The Greeks believed that ones fate was predetermined and that it could not be avoided, one can only be judged for how they acted on the way towards meeting their fate. The concept of individuals meeting their fate is extremely prevalent in the great epic The Odyssey. This epic is one in which human lives are continuously manipulated by the gods, the one thing that the gods cannot do though is alter the individuals fate. In The Odyssey, fate governs the relationship between the central character Odysseus and the goddess of wisdom Athena. Though Athena cannot alter Odysseus’ fate her actions helps make his fate come to fruition. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, war and is the patron goddess of heroes. Odysseus embodies the essence of what
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The fate of Odysseus is to suffer an arduous journey home; the Fates do not appear in the epic but instead use the will of the gods to act this out upon Odysseus. The opposition to Odysseus’ safe journey home comes in the form of the god Poseidon who is angered with him for blinding his son. While his patron goddess Athena does everything in her power to help him reach his native land. The mixture of the actions of the two deities is what causes Odysseus’ fate to come to fruition. One could also assume that Athena admires Odysseus because he possesses so many of the traits that the goddess is the pillar of. He is continuously praised for his wisdom throughout the epic by many different individuals, in the underworld Agamemnon ventured as far as addressing him as “mastermind of war” (394). He is even viewed above all other men in such arenas in the eyes of the divine, which is evident when Zeus calls him “Great Odysseus who excels all men in wisdom” (261). This title undoubtedly falls in line with the essence of Athena who is the wisest of the divine. Not only does Athena help his return home she continues to hold the role as his patron goddess when he returns home when she keeps his identity a secret as he attempts to kill the suitors who plagued his …show more content…
Such an instance is exemplified when Eurycleia identifies her master while bathing him. The whole time that Odysseus was in council with Penelope he acted upon free will and was left to his own devices and due to this he unwittingly and mistakenly allowed for his identity to be discovered. It was by his own freewill that he agreed to meet with Penelope at such a time so as not to arouse any more ill treatment from the suitors. Thus leading to the current scene in which he gains Penelope’s trust and along with that further hospitality. Without thinking he allowed for Eurycleia his own wet nurse to bath him and she already had inclination that he could possibly be her master in the first place stating “your build, your voice, your feet- your like Odysseus… to the life!” (494). This being said and left to his own devices he still allowed for her to bath him and once she did and felt the scar she automatically know for a fact what his identity was. Being the man of “twist and turns” he successfully is able to twist his way out if this current bind but not without the divine help of Athena. When Eurycleia tried to alert Penelope of her new found knowledge Athena made it impossible for her to gain Penelope’s attention allowing the man “born for pain” the time to quite
The fate of Odysseus is to suffer an arduous journey home; the Fates do not appear in the epic but instead use the will of the gods to act this out upon Odysseus. The opposition to Odysseus’ safe journey home comes in the form of the god Poseidon who is angered with him for blinding his son. While his patron goddess Athena does everything in her power to help him reach his native land. The mixture of the actions of the two deities is what causes Odysseus’ fate to come to fruition. One could also assume that Athena admires Odysseus because he possesses so many of the traits that the goddess is the pillar of. He is continuously praised for his wisdom throughout the epic by many different individuals, in the underworld Agamemnon ventured as far as addressing him as “mastermind of war” (394). He is even viewed above all other men in such arenas in the eyes of the divine, which is evident when Zeus calls him “Great Odysseus who excels all men in wisdom” (261). This title undoubtedly falls in line with the essence of Athena who is the wisest of the divine. Not only does Athena help his return home she continues to hold the role as his patron goddess when he returns home when she keeps his identity a secret as he attempts to kill the suitors who plagued his …show more content…
Such an instance is exemplified when Eurycleia identifies her master while bathing him. The whole time that Odysseus was in council with Penelope he acted upon free will and was left to his own devices and due to this he unwittingly and mistakenly allowed for his identity to be discovered. It was by his own freewill that he agreed to meet with Penelope at such a time so as not to arouse any more ill treatment from the suitors. Thus leading to the current scene in which he gains Penelope’s trust and along with that further hospitality. Without thinking he allowed for Eurycleia his own wet nurse to bath him and she already had inclination that he could possibly be her master in the first place stating “your build, your voice, your feet- your like Odysseus… to the life!” (494). This being said and left to his own devices he still allowed for her to bath him and once she did and felt the scar she automatically know for a fact what his identity was. Being the man of “twist and turns” he successfully is able to twist his way out if this current bind but not without the divine help of Athena. When Eurycleia tried to alert Penelope of her new found knowledge Athena made it impossible for her to gain Penelope’s attention allowing the man “born for pain” the time to quite