The Role Of Poseidon In Homer's Odyssey

In The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, one of the roles of the antagonists is given to Poseidon, the god of the sea. Within the ten years that Odysseus, a war hero, journeys home from Troy, Poseidon purposely threw Odysseus’ crew off course with his perilous waters. Due to this power and status as a god, Poseidon is not only honored by the Phaeacians, but also feared by them as well, notably with their plentiful offerings to him out of fear that Poseidon might be angered. Moreover, Poseidon appears to carry out the majority of his days in isolation, seldomly being in the company of other gods. Consequently, Poseidon, who holds power over the seas and gives birth to monsters, is depicted by ancient Greek culture as mysterious,

While many other gods took pity upon Odysseus’ hardships and tried to aid him, Poseidon alone was unyielding, “forever fuming against him for the Cyclops whose giant eye he blinded…” (1. line #?), manipulating the seas in order to throw Odysseus off course. In addition to having power over the seas, he also fathers many monsters such as Polyphemus (the Cyclops), Triton (half-fish, half-human), and Pegasus (a flying horse). In a world where humans, gods, and monsters clash in conflict, Poseidon acts as a bridge between gods and monsters, being a god himself, but fathering monsters as well. This sets him apart from other gods, making him seem unpredictable, easily angered, and distant to others. As a result, the uncertainty that humans have towards Poseidon’s temper makes him the god whom the humans sacrifice the most feverously to. This is especially the case with King Nestor, one of Odysseus’ only war comrade that makes it safely back home to the land of Pylos. Suffering from the trauma of the war and journey home, King Nestor became extremely fearful of the gods, and namely Poseidon, “Many thighs of bulls we offered Poseidon there--thank god we’d crossed that endless reach of sea” (3. ???). He understands that without Poseidon’s will, he would not have made it home, and is thus cautious in dealing with sacrifices to avoid ever angering the god. This can also be seen with the Phaeacians; being that they are isolated from the rest of the world, they must rely on the ocean in order to interact with others, and to them, Poseidon gifted flying ships that could permit them to travel across the ocean. Without those ships, they would truly be isolated from society to become a kingdom with a name but no honor. However, when they agree to help Odysseus, Poseidon turns their indispensable ships into stone, and like King Nestor, they came to understand that they live and thrive under the will and