The Role and Influence of the Gods in Homer’s Odyssey

The Role of the Gods in The Odyssey

In ancient literature, it is common to see two types of characters in a story: deity and mortals. Usually, the deity are the running forces of the Earth, while mortals make problems for the deity on Earth. While these two groups are distinguishable in the literature, there is quite a bit of interaction between them. Literature shows a difference in power between deity and mortals along with an overarching relationship between the two groups. One epic that is widely known and understood is that of Homer’s The Odyssey. The divine are extremely involved in this epic, as we see the goddess Athena doing all she can to save Odysseus, while the sea god Poseidon is doing all he can to keep Odysseus from ever returning home to Ithaca. It becomes clear through following the god’s actions in The Odyssey, that mortals are merely pawns in the god’s personal schemes.

Ancient Greece has many gods, and each of which has a different purpose in keeping the world running. The mortals, on the other hand, seem to just be living their lives on Earth, trying their best to appease the gods. The gods in The Odyssey are much more involved in the lives of the mortals than in other ancient literature. They come down and interact with the mortals in order to achieve their personal goals, showing they are primarily interested in the mortals for personal gain. This is particularly seen with Calypso, as she keeps Odysseus on her island for years because all she wants is him to love her. Overall, the gods in the Odyssey are much more powerful than the mortals, but do not seem to care about them.

Throughout the poem, it is clear to understand Odysseus’s goal. He wants to be home with his family in Ithaca, but unfortunately he is consistently held back by the gods. This makes it clear that while mortals can pursue worthwhile goals, they can only reach those goals if the gods are on their side. Odysseus’s case is quite unique as he has some gods working against him while others working for him. That is why he is eventually able to achieve his goal at the end of the poem. This conflict with Odysseus’s divine aid creates a complex situation. Whereas the mortals are never able to achieve their goals without the approval of the gods, the gods have the power to obtain whatever it is they want. This becomes more difficult, however, when the gods are against each other as they are in The Odyssey. Athena is working very hard at bringing Odysseus home. Her intervention in this particular mortal’s life makes it very hard for Poseidon to achieve his goal of keeping Odysseus from Ithaca, therefore he intervenes as well, making it hard for Athena to save Odysseus. Therefore, Odysseus gets caught in the middle of the conflict between these two gods and has no control. He must wait for one of the gods to overpower the other, and hope it is in his favor.

As the gods intermingle with each other, they create complicated relationships that then constrain their power. For example, Zeus seems to be fairly separated from the entire situation with Odysseus, yet he gets involved by telling Calypso to let Odysseus go because it is the wishes of his daughter Athena. This then leads Calypso to be mad at Zeus and the other gods. Another example of this situation is when Polyphemus calls on his father Poseidon to avenge his death, “Hear me, Poseidon, who circle the earth, dark-haired. If truly I am your son, and you acknowledge yourself as my father, grant that Odysseus, sacker of cities, son of Laertes, who makes his home in Ithaka, may never reach that home” (9.528-536). Poseidon previously had no problems with Odysseus, yet due to his obligations to his son, he is then required to keep Odysseus from Ithaca. This angers Athena, therefore creating unnecessary conflict for Poseidon, due to familial obligations. While gods have the most power in the ancient greek universe, they are constrained when their family needs favors from them.

While the mortals must hope to have the god’s favor in order achieve their goals, there are certain things they can do to get the gods on their side. For example, as Paris chose Aphrodite’s beauty over Hera’s and Athena’s, he made enemies with both of them and they then fought against Troy in the Trojan War. As Athena was on the side of the Greeks, and Odysseus was one of the main Greek warriors, it’s understandable that Athena is supporting Odysseus’s journey home. On the other hand, as Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus, it makes sense that Poseidon is doing all he can to punish Odysseus for this action. Zeus comments on the control the mortals possess over their fate as he says, “Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given” (1.32-34). This shows that while the gods have power to punish or reward the mortals, the mortals have the power to appease the gods. Unfortunately for the mortals however, normally when one god is appeased, another is angered.

While the gods continually get in the way of the mortal’s goals, the mortals do seem to generally accept this unideal situation. As Odysseus tells his story, others are easily able to tell him that he should have made a sacrifice to the gods before he left on his journey in order to grant him safe passage home. In another example, when Odysseus defeats the suitors and some women begin crying over the lost men, Odysseus explains to them that the gods wanted it this way, “These were destroyed by the doom of the gods and their own hard action”’ (22.411-413). So while the gods are constantly getting in the way of the mortal’s goals, they seem to accept this way of life.

Throughout The Odyssey, the gods use the mortals to get their way while the mortals hope to find favor with the gods. While the mortals have goals they are actively pursuing, they are powerless in achieving those goals if they disrupt the will of the gods. However, the mortals can influence the gods by either appeasing them through sacrifice, or upsetting them through questionable actions. Many times, mortals are able to appease one god at the same time they upset another, and therefore, while they have some influence, they are still pawns in the gods games. While the gods have all the power, they do meet constraints on achieving their goals when they disagree with another god, or if their family members require things of them. Overall, the gods in The Odyssey are very involved in the lives of the mortals, but it is only for personal gain.