Role of God's and Goddesses in the Oddyssey
There are multiple different gods and goddesses in the Odyssey and each use their powers in different ways. Many gods try to help Odysseys get home to Ithaca whilst others try to stop or prolong his journey, they were extremely important to the success of the Odyssey.
Zeus has the ultimate power throughout the book although he doesn’t appear very often. He is the god of fate and destiny and so he decided what would happen to Odysseus but other gods, goddesses and monsters change when it will happen. As he is king of the gods he orders other gods what to do. For example, Zeus sends Hermes to deliver a message to Calypso so Odysseus can continue his journey. He adds a lot to the story as he is in charge and at the start says what will happen by foreshadowing the events. Because he is the main, ultimate god and he is trying to help Odysseus you know that Odysseus is a good man because the gods only back winners and heroes. He is very important to the success of the Odyssey as he dictates exactly what will happen. He helps by giving permission to Athena to help Odysseus, and orders Hermes to free him from Calypso.
This leads on to another god in the Odyssey, Hermes. Hermes aids Odysseus twice, the first by instructing Calypso to allow him to leave the island, although it was Zeus’s order he used his persuasive skills to calm her and persuade her kindly. The second time was in book 10 when he gives Odysseus Moley that will make him immune to Circe’s spell and tells him that his men have been turned into pigs. He also instructs him how to handle the situation as a whole, telling him to rush at her as though you mean to kill her” and “make her swear a solemn oath”. This shows that Hermes is on Odysseus’s side and wants to help him by giving him a plan to save not only him but all of his crew. He adds a lot to the story as he shows Zeus’s power as Hermes himself is very powerful and yet he is being bossed about by Zeus. He also helps Odysseus twice and without his help
Zeus has the ultimate power throughout the book although he doesn’t appear very often. He is the god of fate and destiny and so he decided what would happen to Odysseus but other gods, goddesses and monsters change when it will happen. As he is king of the gods he orders other gods what to do. For example, Zeus sends Hermes to deliver a message to Calypso so Odysseus can continue his journey. He adds a lot to the story as he is in charge and at the start says what will happen by foreshadowing the events. Because he is the main, ultimate god and he is trying to help Odysseus you know that Odysseus is a good man because the gods only back winners and heroes. He is very important to the success of the Odyssey as he dictates exactly what will happen. He helps by giving permission to Athena to help Odysseus, and orders Hermes to free him from Calypso.
This leads on to another god in the Odyssey, Hermes. Hermes aids Odysseus twice, the first by instructing Calypso to allow him to leave the island, although it was Zeus’s order he used his persuasive skills to calm her and persuade her kindly. The second time was in book 10 when he gives Odysseus Moley that will make him immune to Circe’s spell and tells him that his men have been turned into pigs. He also instructs him how to handle the situation as a whole, telling him to rush at her as though you mean to kill her” and “make her swear a solemn oath”. This shows that Hermes is on Odysseus’s side and wants to help him by giving him a plan to save not only him but all of his crew. He adds a lot to the story as he shows Zeus’s power as Hermes himself is very powerful and yet he is being bossed about by Zeus. He also helps Odysseus twice and without his help