Welcome to English plus podcast the English we speak and much more learn English expand your knowledge and enjoy through our vocabulary builder novel grammar literature psychology essential guides and poetry episodes support English plus podcast by becoming a patron of the show on patreon use the link in the description to support our
Podcast and to help our free e-learning Journey continue well welcome to the second episode of the Literature Series from English plus podcast in which we’re featuring The Works of the ancient Greek poet Homer this time with an exploration of what may be the first and Greatest
Adventure of old time the Odyssey in the sequel to The Iliad written probably when Homer was a mature man and sometime around 750 BC the poet follows the travels of odius a hero of the Trojan War doomed to travel 10 years after the end of the war before he can return to
His home in Etha the idea of an extended journey is a popular one in fiction and has never been exhausted for it offers a chance to symbolize inner Journeys in this case the dramatic journey of Odus from Troy to itha is a metaphysical Journey from Death to life for he
Returns to his home as a man who has been tested who has come through his personal right of passage and is now far more a man than when he left this idea of a hero’s journey has been a Perpetual theme in Western literature ever since Homer established it the formula in such
Journeys is separation initiation and return the hero sets out from the world of familiarity and common experience into a region of Supernatural wonder he encounters ter horrific forces and must undergo terrible ordeals but he is Victorious he then returns from his adventures with new powers and insight
And becomes admired and respected by his fellow man this is the traditional pattern and it owes its roots to the Epic story you’ll learn about in this episode you became familiar with the background of this story in our last episode on The Iliad but let’s review a
Few important points odesus set out for the Trojan War unwillingly he been told by an oracle that if he went he wouldn’t return home for 20 years at first he tried to Fain sanity but his trick was exposed and he had to join the other Greeks in their battle to win the city
Of Troy he was a strong Warrior but was known more for his cunning and intelligence than for his strength the battle for Troy lasted 10 years and at the end of that time although the Greeks were victorious odesus knew there were still 10 years remaining before the prophecy of his 20year absence was
Fulfilled he was one of the few great warriors to survive the Trojan War yet he was deprived the opportunity to return home a hero there are many differences between the story of The Odyssey and that of The Iliad The Iliad honors the hero the man of Honor who
Stands out in battle because he performs better and he has more arite or Excellence than any other Warrior heroism in The Odyssey is another matter odius is not the young confident Warrior he and achilles once were he’s older tired after 20 years of warfare and travel and he’s in Exile instead of
Strength or arite it is craftiness and resourcefulness that gets him by the ilad is the great epic of battles destruction and death The Odyssey is the great epic of Travel and Adventure The Iliad reflected the values and struggles of ancient Greek men but the Odyssey reflects the struggles of every man and
Every time this explains the enduring significance of the book by the 5ifth century BC 300 years after Homer the ilad and the Odyssey had become the Old and New Testaments of the Greeks they were the strongest literary religious and social forces in Greek life in the following centuries Homer would continue
To be the inspiration for stories plots themes and mythology for other writers and philosophers and would disappear only for a time in areas where the Greek language was unknown Socrates quoted Homer in the famous trial for his life Alexander the Great carried a copy of The Iliad on his journeys Virgil
Duplicated the pattern of the Odyssey in his inaad almost to the point of plagiarism and or even homeric passages in the New Testament his influence continued through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and Beyond inspiring Dante choser Shakespeare Milton Byron Keats Tennison and others too numerous
To mention in modern times the effect of his work is just as strong the two most famous Homer inspired books being James Joyce’s ues and Nikos Kaz zaki’s Odyssey films to have been profoundly influenced by Homer’s epics the most obvious example being Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey based on Arthur Clark’s
Novel that translated Homer’s poem of land and sea into a space journey the centuries of a claim that have followed Homer are only part of his success for he also gave the Greeks of his time a national identity before Homer Greeks tended to identify their own region and
