Religion in the Odyssey of Homer
Homer has the reputation of having "given the Greeks their gods." In so doing Homer has created a type of religion that does not have one god, but one that has many. Each god governs over one or more aspect of the world. This type of religion is known as polytheism, more than one god, as opposed to monotheism, one supreme God. Because there are many gods, no one god is omnipotent, having power over everything, as is God in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions. This paper will explore the roles of Homer's gods and how they fit into the religion that Homer has created. The paper also explores the idea that the sort of religion that Homer created does exist today.
The gods in The Odyssey do not create the men that they preside over. The gods are not overpowering, but work to bring out qualities that are already present in their subjects. For instance, in the first book, the goddess Athene states to Zeus 'the lordliest of the mighty' that she will go to Ithaka to "stir up the son [Telemachus] and put some confidence in him to summon into assembly" (i. 88-89). Later in book three, Homer attributes Telemachos newly found courage to Athene. "Then the thoughtful Telemachos said to him in answer, taking courage, for Athene herself had put that courage in his heart" (iii. 75-77).
The religion that...
Odyssey Homer's Odyssey is a classic epic poem, demonstrating all the hallmarks of epic poem structure and the epic journey cycle. The narrative of the Odyssey follows the return on Odysseus from Troy, a journey that takes ten years and spans many locations and setbacks, until he finally reaches his home in Ithaca. Even then, Homer must deal with one final setback before being successfully reunited with his family. This paper
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