Odysseus
The strategist of Troy and the wandering hero of the epic, celebrated for his wit, endurance, and dangerous hunger for glory.
Odysseus in the Odyssey
Odysseus, son of Laertes and king of Ithaca, is the hero Homer calls polytropos, the man of many turns. At Troy he is the strategist behind the wooden horse; in the Odyssey he spends ten more years trying to get home, losing every ship and every companion along the way.
What sets him apart from the other Greek heroes is not strength but intelligence: he lies, disguises himself and waits. He refuses Calypso's offer of immortality, reaches Ithaca alone on a Phaeacian ship and wins back his house disguised as a beggar, before revealing himself to Penelope.
Key moments
- Book 9
He tells Polyphemus his name is “Nobody”, blinds the Cyclops and escapes the cave clinging to the belly of a ram.
- Book 12
Bound to the mast while his crew rows with wax in their ears, he is the only man to hear the Sirens' song and survive.
- Books 21–22
Still disguised as a beggar, he strings his own bow, wins Penelope's contest and turns his arrows on the suitors.
Relationship to Odysseus
He is the center of the voyage: every ally, storm, temptation, and monster is measured against his desire to return home.
Where this figure enters the journey
Odysseus threads together the full route, from the ashes of Troy to the long-awaited homecoming in Ithaca.
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