Kingdom but it was his books that inspired in them a sense of unity and pride in being Greek for that he has always been especially admired and appreciated in his own Homeland The Odyssey is organized into three main parts and readers often find the chronology or order of events confusing
The first part of the book tells the adventures of telarus the son of Odus telarus has been at home in Ithaca awaiting his father’s return along with his mother and Odus faithful wife Penelope but shortly after the beginning of the book Tela sets out on a voyage to
See if he can learn news of his father in the second part of the book Homer relates the sea adventures and travels of odesus himself as he relates them to his hosts the fans in the last part of the book odesus returns to Etha and must must reestablish himself in his
Household which has been overrun by suitors seeking the hand of the loyal Penelope odesus is not present in the entire first third of the book although he is an indirect presence since the thoughts and actions of the other characters center around him the entire Odyssey takes place in less than 6 weeks
But in this 40-day framework Homer includes the history of the past 19 years through flashback and recollection we learn about the Trojan War the fate of its Heroes and the adventure of adus In the period that followed the war the actual Story begins at the end of ody
Deus’s wanderings 40 days before he returns home at this point he’s on the deserted island of calypso alone and weeping he’s already experienced Enchanted Isles oneeyed Giants sorceresses and cannibals Homer chooses this moment because it’s a pivotal point in the adventure odesus has been tested has triumphed and can return home reborn
Before we begin in the details of this Odyssey here’s a brief summary of the major characters in the story The Hero Odus is a native of itha a veteran of the Trojan War a man short and strong in build known for his cleverness and Wilds
It was he who thought up the idea of the famous Trojan Horse Gambit which gave the Greeks final victory over Troy he’s a favorite of Athena goddess of war wisdom and craft she is the shrewdest of gods he is the shrewdest of mortals odesus can be unscrupulous and merciless
But he’s also resourceful skilled and has a curious inquiring mind Penelope is OD deus’s wife and has become a symbol throughout the ages of fidelity she waits devotedly in Etha for 19 years for the return of her husband rejecting her many suitors and resisting the pressure
Of her community which would like her to marry again even her own doubts as to whether Odus is still alive can’t disuade her from her loyalty stay with us we’ll be right Back looking to enhance your English skills while exploring a world of knowledge then English plus podcast website is just for you dive into diverse topics ranging from science to literature history to business and myths to Modern insights each episode from our podcast or article from our magazine is
A journey of learning and Discovery designed to not only improve your language skills but also broaden your understanding of the world join us at English plus podcast where language meets Limitless learning tune in today and take your English to the next level visit English plusus podcast.com to start your journey English plus podcast
Language learning Enlightenment never stop learning with English Plus tarcus is the son of mope and Odus at the beginning of the story he’s an adolescent but he proves his manhood later when he fights by his father’s side Yus and ulea are two servants in odesus household who both remained faithful to the family and to its absent
Master Yus is a swine herd and will later help odesus slay Penelope suitors ulea is tacus nurse uracus is the leader of the suitors for Penelope’s hand he’s a Suave hypocritical liar lieres is Odus father in grief over his lost son he is withdrawn from the city and lives on a
Farm Poseidon is the god of the sea and a sworn enemy of Odus this is because odesus has blinded his son the Cyclops Cersei is a goddess who tries unsuccessfully to turn odesus and his crew into swine her charms keep Odus from leaving her for a year the
Cyclopses are a race of oneeyed giants Calypso is a minor goddess who keeps odius on her island of ogia her name means concealer the Lotus Eaters are people who drug themselves by eating Lotus and spend their time in complete withdrawal from reality and a permanent state of euphoria these are the
Characters mortal and Immortal natural and Supernatural who played key roles in The Odyssey now let’s begin the story after the Greeks had defeated the Trojans at Troy and peace had been reestablished the Greek Heroes who survived returned home all except odius who after Many Adventures had been taken
Captive by the goddess Calypso who loved him and kept him on her Island odesus longed for his wife Penelope and his son tarus unknown to him Penelope was surrounded by suitors who had moved into her Palace and who argued for her hand in marriage she’s also receiving pressure from the community of Etha
