Essay: Odysseus – an epic hero

In a story, has there ever been a character who stands out from the rest? A character who is bold, strong, brave, intelligent, and overall better than most characters in the story. This would be known as an epic hero. An epic hero is a character who has superhuman qualities and faces many challenges throughout the story. In the Odyssey, the epic hero Odysseus faces many hardships and challenges on his long journey home. Odysseus encounters many grueling mythical monsters, emotional struggles, and several cases of strategical thinking. Odysseus rises above all the challenges he faces and reigns supreme even in times of doubt, making him an epic hero. Odysseus definitely classifies as an epic hero because he is seen in countless near-death situations for the benefit of him and his men, he performs many brave and bold deeds throughout the entire duration of his quest, and is significant and glorified in greek society as many people know him for his great leadership and his relationship with the gods.
To begin, Odysseus can definitely be argued as an epic hero as a supporting example of this would be his numerous near-death encounters. Odysseus is seen throughout the Odyssey almost always facing danger and death. From an army of Cicones, to the Sirens soothing lure of death. Odysseus faces all of these mythical creatures and survives with a few casualties. “We stormed the place and killed all the men who fought. Plunder we took, enslaved the women to make division, equal shares to all” ( pg 863, line 43-44). This quote from the Cicones chapter represents the strength and power Odysseus and his men posses. They defeated their entire first battalion with ease and looted what they could find. They were ruthless, war savages, fearless, scary. They survived a fight with an entire army with barely a scratch. Unfortunately, his men were mutinous and cocky and thought they could handle all their reinforcements and were immediately proved wrong after half of Odysseus’ fleet was wiped out. This shows Odysseus’ act of being an epic hero because he faces near-death situations as fighting outnumbered and managing to escape alive. However, this is not the only time Odysseus is seen in these thin situations as next he comes face to face with a huge problem.
As Odysseus continues his journey home, he stumbles upon the land of the cyclopes. Odysseus and his men were ants compared to the mammoth creatures they faced. The crew cowered in fear but Odysseus remained calm and collected during the encounter. He peacefully watched his men be devoured and still managed to create a plan to escape the massive beasts. As Odysseus confronts Polyphemus he is speaks up despite his fear saying, “ We all felt pressure on our hearts, in dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man. But all the same I spoke up in reply” (ll. 201-203). This quote represents Odysseus’ brave personality as he confronts the massive Cyclops towering over him and showing no fear. Odysseus can be seen here performing brave and bold deeds by facing the mythical cyclops and showing no fear.
Lastly, Odysseus is significant and glorified throughout the story and greek society. Odysseus is seen countless times interacting with Greek gods and goddesses. By being able to communicate with gods, Odysseus must be significant to them. Odysseus is also know very well around his home for his cunning skills and leadership. Returning home from his journey, Odysseus is greeted by Athena and is offered her hand in battle, “ I shall not be far distant then, for I myself desire battle” ( ll. 896 line 1015). This quote clearly represents his receives assistance from a supernatural aid in which this case it is as god. Being assisted by a god was considered a blessing and was very rare in greek society. By being aided by a Athena, Odysseus shows his significance to society because such a powerful and mythical essence helps him.
Overall, Odysseus would definitely categorize as an epic because he demonstrates several qualities that one should have. Odysseus represents his connection with supernatural forces, his bold and brave actions, and his significance in greek society. Odysseus battles several mythical creatures and overpowers them with his great courage, he represents a true character of bravery as he faces a cyclops and shows no fear, and he shows his significance to greek society by being assisted and connecting with many gods and goddesses throughout the story. The Odyssey demonstrates his traits as an epic hero, that are seen very clearly throughout the story. However, this story is not just directed to ancient greek society as it relates to present day. We too can become epic heroes, not by the way Odysseus shows, but by being an epic hero to each other. Showing traits of kindness, caring, compassion, and performing friendly actions to one another. It may not seem as epic as the tale of Odysseus, but it may just make someone feel like it is much more epic than anything.