The legend of Odysseus, an ingenious hero

The legend of Odysseus tells us about the most human of Greek heroes, famous for his wit and protagonist of the famous Odyssey, by Homer. He went through countless adventures and was always admired for his cunning. He was born on a day when his mother was surprised by the rain on the road. The word “Odysseus” means ‘Zeus rained along the way’.

He was born in Ithaca and was king of Ithaca. It is said that he was a disciple of the centaur Chiron. From a very young age he began to live a series of adventures. However, The legend of Odysseus gains significance as a result of the Trojan War, of which he was the protagonist. By the time that conflict began, he was already married to Penelope and had his son Telemachus.

To avoid the obligation to go to war, He pretended to be crazy, but his charade was discovered and he was forced to leave.. The legend of Odysseus says that he first accompanied the instigator of the war, named Menelaus, to achieve a peaceful settlement. Since he did not succeed, he actively participated in the preparations for the fight.

Odysseus lived many adventures during the war and was always known for his ability to deal with any situation. It was he who invented the famous “Trojan horse” ruse, which led his army to victory. However, the legend of Odysseus becomes much more interesting during his return to his homeland, Ithaca, after winning at Troy.

The return to Ithaca in the legend of Odysseus

One of the most notable aspects of the legend of Odysseus is the many difficulties he has to return to his homeland.. It took him ten years in the war and another ten to return to Ithaca.

Many think that Odysseus is the myth of the exile because it includes the experience of being far from one’s homeland and loved ones, together with the difficulty of returning.

Shortly after embarking on the return trip, Odysseus had a confrontation on the island of the Cicones, from which he did not come out very well. The wind began to blow strongly and diverted him from his route towards Ithaca, so he arrived at the island of the lotus eaters.so called because they only ate lotus flowers.

That food led them to forget the past and always live happily and in peace. Odysseus’s men ate it and forgot everything. He had to forcibly take them to the ship, until the effect wore off. Then they arrived at the island of the Cyclopes, beings with only one eye. There he had to face a giant, son of Poseidon. He defeated him by blinding him and tricking him, so the monster cried out for revenge.

New adventures for Odysseus

The legend of Odysseus tells that he continued sailing with his men and thus arrived at the island of the king of the winds, Aeolus. He trapped all the winds in a wineskin and gave it to the hero so that he could return to Ithaca. They were already close to the homeland when the sailors opened the skin, thinking that it contained a treasure, and so A great storm broke out that took them away from their desired destination.

Then much of Odysseus’ crew perished on an island of cannibal giants. Then they found the island Aea, where they mourned their misfortunes. There lived the beautiful sorceress Circe who transformed some of the crew into pigs. Odysseus, with the help of Hermes, He managed to rescue them and gained the respect of the witch, who housed them all for a year and gave them instructions to redo their journey..

Following Circe’s advice, Odysseus and his men managed to resist the sirens, the erratic rocks and the monsters called Scylla and Charybdis.. His men were punished for eating the cattle of the sun and Ulysses was left alone and without a boat. Thus he arrived at the island where the beautiful Calypso lived.

The return to Ithaca

Calypso took care of Odysseus. He comforted him and cared for him until he recovered from all his illnesses. The island of this goddess was a paradise; However, the hero only dreamed of returning to his home, with his wife and his son. However, and by the action of Poseidon in revenge for what had been done to his son, Odysseus spent eight years on that island.

The goddess Athena, who had great esteem for the hero, spoke with the other gods so that Calypso would let Odysseus go., who cried every afternoon longing for home. Although Calypso wanted to resist, he threatened her with punishment and then let his guest go. Poseidon continued to punish him with hurricanes and storms, but again Athena helped him and thus he arrived at the island of the Phaeacians.

The king of Phaeacia, and thanks to the intervention of the princess, finally arranged everything for Odysseus to return home.. He provided a ship and crew to take the hero to Ithaca. Finally, with the help of his son Telemachus, the hero was reunited with his beloved Penelope, who had waited for him for 20 years, being faithful to his love.

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