Which wants her to marry so they can have a king again now it’s the time ordained by the gods for Odus return they meet on Olympus except for Poseidon enemy of Odus who is absent Athena Odus friend and guardian asked Zeus to send a message to Calypso saying she must
Release her captive then Athena herself goes to Ithaca odesus Homeland to see his son tacus Athena adopts the disguise of a man and tells tacus she knows his father she says he’s still alive and advises tacus to send the suitors home and urge his mother to return to her
Father’s house there if she wants to marry again she can make the announcement and plan her wedding then tus should set safe fa to find his father’s former friends in battle perhaps they can give him Clues as to his father’s whereabouts she suggests Nester the elderly adviser to the Greek
Troops at Troy and minus the husband of Helen who was the whole cause of the Trojan War tachus has recognized the goddess and now he’s filled with hope and strength he scolds his mother for her lackness with the suitors and then summons a counil to determine if the
Suitors should be sent home the suitors complain about this plan they say Penelope had promised to choose from among them once she completed a blanket she was weaving for Odus father lieres all day she would weave but at night she would undo her work so the task was
Never completed now the suitors will be put off no longer uracus as their leader insisted Penelope make a decision but two Eagles Fly overhead and the men take it as an omen they seize their arguments a soothsayer says the Eagles mean that Odus is about to return tachus in spite
Of the mockery and jeers he received from others orders that a ship and crew be ready so he can search for news of his father Athena disguises herself again and orders a galley and orsman Telus nurse Ura helps him get the necessary Provisions with a disguised goddess beside him he sails from itha
First tacus travels to pilos where Nester lives the old man tells him of the horrible fate of Agamemnon commander of the Greek forces of Troy when Agamemnon returned home his Unfaithful wife murdered him with help of her lover his own cousin but Nester has heard nothing of Odus since he sailed from
Troy tacus leaves and travels by Chariot to Sparta where menus lives menus is in entertaining at his home with his wife the famous Helen beside him he tells the young man sadly that his father is imprisoned on the Isle of ogia he heard this tale from a sea god tachus prepares
To return to his ship when the people in Etha realize tacus is missing one of the suitors sets out to whay him at the Straits Penelope weeps in fear for her son but Athena comes to her in a dream and assures her of tumaka safety Athena then complains to Zeus that no
Messenger has yet been sent to Calypso to demand Odus release Zeus finally sends Hermes down the island of ogia is very beautiful but Odus is immune to its beauty he sits on the beach dreaming of Home Calypso approaches him with a news that she’s received from Hermes the news
Is all joy to Odus and all sorrow to the goddess who loves him odesus builds a ship and heads out with Calypso directions to guide him but Poseidon the sea god who dislikes Odus raises a storm that destroys the ship Odus saves his life by clinging to a spar aim takes
Pity on him and gives him a scarf that will keep him safe as long as he wears it but when he reaches Shore he must cast it back to the Sea on the third day after the Shipwreck Odus lands on a strange Island and falls asleep
Exhausted on a bed of leaves the island belongs to the fans a seafaring people the princess of the island who is named NAA has a strange dream about a marriage in which large amounts of linen are required so the next morning she sends her maidens to the shore so they can
Wash all the household Linens the maidens complete their task and then play ball their noise awakens Odus who covers himself with an olive bow and approaches them now saika is attracted to him and thinks he would make just the right kind of husband so she takes him
To the Palace of her father The King The King feeds and entertains odius and orders games in his honor the people try to coax odius into playing and when this fails they goat him with insults finally he gets up and plays his great skill shames the others then odius asks the
Minstral to sing of the SE Siege of Troy and of the great wooden horse the minstrel agrees he sings of the final strategy of the Greeks how they built a vast horse of wood pretending it was an offering to the gods then decamped and sailed away the Trojans drag the great
Animal inside the walls of Troy a company of Greeks hidden in the belly of the creature poured forth during the night and opened up the gates for their returned comrades with them they burned and pillaged the proud City the BART sang that it was odius who conceived the
Plan and who led the band inside the horse it was also he who stormed the house where Helen was held and restored her to her Greek husband minus odesus begins to cry as the poet sings so the king stops the tale he asks why odius is
