Gods And Goddesses In The Odyssey

The Odyssey: the roles of the gods and goddesses Through the entirety of the novel, The Odyssey, both gods and goddesses have played major roles in the outcomes of many of the journeys. Not only have the gods and goddesses helped the characters, but some have plotted against them. They have influenced many of the adventures of both Telemachus as he tries to find both himself and his father, and Odysseus on his journey home back to Ithaca. Some of the gods and goddesses that have impacted this story are Zeus, Athena, Hermes, and Poseidon Zeus, the god of the thunderbolt and the king of the gods, did not directly form a relationship the characters in this story, but he still helped Odysseus in many ways. In book five when Odysseus was still stuck on …show more content…
He was the main force acting against Odysseus on his journey back to Ithaca. This all began when Odysseus and his men were on the Cyclops Island, and they ventured into the cave of Polyphemus. After escaping the Cyclops by gouging out his eye, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus; however, Odysseus and his men didn’t know that Polyphemus was Poseidon’s son. Then Polyphemus called up to Poseidon, “Hear me Poseidon, god of the sea-blue mane who rocks the earth! If I am really your son and you claim to be my father- come, grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, Laertes son who makes his home Ithaca, never reaches home. Or if he is fated to see his people once again and reach his well-built house and his native country, let him come home late and come a broken man.” Poseidon grants these wishes to his son, making Odysseus’s journey very tough. In the Odyssey the gods and goddesses play major roles in the story. Although they can bring sorrow they can also bring prosperity and great wealth to the people they build relationships with. Without them and their guidance, Odysseus’s fate would have been different, and the family may not have