed.

Above, a statue of Helios in Vienna.  If this reminds you of the Statue of Liberty, it's because both statues were inspired by descriptions of the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of Helios that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world but no longer exists.

Odysseus washes ashore on the island of the nymph Calypso.  He becomes her lover and stays for seven years, supposedly against his will, until the gods intervene again.  Then Calypso lets Odysseus build a raft, and he sails away.

Above, Odysseus and Calypso by Frank Buscher, 1872.

Tomorrow: the completion of the story of Odysseus.