Weeping and his guest replies I am Odus at that point the entire story of Odus w ring comes out he says he and his companions left Troy and landed on the shores of thce where they had plundered the local towns they feasted there until morning when they were surprised by a
Band of natives who killed many of them the survivors returned with Odus to the sea but they were soon caught in a storm that carried them off course for 10 days when they found land they discovered they were in The Strange Land of the Lotus Eaters many of Odus companions ate
Of the lotus and were drugged into such forgetfulness and serenity that they had to be carried by force back to the ship there they had to be bound securely for they refused to leave this island the next stop was the island of the Cyclops Fierce Giants with but one single eye in
The center of their foreheads not knowing of this danger odesus and his men set out to explore the island they found a huge cave with vast stores of milk and cream and sat down to await the return of the owner the owner was a cyclops a son of Poseidon and when he
Entered he imprisoned the men and then began to devour them two at a time at each meal luckily odesus had with him a skin of strong wine he gave it to the giant who drained it and asked Odus his name odesus said it was no man and the
Cyclops responded that since no man had been so kind no man would be the last to be eaten the wine had its effect and the Cyclops fell into a deep sleep odius hardened a pointed stick of olive wood by charring it in the giant’s fire then
He and the crew thrust it deep into the single eye of the Cyclops blinded and screaming with pain the Cyclops called for help and the neighboring Cyclops came running asking him who had injured him when the Cyclops replied no man they returned to their homes in disgust then
The Cyclops rolled the huge Stone from his cave door so his sheep would run out he was sure the men would be hiding among them and that if he felt among the Sheep he would find them but Odus outwitted him he tied the Sheep three a
Breast and tied a man in under each middle sheep then he clung to the wall of a huge RAM and made his own Escape when the Greeks reached the safety of their ship odesus yelled back at the Cyclops to taunt him the monster hurled a rock that barely missed the ship then
Odus boastingly told the cyclopes his real name the Furious Beast invoked the Vengeance of his father Poseidon on this Mortal who had destroyed his sight forever the Greeks sailed on through unfamiliar seas and at one point became the guest of the king of the Winds whose name was iol
When they left iolis gave Odus an oxhide bound with a silver cord inside were all the Winds of the world except Zephyr who would carry them right to home for nine days and nights they sailed towards Ithaca and during that time it was always odesus at the helm at last they
Saw the rocky shore of their Homeland and odius overcome with fatigue fell asleep while he slept the crew became overwhelmed with curiosity about the oxhide bag they were sure it held a rare treasure so they undid the cord winds rushed out at terrific speed and the
Ship was driven all the way back to iolis odesus pleaded with the king of the Winds to help him once more but his pleas were in vain the king said that the curse of the Gods Must Be on these Greeks and with severe words he drove
Them back on their away the next ordeal was at the hand of giant and ferocious cannibals called lonians they destroyed all the ships except the one with Odus on board and as the sailors swam for safety they speared them with only his one ship left odius reached the island that was home to
Cersei daughter of the sun he sent his lieutenant and a portion of his crew to explore the interior of the island they found the Palace of Cersei all marble silver and gold deep in the woods Cersei welcomed them and offered them drugged wine all but the lieutenant entered and
Accepted the wine when the men were all drunk she struck them with her wand and though inside they were still human on the outside they were now swine the lieutenant returned to odesus on the ship and told him of this terrible event odesus set forth at once to save his men
Meeting on his way the God Hermes Hermes gave him a marvelous root that had the power to ward off cersei’s magic when Odus entered the palace Cersei treated him the same as the others but her enchantments were powerless against the root in this way she recognized him for
His arrival on her Island had been foretold although Odus could resist cersei’s magic he couldn’t resist her physical charms and he spent an entire year in her Palace forgetting elope completely but his comrades urged him to remember itha and finally he asked Cersei to free his crew and allow them
All to depart reluctantly she agreed but she warned him of dangers ahead and told him that if he wanted to know his future he should seek the realm of the dead and there speak to the great Seer tyresius so odesus traveled on to the land of the
