Athena in The Odyssey acted as a guardian towards Odysseus’ family, ensuring their safety and prosperity in the Homeric Classic. Her actions lead to various points in the play that both exhibit her characteristics as a Greek goddess and emphasize her empathic nature towards humans. But to fully grasp the entirety of who she is in the play, we must briefly go over the events of Homer’s work and what she’s done to be described as such.
The Odyssey
The Odyssey starts as Odysseus and his men journey home from the Trojan War. They travel the seas and explore various places, going through tricky waters and dangerous islands. Their misfortune begins when they catch the gods’ and goddesses’ attention by raiding and causing mayhem in the island of the Ciccone’s and further garner the gods’ ire in Sicily.
In the Island of the Cyclops, Odysseus and his men blind Polyphemus, unknowingly gaining Poseidon’s hatred. The demigod was Poseidon’s son and viewed Odysseus’ actions as disrespectful to him. Poseidon, the god of the sea, was known to be incredibly temperamental and egotistic. So Odysseus’ actions towards the god’s son were viewed as nothing but disrespect towards the egotistic god. He sends storms and sea monsters their way in complete anger, forcing the Ithacan men to venture into islands that bring them harm and slowly dwindle them in number until Odysseus is the only one left.
As Odysseus and his men leave Sicily, they venture off and are forced to land on the island of Circe. The Ithacan king sends his men to explore the island to gauge the threat level before completely docking. Unbeknownst to him, his men turn into pigs as Circe and the sorceress catch their attention. A coward among the lot, one man, barely manages to escape and informs Odysseus of what has occurred, except instead of asking for help, he begs the king to take him and flee the island.
Odysseus rushes towards the rest of his men in the hopes of saving them. However, he is stopped by Hermes in disguise. He tells the Ithacan king how to avoid falling under the Sorceresses’ spell to keep his men. Odysseus heeded the advice and was able to strike Circe down; she promised him to turn his men back, and that she did. Odysseus then becomes her lover and lives in luxury on the island for a year. Eventually, his men convince him to leave the island and set sail back home, but not without a safe plan home.
Circe advises him to seek the blind prophet, Tiresias’ help, and venture into the underground where he resides. In the underground, he talks to Tiresias and is informed about traveling towards Helios’ island, avoiding it entirely for his sacred cattle resided in the titan’s isle. Helios loved his animals more than anything and would be enraged if anything were to happen to them.
Helios’ Anger
Odysseus and his men set sail once more and encounter rough waters and sea monsters, forcing them to dock in the sun god’s island. He and his men starve for days as the storm continues below, relentless as they stay on the island. Odysseus leaves his men, warning them not to touch the cattle, to pray to the gods. While away, one of his men convinces the rest to slaughter the golden cattle and offer the best to the gods as compensation for their sin.
They’re convinced that this act would amend their sins and that they’d be forgiven for their selfish hunger. Odysseus returns to his camp and finds Helios’ cattle slaughtered and eaten, and is beaten by the realization and garnering another god’s anger. Despite the storm, he allows his men to rest for the night. Afterward, they hurry to leave the island in the morning.
Along their journey Zeus, the sky god, strikes his thunderbolt towards their ship, completely wrecking it and drowning the rest of his men in the process. Odysseus, the sole survivor, washes ashore an island that houses the Greek nymph Calypso, where he is imprisoned for seven years for his subordinates’ actions.
Escape From Calypso
After seven years, Athena begs Zeus, arguing over Odysseus’ release. The goddess of wisdom uses her wit and eloquence to argue over the Ithacan king’s fate, and her father eventually caves, allowing the release of Odysseus. He sends god Hermes to inform Calypso of Odysseus’ release, encouraging him to leave.
In Ithaca’s island, Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, faces his struggles as he grapples with control against his mothers’ suitors. La disguised as Mentor, Athena protects the young man and leads him on a journey of self-discovery to prevent the suitors’ scheme against him. She encourages his growth as they journey towards Pylos, allowing the young prince to immerse himself with leaders of other islands.
Odysseus finally meets with Telemachus and plans the massacre of his wife’s suitors. He wins the competition for her hand and reveals his identity in the process. The suitors’ families plan to revolt, seeking justice for their sons but are stopped by Athena.
What Is the Role of Athena in The Odyssey?
Athena plays various roles in Homer’s classic as the Greek goddess advocates for Odysseus and his family. The goddess of wisdom and battle is known to be the direct descendant of Zeus, born from his forehead incomplete battle gear. She is said to be the patron of human ingenuity and, in so, holds a soft spot for capable beings.
That is why she holds a strong affinity towards Odysseus, for his accomplishments align with her interests. Odysseus and Athena don’t interact directly in the play, for she mostly looks after the Ithacan king’s family, only advocating for him as he is imprisoned on the island of Calypso.
