Odysseus: The Greek conception of heroism vs. our own The ancient Greek poet Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were considered to be two of the most important works of literature for ancient Greeks to study, particularly during the classical era of Greek civilization. However, for many modern readers, the values embodied by Odysseus are surprisingly self-interested. In modern culture, the conventional conception of a hero is someone like Superman or Luke Skywalker: he is naive, trusting, good, puts the common welfare above his own needs, and is willing to listen to those older and wiser than himself. Odysseus is none of these things. He is clever, full of guile, perfectly willing to lie and trick people to get his way, and full of a quality even the Greeks considered dangerous, that of hubris or a willingness to defy the gods. But the Greek still considered Odysseus a noble and admirable hero, within their own value system.

Odysseus' hubris is evident early on in the Odyssey, when he wrestles with and bests the man-eating cyclops Polyphemus by blinding him. Odysseus boastfully tells the cyclops who he is while leaving the island and Polyphemus uses his influence with his father Poseidon to ensure that Odysseus will not have an easy return trip home. Odysseus spends the next ten years wandering the seas because of his foolish mistake. Still, there is no question that, despite this error, he is the most noble and heroic character of the tale. Odysseus is...

Legend suggests that he pretended to be mad to avoid fulfilling the promise he made years ago to defend Helen if she was abducted. Only after his trick was revealed (he was pretending sow his fields with salt but someone threw his young son in his path and he veered to avoiding hitting him) did Odysseus grudgingly go. Odysseus is also credited with being the man responsible for the Greek victory, but once again this is not because of his Herculean brawn and desire to seek out combat. It is Odysseus who derived the scheme of the Trojan horse, enabling the Greeks to penetrate the walls of Troy in the 'gift' horse. Once again, Odysseus' ability to engage in deceit and even dishonesty is portrayed as an admirable component of his character, not something to be despised. And although the god Poseidon hated Odysseus because of what he did to his son, Odysseus was beloved of the goddess of wisdom Athena. Being what we would consider 'immoral' in today's moral vocabulary did not mean one was despised by the gods in the mythological beliefs of ancient Greece.
It should also be noted that the happy ending of the Odyssey is secured by Odysseus often acting in a…