What makes a hero? Great physical strength? Sharp wits? Super powers? These are probably some of the first qualities that come to mind at the mention of a hero. While heroes are known for saving others using their superhuman powers, it is important to remember that they must also be morally upright. After all, if heroes did not have kind hearts they probably would not risk their lives to help people. We are also more likely to root for heroes if they seem good-natured.
In The Odyssey, the gods constantly interfere with mortals, sometimes helping and sometimes harming the non-divine. The gods dole out punishments to mortals who have disrespected them but also aid their favorite humans on quests. Poseidon could control the seas at will and Zeus could effortlessly marshall thunder. Both could easily strike down whomever they chose to target. Although Zeus, Poseidon, and the other ancient Greek gods had a lot of power, we don't usually think of them as heroes. For one thing, they were more morally corrupt than the average human. Many gods had juggled multiple affairs at the same time. The gods were also notorious for being easily offended and reacting overly bitterly to the pettiest of offenses. In the Odyssey, Calypso is quite obviously immoral because she forces Odysseus to become her lover even though she knows that he already has a wife. Poseidon would like to kill Odysseus for blinding his son.
Normally the characters we consider heroes are mortals who have been helped by gods. The gods supply the humans with ample strength and wit while the humans naturally have acceptable moral standards. This makes heroic mortals similar to gods without moral corruption. In a way, this makes heroes seem heroes are more perfect than the ancient Greek gods. Odysseus is gifted with cleverness from Athena and is able to shape-shift as needed with her help. What sets Odysseus apart from the gods (besides his mortality) is that he is morally pure. He could have easily stayed with Calypso, but he chose to remain faithful to Penelope. Odysseus' morality makes him a likable hero.
I'd agree with you that the gods don't seem very heroic with their affairs and extreme punishments and overreactions, but I don't really see Odysseus as being "morally pure" so far either. Although he is forced to stay with Calypso, he isn't exactly "faithful" to Penelope, and especially not so when he visits Circe and willingly stays with her for a year even though his men warn him against it. He does seem to be more moral than Zeus and Poseidon, but I'm not super impressed by his character right now.
ReplyDeleteOops, I posted this before I read about Circe and the cyclops.
DeleteI think that because the gods were given a sort of human image, their morality can be put into question, but just as most humans are moral, I think that most of the gods follow some sort of set of rules that they set for themselves, and more often than not the gods don't really intervene with human affairs. In the case of the god who do intervene, at least in this story, most have a reason. Poseidon had his son injured and Athena is helping Odysseus so he can get home.
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