Athena as Odysseus’ Advocate
In the Odyssey, Athena helps Odysseus by arguing with her father for his release. She uses her intelligence and wisdom to argue and find a compromise for his return; eventually, Zeus caves in and allows the young man to leave his confinement and return home.
Athena demonstrates her power and supreme intellect before the council of Olympus as she advocates on Odysseus’ behalf using the language of rational thinking before the temperamental gods and goddesses. This is given attention to because of the rarity in which women are portrayed as such in the Ancient world. Homer describes Athena as beautiful, intelligent, persuasive, and brave as she goes up against Zeus and the other gods. A feat no other man, woman, or divine being could ever survive doing.
Athena as Telemachus’ Mentor
Athena disguises herself as Mentor, an Ithacan elder, and advises Telemachus to journey for his father. This is somewhat a play on words as she Mentors the young man into becoming a better version of himself. Athena guides young Telemachus and accompanies him to Pylos, where they meet Nestor, Odysseus’ friend.
From Nestor, Telemachus learns how to sow loyalty and act as a ruler, gaining political knowledge from the king of Pylos. They then journey towards Sparta, where Menelaus, another friend of Odysseus, resides. From him, Telemachus learns the value of bravery and discovers the whereabouts of Odysseus, giving the young man confidence and easing his worries as they hurry back home to Ithaca.
Athena then instructs Telemachus to head to Eumaeus’ hut before heading straight to the casts. Telemachus avoids the suitors’ assassination attempt thanks to Athena’s warning and can meet his father in the end.
Athena as a Savior
Throughout the Greek classic, Homer has written various obstacles Odysseus must go through to return home. In most of these threats, Odysseus and his family are saved by none other than their advocate, Athena. Athena’s disguises in The Odyssey pave the way for the Greek goddess to save Odysseus and his family without directly interfering in the plight of the mortals. Greek gods and goddesses have a rule forbidding them to interfere with mortals directly. Thus Greek gods and goddesses disguise themselves to save the mortals that catch their attention.
Athena saves Odysseus by begging her father for her freedom, saves Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, by accompanying him on a journey of self-discovery, allowing him to grow and avoid the threat the suitors pose against him. Athena also saves Odysseus’ marriage by visiting Penelope’s dream, subtly telling her of Odysseus’ return.
Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, waits almost a decade for her husband’s return and announces to marry the suitor that wins a competition of her choosing. She could no longer put off her remarriage as her father strongly urged her to return home. Athena then visits her dream as a bird and imparts a vision that translates to her estranged husband’s return.
Conclusion:
Now that we’ve talked about Athena, who she is in The Odyssey, and her role in the Homeric classic, let’s go over the key points of this article:
Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, battle, and so much more. She is known to favor Odysseus and his son for their talents and interests as she believes in human ingenuity.- Odysseus garners the ire of both Helios and Poseidon for his brave acts against them. Without Athena’s help, Odysseus and his men would have met their ends sooner than later, and Odysseus would not have been able to return home.
- Athena helping Odysseus in the Odyssey is a testament to her character as a goddess and her love for those she holds dear.
- She advocates for Odysseus as he is imprisoned on Calypso’s island; she paved the way for his safe return to Ithaca.
- Athena uses her wits and superb intellectual capabilities as she uses the language of rationality against the temperamental gods and goddesses, allowing for Odysseus to be set free despite angering the gods for his actions.
- Athena acts as a mentor for Telemachus, disguising herself as Mentor as she leads him on a journey of self-discovery, escaping and protecting the young lad from the suitors’ plot.
- Athena protects Odysseus’ throne and wife by visiting Penelope in her dreams, allowing the Ithacan queen to use her wits as her eyes catch the beggar that suddenly entered her home. This beggar turned out to be Odysseus.
- Athena saves Odysseus yet again as she thwarts the parental figures of the suitors’ who demand justice for their slain son.
- Athena acts as an advocate, Mentor and savior to Odysseus and his family as they struggle for survival.
- Telemachus becomes a man worthy of becoming the next king because of Athena urging him on a journey. He was able to gain confidence, political connections and learn various skills on his journey with Athena.
Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, battle, and so much more. She is known to favor Odysseus and his son for their talents and interests as she believes in human ingenuity.In conclusion, Athena is the very reason for Odysseus’ safe return home. Despite Odysseus garnering the ire of both the sun and sea gods, Athena used her wit and intelligence to rationalize his release and safety. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, holds great affinity towards Odysseus and his son for their talents and bravery; because of such, the Greek goddess tried her best to keep Odysseus’ family and throne safe for his return. And there you have it! Athena and her role in The Odyssey.
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