The Role of Gods in Odyssey

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The Role of Gods in Odyssey
Gods played a very vital role in the lives of ancient Greeks. The Greeks prayed to them when in need and the gods were believed to answer their prayers. For this reason, these gods were held in reverence because the overall fate of man was in their hands. Homer’s Odyssey follows the story of Odysseus, a Greek hero trying to get back home in Ithaca to his beautiful wife Penelope and son Telemachus long after the Trojan War. Even though he understands the important role of the gods in his life, some of the decisions that he and his crew make, attract the attention of several gods who interfere and intervene in their journey. The decisions Odysseus and his crew make in the beginning attract punishment from some gods while later on they manage to gain the favor of other gods and thus their overall fates are determined by the different roles that gods play in their lives. Generally, the interference and intervention of the gods Poseidon, Calypso, Athena, and Zeus played an important role in delaying and enabling Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca and in determining the fates and experiences of other characters.
At the start of his journey home after the war, Odysseus blinded the son of the god Poseidon otherwise known as the Lord of Earthquakes. Poseidon in return, set out on a mission to frustrate his journey as punishment for what Odysseus had done to his son. For instance, he got Zeus to smash Odysseus’ ship with lightning with the aim of killing him. He did not die however, but he lost his friends and got himself trapped on Calypso’s island where he was held against his will for many years as punishment from Poseidon and Zeus. All these actions by the gods functioned to delay his efforts of returning to Ithaca. Even when the other gods like Zeus and his daughter Athena try to make things easier for the already suffering Odysseus, Poseidon vows to cause him more pain. For instance after seeing Odysseus on a raft trying to get to Phaeacia, Poseidon said, “But I will goad him to more misery, till he is sick of it,” (chap 5, 290). He goes ahead to shake up the raft in an effort to drown Odysseus. Concerning this, it is said that “He gathered up the clouds, and seized his trident and stirred round the sea and roused the gusts of every wind,” (chap 5, 292-294). All this was in an effort to create a darkness and strong winds that would lead Odysseus to drown but fortunately, he has the favor of the other gods and therefore he survives. This incident reveals Poseidon’s role of frustrating Odysseus’ journey back home.
The goddess Calypso trapped Odysseus on her island thereby playing a role in delaying his journey. Accordingly, the goddess “had trapped him in her cave; she wanted him to be her husband,” (chap1, 20). Seemingly, it was Poseidon’s plan to send him on Calypso’s island as a way of preventing Odysseus from returning to his home like the rest of the men after the Trojan War. At Calypso’s place, Odysseus had no means of travelling across the sea back to his family and therefore he ended up spending several years there. He was held against his will as evidenced from the fact that he was always seen “crying, shedding floods of tears,” (chap 3, 555). This incident provides evidence of the interference of a god in a man’s fate. If he had not been held captive on Calypso’s island, there is a great chance that Odysseus would have managed to reach his home in good time and perhaps stop the suitors from harassing his wife and son. Even though Calypso caused his journey to delay, the goddess later on agrees to set him free and guides him on how to reach the land of Phaeacia. She also warns him of the suffering that still awaits him on the ...