Before humans had the technology to figure out the mysteries of the world, ancient Greeks created gods and goddesses to provide explanations for natural phenomena and to worship and honor in hope for good luck and fortune. In Homer’s The Odyssey, gods and goddesses play a very significant role in Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaca. They both hinder and help Odysseus’s progress by using their powers. The goddess Athena and the god Poseidon, demonstrate how greatly they can impact Odysseus’s voyage. Athena indirectly helps Odysseus by placing thoughts inside other characters’ heads and giving them qualities they did not possess before. Specifically, after all of Nausicaa’s maids run away from Odysseus, “Only the young princess stood her ground,
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In particular, as Odysseus ventures to Scheria, Poseidon, “...gathered the clouds, and stirred up the deep with his trident: he roused all the tempestuous winds, and covered in the clouds both land and sea; night rushed down from the heavens” (68). This greatly delays Odysseus’s progress and further demonstrates how easily the gods can affect mortals’ lives. Poseidon’s grudge against Odysseus also reveals the consequences one can face after angering a god, especially one that is related to the ruler of all gods. Furthermore, after the Phaeacians assist Odysseus on reaching Ithaca unharmed, “...Poseidon Earthshaker went straight to Scheria, and there he waited. As the ship came sailing in at full speed, the Earthshaker turned it into stone, and rooted it firmly to the bottom by a blow from the flat of his hand” (164). Poseidon exhibits his strength and grudge against any mortal who aids Odysseus in any way, exemplifying how committed a god or goddess is on a task. Even though the Phaeacians do not have anything to do with disabling Poseidon’s son, they still got punished for helping the man that did the deed, which relates to how the gods and goddesses influence the lives of mortals. Based on these quotes, one can definitely see how Poseidon Earthshaker hinders both Odysseus’s and mortals’
In particular, as Odysseus ventures to Scheria, Poseidon, “...gathered the clouds, and stirred up the deep with his trident: he roused all the tempestuous winds, and covered in the clouds both land and sea; night rushed down from the heavens” (68). This greatly delays Odysseus’s progress and further demonstrates how easily the gods can affect mortals’ lives. Poseidon’s grudge against Odysseus also reveals the consequences one can face after angering a god, especially one that is related to the ruler of all gods. Furthermore, after the Phaeacians assist Odysseus on reaching Ithaca unharmed, “...Poseidon Earthshaker went straight to Scheria, and there he waited. As the ship came sailing in at full speed, the Earthshaker turned it into stone, and rooted it firmly to the bottom by a blow from the flat of his hand” (164). Poseidon exhibits his strength and grudge against any mortal who aids Odysseus in any way, exemplifying how committed a god or goddess is on a task. Even though the Phaeacians do not have anything to do with disabling Poseidon’s son, they still got punished for helping the man that did the deed, which relates to how the gods and goddesses influence the lives of mortals. Based on these quotes, one can definitely see how Poseidon Earthshaker hinders both Odysseus’s and mortals’