The Messenger “But Hermes met me, with his golden wand, barring the way-a boy whose lip was downy in the first bloom of mankind, so he seemed. He took my hand and spoke as though he knew me” (Homer Book X). The Greek messenger with wings on his heels and helm is often portrayed as being the gods form of fast delivery. However, he was not just a messenger; Hermes was the cleverest of the gods, a trickster, and a thief. Hermes has an intense history, a multitude of secrets, and epic myths surrounding him. Hermes, the messenger god, played a key part in Homer’s Odyssey, helping Odysseus and his men twice in the epic poem The Odyssey. Everyone has deep dark family secrets, in Hermes case they would come to define him. Hermes is the son of …show more content…
Hermes is the Greek god of trade, luck, wealth, sleep, fertility, language, animal husbandry, athletics, persuasion, thieves and travel. Most importantly Hermes was known for being the messenger of the gods. Hermes became the messenger because could move fast and this allowed him to go freely from the world of mortals and the world of the divine. He was thought to be the protector of ordinary people like heralds, travelers, merchants, and thieves. His speed allowed him to perform the duty of guiding souls to the underworld. He would gain the ability to bring dreams to mortals by performing this task. He would carry out many deeds for gods and demigods, eventually becoming the personal agent of his father Zeus. Hermes became portrayed as wearing a winged helm and having winged heels. Along with him he carried the herald staff often depicted as a shaft with serpents intertwining with wings attached. Hermes actions affected his talents in every way, changing the way many viewed him. Hermes chose the best of both worlds using his talents for good and evil, but his true traits would show when it came time to help
Everyone knows the story of Hercules, but not everyone knows that it follows the same pattern as most hero stories. Hercules is a story about the son of Zeus. When Hercules was a baby, Pain and Panic, Hades’ evil henchmen, gave him a potion to turn him mortal. It was prophesied that this baby would be the one to defeat Hades and they didn’t want that to come true. Since Hercules was now mortal, he could no longer live on Mount Olympus. A couple on earth took him in so he could grow up as a human. Hercules knew something was different about himself, so when he grew up, he set out to discover who he really was. Even though Hercules is an ancient Greek myth, it still follows Joseph Campbell’s modern basic outline of a hero’s journey.
... in deceptiveness and similarity with her: “Two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both. Of all men now alive you are the best in plots and storytelling. My own fame is for wisdom among the gods-deceptions, too” (8. 379-383). It is as if though Athena represents these qualities heavenly, whereas Odysseus represents them on earth. Athena further exclaims to Odysseus, “Whoever gets around you must be sharp and guileful as a snake; even a god might bow to you in ways of dissimulation. You! You chameleon! Bottomless bag of tricks!” (8. 371-375). It is of no surprise that by Odysseus and Athena gathering forces and wit in this journey, nothing could stand in their way and Odysseus’s homecoming. Thousands of years later, the Odyssey stands proof to that.
Although the heroic journey of Odysseus and Luke Skywalker resemble one another with similar heroic steps, the difference in Odysseus’s journey distinguish him as the exemplary epic hero.
...he heroic figure in Greek literature by living out the destiny that the gods set out for him.
Athena is the daughter of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. She is one of the 12 Olympians that live on top of Mount Olympus. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, strategy, skill, and justice, and the owl is her sacred bird. In Mandelbaum verse translation of the epic poem the Odyssey of Homer, Athena helped Odysseus by providing guidance, physical, and internal help. Without this help, Odysseus would have to forge the path home by himself and face the challenges that are to come alone. He would be left to face the wrath of both Zeus and Poseidon without another major god’s help. Athena aided Odysseus in the trials he was to face, which gave him the guidance and help he needed to return to his home, Ithaca.
Hermes (Latin name Mercury) is the messenger of the gods. He is the fastest of all the gods and goddesses. He is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is a guide who knew the way to the underworld. So he would show the dead souls the way to the underworld. Hermes is also known as the patron of traders, merchants, thieves and everyone who lived by their wits.
Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey, the main character Odysseus is a person who only tries to help himself. Although he earns the trust of his men while in Troy, he loses it on his perilous journey home. Many times in the epic he manipulates others, commits foolish acts and is full of hubris. He tries to take shortcuts and as a result of this, his men are killed and his boats destroyed.
In Plato’s Theaetetus, Socrates examines the first definition of knowledge that theaetetus gives that knowledge is perception. Socrates gives us many example that both supports and refutes that knowledge is perception. The basic claim from Protagoras is that truth is based on the perception of every man. This means that things are to any person as they seem to that person. Socrates explains to us Protagoras’s view with the cold wind example. He say that through Protagoras theory, the wind is cold to the person that feels cold, and the wind is warm to the person that feels warm. Both “the wind is cold” and “the wind is war” is true according to Protagoras and it is based on the perception of the person. Then we learn from Socrates that if knowledge and truth is based on perception then everything that has perception has his own set of knowledge and truth. Also sense Protagoras not considering himself to be a god, and is on the same level of us then wouldn’t the truth and knowledge he definite in his doctrine only be his own set truth and knowledge for he only knows his own perspective.
Although often through deception, illusion, lying, trickery, and pride, using pseudo-identities is imperative in achieving a developed sense of selfhood. Odysseus’ identity is shown to be a combination of the self-made, self-assured, virtuous man and the embodiment of the standards of his culture in Ancient Greece. It is also apparent in Homer’s time that with the gods on your side one can attain a complete moral sense of identity. Nevertheless, the help given to Odysseus by Athena does not detract from his glory, but rather adds to it, for it is symbolic of the qualities of mind, which enabled him to triumph against such odds. Therefore, her intervention is essential, but she allows Odysseus and Telemakhos to earn their own destinies. Odysseus grows in wisdom and judgment throughout his ventures in the epic, and his true self proves to be favored by the gods, and respected and admired by mortals.
Hermes is also known for his many love affairs with numerous mortals, goddesses, and nymphs. In the Odyssey he serves as a messenger and is sent to Kalypso to tell her that she must let Odysseus off her island. The next person, Helios, is actually not a god, but rather a titan. He is the son of Hyperion and Thea and represents the sun, and his sisters Serena and Eos represent the night and the dawn. An easy way to remember him is that “Helios” is a root word from Greek for sun.
He is said to have been the god to teach mortals the art of medicine. Apollo is an amazing character in Greek mythology, but his family is also well known as well. Apollo was the standard model for male beauty. He was a beardless, muscular man with a perfect figure. Apollo is often found carrying a lyre, a type of harp, or a bow and arrow, which was his signature weapon.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.
Odysseus of the Odyssey and Moses of Exodus The Book of Exodus is considered to be an epic poem as by definition. An epic poem as defined by Funk and Wagnalls is a poem celebrating in stately, formal verse the achievements of heroes, gods, and demigods (426). The Book of Exodus as well as the entire Bible was written in the form of an epic poem. Major characteristics of epic poems are that there is always a heroic figure. Moses is indeed comparable to Odysseus, the heroic figure in the Odyssey. Although both men had different purposes they are still considered comparable according to the definition of an epic. Like Odysseus, Moses
When we look at Greek Mythology we often run into the gods of that era. Sometimes they are merely backdrops to the human element of the story but in stories such as The Odyssey the gods play a prominent if not vital role to the central themes of the story.
Gods are ancient beings thought to have created the world and are children of the Titans. Most gods are thought to help mortals for good. Zeus who is the most famous of all the gods is adored by millions. Yet, Zeus, the ruler of gods, is one of the most selfish irresponsible gods of them all. Zeus was a bad god because he had many affairs, abused his powers, and did not use his powers for good.