Heroism was not an invention of the Greeks. Yet, through the first hundreds years of
their civilization, the Greek literature has already given birth to highly polished and
complex long epics that revolved around heroes. These literature works gave many
possibilities of definition of heroism. The Greeks illustrated heroism to obey the rules
laid down by the gods and goddesses, and those who obey the rules would gain honor and
fame. The Greeks regarded intelligence as one of the highest gifts that all heroes must
posses. The Greeks required that all heroes must have courage. Odysseus, one of the
heroes of the epic "Odyssey" standout. He was constantly expected to be a true hero,
always obey the rules laid down by the immortals, posses wisdom and courage.
The Greeks believed that all heroes must always obey the Guest/Host relationship rule--
which all guests must treat the hosts with courtesy, and the host must treat the guests
properly-- laid down by the gods and goddesses. Those who did not obey the rule would
be punished severely. Odysseus throughout the epic, demonstrated that he obeyed the
Guest/Host relationship rule. Odysseus always following the Guest/Host relationship
rule, a characteristic that all heroes must have according to the Greeks' tradition .
All heroes must followed the rule because if they did not, they would be punished by the
immortals, and would not be recognized as heroes. When Odysseus reach the land of the
Cyclops race. Odysseus decided to pick his best men, goods offered as gifts, and headed
toward a Cyclops's cave. When his men saw cheese, pens, and lamb on lying on the racks,
they pleading to Odysseus, "Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, throw
all the pens, and make a run for it? We'll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say put
out again on good salt water!" Odysseus dismissed the suggestion, "I wished to see the
cave man, and what he had to offer." Odysseus dismissed the suggestion of his men, and
choose to wait to greet the Cyclops with the gifts as in the custom of the Guest/Host
relationship rule. Those actions and sayings showed that Odysseus was always following
Guest/Host relationship rule, an example for his men to look up to. Odysseus's actions
spoke for his character. He posses the characteristic that meets the criteria of always
obeying the rules laid down by the immortal as defined in the Greek's tradition of all
true heroes.
The Greeks believed that intelligence was one of the highest gifts that all heroes must
posses Intelligence was so important to the character of all heroes because intelligence
would be used in novel situations where cunning would most needed. Odysseus posses
intelligence as expected in the Greeks' tradition of heroes. Odysseus displayed
intelligence when he went to the goddess Circe to rescue his men who were turned into
swine by the goddess Circe. The goddess spoke to him, "Put up your weapon in the sheath.
We two shall mingle and make love upon our bed. So mutual trust may come of play and
love." He was asked to go to bed with a beautiful goddess, and yet he responded, "Circe,
am I a boy, that you should make me soft and doting now? Here in this house you turned
my men to swine; now it is I myself you hold, enticing into your chamber; to your
dangerous bed, to take my manhood when you have me stripped. I mount no bed of loved
with you upon it. Or swear to me first a great oath, if I do, you will work no more
enchantment to my harm.' She swore at once, outright, as I demanded, and after she had
sworn, and bound herself, I entered Circe's flawless bed of love." Odysseus was asked by
the goddess Circe to make love with her in order to build trust between her and Odysseus.
However, Odysseus realized that the goddess wanted to go to bed with him, not to build
trust, and as a result, Odysseus used his cunning to ask Circe to make a deal in which
Circe had to swear to reverse her spell on his men in trade for him to make love with her
"as to build trust". The goddess accepted the deal because both sides would get what
they want-Circe would go to bed with Odysseus, the goddess would reverse her spell on
Odysseus men. Odysseus's intelligence enable him to save his men. His actions showed
the quality of a hero who posses the most important trait according to the Greek
tradition-intelligence.
The Greek required that courage was a trait that all hero need. Courage was defined in
the Greek tradition as to conquer fear or despair in order to save oneself or others.
Courage was vital to the characteristic of all heroes because there would be inevitable
situations where courage would be needed. Odysseus posses courage through out the
journey home. When he asked Circe about what lay ahead in his journey home, Circe replied
"There lay are a pair of cliffs. One of them with its jagged peak reaches up to the
spreading sky, wreathed in dark cloud that never parts. Halfway up the clip is a murky
cave, facing north-west to Erebus, and doubtless it is past this, Odysseus, that you and
your men will steer your vessel. A strong man's arrow shot from a ship below not reach
the recesses of that cave. Inside lives Scylla, yelping hideously; her voice is no
deeper that a young puppy's, but she herself is a fearsome monster. God or man, no one
could look on her in joy. Her legs-and there are twelve-are like great tentacles,
unjointed, and upon her serpent necks are borne six heads like nightmares of ferocity,
with triple serried of rows of fangs and deep gullets of black death. No seaman ever, in
any vessel can clam to have passed her without loss or grief; she takes, from every ship,
one man for every gullet." Odysseus asked her again, "Only instruct me, goddess, if you
will, how if possible, can I fight off Scylla when she raids my crew?" After Circe told
him how horrible Scylla was, and that no ship of mortal men had ever passed Scylla
unharmed, and yet Odysseus asked how to fight Scylla. Odysseus asked how to fight the
monster that no one have passes it without loss and grief because this monster would
bring death to his men. Odysseus wanted to save his men from horrible deaths and asked
how to fight this monster. He showed courage. Those actions fit the criteria of a hero
who posed unyielding courage as defined in the Greed tradition of heroism.
Throughout the epic, Odysseus was a hero. He had indeed pre-eminent qualities and much
that were beyond the capacity of normal men. It was when problems come that these
heroic traits emerged. When his men asked Odysseus to steal the goods from the Cyclops,
which break the rule of Guest/Host relationship, he refused. He showed that he always
obey the rules laid down by the immortals. When his men were turned into swine by the
goddess Circe, he made Circe swore to reversed her action in trade for him to make love
to her. He showed cunning. When Circe told him about Scylla and her unforgiving power,
he asked how to fight Scylla to help his men avoid horrible deaths. He showed courage.
We know him less from what he thought, which was seldom revealed, than by what he says
and did, and his actions follow naturally from his characteristics. If the cunning of
Odysseus is mentioned more than his courage , it was his courage that gets him into the
scrapes from which his cunning had to deliver him. Odysseus had the all the qualities
that the Greek tradition required of all heroes, which were obey the rules of gods,
posses intelligence, and displayed courage. He was a hero.
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