Chans who lived in total darkness in a region at the edge of Hades the underworld he reached a spot where two rivers mix at the entrance to Hades and there he killed a black RAM and a youth spilling their blood into a trench he dug immediately the Shadows of the Dead
Rushed forth attracted by the smell of the blood the prophet tyresius arrived and told odius his future he said the flocks of the sun were pasturing on the coast of Sicily if he and his companions injure them he alone would escape and would return home after long suffering
If they did not harm the herds they would soon see Ithaca then odesus mother appeared and told him she had died of grief and that his father lieres was still living but in memories and bitterness after that came Agamemnon and achilles his two companions from the
Battle of Troy Achilles told him of the dark joyless life of Hades and Agamemnon told him of his wife’s betrayal when he returned from the war the ghosts crowded in on odius thousands and thousands of them and for once losing heart he raced back to his ship and sailed away as fast
As he could the men then sailed with great caution near the island of the sirens these twin sisters lured men to their death by the spell of their irresistibly beautiful singing odesus had been warned for this by Cersei so he made the men plug their ears with wax
Then he had them tie him to the Mast head and made them swear not to release him no matter what he said or how he acted this way he hoped to hear the magic of the siren songs without being destroyed as the song of the sirens reached him odius desperately tugged and
Pulled up the ropes that bound him but they held and he passed by the island safely stay with us we’ll be right back unlock the marvels of micology and take a journey of deep Discovery into the Divine lordof spore.com has 21 unique varieties of magic mushroom spores that
Will open doors you never knew existed from the shamanic rituals of 10,000-year old tribes to Plato Socrates the dionysian Mysteries and even early Christianity anthens have been the key to unlocking the secrets of the infinite realm that we are all part of offering us mere mortals a glimpse into to the
Sacred meaning of everything we see and everything we don’t join us on our journey it starts with a few microscopic mushroom spores and it grows into a network across time and space connecting us all to infinity and beyond next they sailed through the straight that divides Sicily from Italy
On one side was the monster Sila and on the other the monster caribdis six of the crew were destroyed but by following the instructions of Cersei odius was able to save the rest finally they reached the land where the oxen herds of the sun were pastured odesus tried in
Vain to get his men to push onward but they were weary and insisted on resting on Shore when their protests began to approach Mutiny odius gave in on the condition that no one must harm the sacred oxen they still had sufficient supplies of corn and wine given to them
By Cersei and there was no need for further food but then the weather turned bad and they were forced to stay a month the food ran out and they lived by catching fish and trapping Birds one day while odius slept the men slew some of the oxen and prepared to Feast on them
But as they roasted The Oxen the meat groaned aloud on The Spits and the Skins came to life and crawled after the men the sun in a rage demanded Vengeance or else he swore to never again light the heavens and to retire to Hades it was
Zeus King of the Gods who exacted the Revenge as soon as the crew put out to sea a terrible storm Rose and finally a lightning bolt shattered the ship tossing them all into the sea as prophesized only Odus survived he clung to the broken Mast and barely escaped
Caribdis one of the monsters guarding the straight he floated for nine days and finally was cast ashore on the island of aesia where Calypso held him captive until the intercession of Athena who won him a pardon from Zeus now the tale odesus has been telling is at an
End he begs permission to depart for itha and the fans agreed to help they load him with gifts and put him abroad a galley that is leaving that evening and will arrive in itha by morning when they reach their destination odius is asleep they carry him onto Shore and leave him
Under an olive tree with his presence piled next to him Athena his Patron goddess spreads a Mist over the land so he won’t recognize it and then she takes the guise of a Shepherd boy when he awakes she asks him his story and is amused and proud when Odus makes up an
Elaborate lie then she reveals her true identity and fills him in on the situation in Ithaca to protect his identity she touches him with her wand and turns him into an old beggar clad in filthy rags in this disguise Odus seeks out his Old Faithful swin herd umus Yus
Is of noble birth and in Odus absence has been acting as overseer of his estate not recognizing the absent Prince he treats him as a welcomed guest just the same and tells him about penelo and her suitors and the absence of his Lord but he warns the beggar not to pretend
