Odyssey: the Journey of a Hero

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Odyssey: the Journey of a Hero

Odyssey: The Journey of a Hero

The Heros Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in
Homers The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph.
It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in
order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the
Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all.
The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions
did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has
not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the
end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from
being a boy to becoming a man, while out in the sea Odysseus is battling Poseidon
to return to the home that wife that he loves and the home he has left behind.

The first step in any heros journey is the Call to Adventure, or the seperation
from the pack. For Odysseus this call happened while he was on Calypsos Island.
Up on Olympus Athena had convinced Zeus of her case and Hermes was dispatched to
free Odysseus from Calypsos grasp. Odysseus was settled here for quite some time
and had no way of escape until Calypso was forced by the gods to let him go. This
is where his journey begins. At first Odysseus is very skeptical of this freedom
and thinks that it is a trick by Calypso, which is the denial stage that follows
the call to adventure. This stage seperates Odysseus once agaian from what has
become familiar to him. He is called to journey alone once again to gain what it
is that he has wanted for so long. For Telemachus his call came due to the perils
he was facing in his own home with suitors competing for his mothers love. They
started to eat him out of house and home and began to disrespect his mother.
Before this Telemachus had stayed quiet, and had not taken action. Telemachus got
summoned to branch out from his mother and his home to venture out on a journey of
his own. It was now his time to become a man.

In every journey the hero also has a mentor. In this story Athena, the gray-eyed
goddess of wisdom, has taken on this role for both Odysseus and Telemachus. Athena
was by Odysseus side as a guide for much of the beginning of his Journey. Athena
also is a guide to Odysseus when hes not even aware of her, with her pleas to Zeus
on Mount Olympus. When Odysseus was trapped on Calypsos island it was Athena who
was pleading with the gods for him to be allowed to leave that place. Athena acts
as a source of inspiration and the object of many pleas throughout this epic.
While in Ithaca Athena took the guise of the old man Mentes. It was under this
guise that Athena went to Telemachus and made him realize that it was his time to
start his journey. Athena/Mentes gathered men for Telemachus to journey with and
even accompanied him upon his journey. Athena/Mentes acted as a guide for
Telemachus prodding him in every situation on how to step up and be a man.

The First threshold is the beginning of the pro-active part of the heros journey.
This is the first of the trials, usually less tiring or arduous than the others.
Odysseus began his journey when leaving Calypsos island. He conquered his
skepticism and denial and realized that it was time for him to leave, for him to
finally try to get to his home. As he hits the open sea, Poseidon who has not
forgotten his grudge for Odysseus due to events past spots him. Poseidon unleashes
his rage unto Odysseus and manipulates the sea almost to the point of drowning
Odysseus. So Odysseus survives and this begins his true journey home where his
drive and will are going to have to conquer the tests that Poseidon has set before