He has news of odesus as so many others have in Hope of earning a reward the beggar tells a fanciful story saying he knew Odus well and even fought by his side and he Wagers that one day odius will return Yus is not so hopeful and he listens to the beggar story with
Skepticism but he nevertheless makes his guest comfortable offering him a place by the fire in the meantime Odus son telemachus has been so well entertained by manalus and Helen that he stayed with them a month Athena comes to him in a dream and scolds him for his procrastination telling him penelopi is
Under much pressure from her suitors especially the wealthiest uracus jolted into action Telus leaves the next morning and as he departs he sees an eagle fly overhead with a white goose in it it Talons Helen interprets The Omen to mean Odus is returning from afar and will wreak a terrible Vengeance
Telemachus arrives in itha and travels by foot to the lodge of Yus for he knows an ambush awaits him the swi herd is joyous to see his young Lord and odesus must exercise great self-control and not revealing his true identity telarus sends umus to tell Penelope of his safe
Return then when father and son are alone Athena appears although she can only be seen by odius she tells him to make himself known the rags odesus are wearing fall to the ground and Royal robes clothe him and he is once more his imposing and Noble self for a while both
Father and son are so overcome with emotion that neither can speak then they tell their stories and they begin to plot they consider who among long the household has been faithful and who will help them slay the suitors for adus will be satisfied with nothing else tacus
Returns to the Palace where he’s greeted by the suitors with a pretense of courtesy umus follows with Odus who has once more dawned the disguise of a beggar but although the disguise conceals his identity from men it does not fool his old dog Argus who recognizes him at once and feebly wags
His tail the faithfulness of his old hunting dog brings tears to Odus eyes Argus Rises and tries to meet his master but the effort is too much and he dies odesus enters the hall and begs some food from each Suitor they all refuse except for
One named anois who hurls a stool at the beggar this is such a blatant violation of Greek Hospitality that the others rebuke him then another beggar appears a brwy man who threatens to drive Odus from the hall with one great blow Odus breaks the jaw of his rival and then
Drags him out into the courtyard the suitors mock the Beggars and present odius with a sham Victory prize of minced meat and blood one of them a gentle young man is kind to him and Odus is moved by the Fate which awaits this youth now Penelope enters the hall and
Speaks to the beggar who tells her odius is on his way to Ithaca happy and grateful for this news she orders that the beggar be taken to the baths and treated with great courtesy he refuses however to have anyone attend him except ulea a maid servant who has remained
Loyal in his absence while bathing his feet the elderly nurse notices a scar on his thigh and recognizes her master the scar was caused by a boar on one of his early Hunting Expedition Traditions as a Young Man odius stifles her scream of surprise and swears her to secrecy the
Next day is the Festival of Apollo the suitors all come to the hall to make rry and they continue to make fun of the beggar a Seer warns the guests that portents of Doom are evident but they jeer at him and tell him he’s as unwelcome as the beggar Penelope enters
Carrying Odus bow which he left behind when he left for Troy she tells old present that her husband could drive an arrow through the hollow rings of 12 Axe Heads set in a straight line she says that if any Suitor present can duplicate this feed he will have her hand in
Marriage each of the rivals makes the effort but none can even bend the bow when the beggar announces he will try all the men laugh but he picks up the bow bends it easily and sends an arrow directly to the Target barely even taking time to aim now it is time for
His Vengeance the rags fall from the beggar and there stands odius king of Ithaca first he drives an arrow through the neck of anois the Suitor who threw a stool at him when he first appeared as a beggar then with the help of his son tachus and his swine herd Yus and one
Other servant he fights the entire assembly killing each man present one by one he grants Mercy only to two one is a messenger who is considered neutral and one is a Bard then he asked that the Unfaithful serving women be brought to him 12 had become Mistresses to the
Suitors and these he takes outside and has hung by the neck so they will suffer before they die now his vengeance is complete and odesus is satisfied Penelope had returned to her chamber before the slaughter began but when she hears of it from the devoted nurse Ura
She rushes down she believes what Ura has said about the suitors being killed but she’s doubtful about the nurse’s story that it’s odius who’s killed them too many years of waiting and false rumors have made her skeptical even when she sees odesus and recognizes him she is still doubtful so Odus bathes and
Dresses himself in the same Splendor Athena had put on him then he returns to Penelope in all appearances he is just the same as he was 20 years ago when he left itha for Troy now Penelope knows it appears to be him but she wonders if a God has
Taken on his appearance to trick her so she comes up with a plan for uncovering the truth she knows that odesus bed was built around a live Olive Tree by he himself and that it can’t be moved she also knows that only she Odus and Eur
CLA know this so in front of odesus she bids a servant to bring the Lord his own bed from their Bridal chamber odesus annoyed by this command yells out that no one could move that bed he has passed the test Penelope’s doubts are erased and she takes him in her arms then they
Retired to their chamber where they filled each other in on the last 20 years in order to give them more time Athena delays the sunrise the next morning Odus sets out to his father’s Farm meanwhile in Hades Hermes arrives with the souls of the Dead suitors there
Are over a hundred of them aaman asks about the circumstances of their deaths and when he hears about the slaughter in ithaca’s Royal Hall he’s greatly impressed by Odus prowess and by Penelope’s Fidelity in Etha odius arrives at his father’s house and identifies himself the old man is Jo
Joyful at the same time relatives of the Dead suitors are planning Revenge have taken up arms and are heading for Liar’s Farm on Olympus Athena confers with Zeus he decides that Odus Revenge was just and gives Athena permission to interfere as she Wills when the angry Kinsmen
Arrive at the farm odesus leads out his small party to meet them lieres odius telemachus and their supporters kill several in the group and the rest flee in panic Athena arrives and orders an end to the conflict Zeus sends down a thunderbolt that sanctifies this command and the battle ends later Athena
Establishes peace between the factions and Odus resumed his reign as king over a happy and peaceful Kingdom at the end of The Odyssey it seems that the troubles and conflicts of Odus are finally over at least for the time being yet these struggles have Been instrumental in the growth and
Development of his character and seem even to be his lifeblood for odesus is a man who can only truly be involved in life through conflict he is a man who would languish unhappily on a beautiful island of calypso which other men would consider a paradise involvement in life
And with men must contain struggle to this hero or it has no value he willingly faces every test of width and strength and even seeks these tests when they don’t readily appear in this sense odesus is an example of the new man who was developing in the homeric age the
Individual and more specifically the individual who was in conflict with the old communal order even though the community of itha would like their Queen to remarry and establish order in the land Odus comes charging in and upsets those plans with the the sheer force of his will odesus is also a strong
Contrast to his crew which functions as a community and one that is dependent on their leader odesus stands alone and independent the goal of the hero of the Odyssey like the hero of the Iliad is to lead a glorious life and thus defeat death such a life should involve
Struggle and the knowledge of one’s mortality the knowledge that one is not a god this is not a discovery that necessarily should bring despair since Homer clearly shows the superiority of The Mortals in both books the gods were neither just nor merciful they were Gods simply because they were Immortal and
Possessed special powers Homer gives a glimpse into what life would be like without struggles and conflict when he introduces us to the Society of the lotus eaters who are drugged into an almost inanimate state next to odius with his striving questioning and battling they seem like death in life
The struggles of Odus are key to the typical hero’s journey he must first experience several periods of danger and near death before he is reborn and can live life as a fully formed man with inner awareness and strength his wanderings became a symbol of the wanderings of his soul the Quest for
Understanding insight and Truth there are many opt stacles on this journey and each requires Great courage and Faith but the reward is great for when the hero has been steadfast and has remained true to his dream he reaches his final and ultimate destination he is delivered
Home so that was all I wanted to share with you about the Odyssey I hope you like the book itself and I hope you like the information that I gave you about the book If you haven’t read the book yet by all means just go ahead and read
It it’s one of the books that is an essential part of the must read before you die list so that will be all for today we will be talking about other Immortal books in our literature episodes to come so stay tuned this is your host Danny thank you very much for
Listening to the episode and I will see you next Time
source
