The legendary king of Ithaca, or Who is Odysseus

Odysseus was the son of Laertes and Anticles. Born in Boeotia. His grandfather Autolycus gave him the name. It, apparently, comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "to be angry" or "angry". The wife of Odysseus was Penelope, a cousin of Helen of Troy. They had two sons - Telemachus and Polyport.

Let's make a digression into the past to understand what became famous and who is Odysseus. According to the "History of the Ancient World" this topic does not pass, but the school course of foreign literature includes the myths of ancient Greece. And this is exactly what we need.

Who is Odysseus?

Odysseus is known as a participant in the Trojan War and as a hero of the eternal Homeric Odyssey and Iliad. He came to Sparta to take part in the marriage of Elena the Beautiful. There he meets Penelope, takes part in the contest for her hand and, having won in it, marries her. In honor of this event, three churches were erected in Sparta. Then Odysseus returns to Ithaca.

Surrendering to the entreaties of the Spartan king, Odysseus decides to take part in the campaign against Troy. He was the main strategist of the Greeks. Thanks to his tactics and cunning, Troy fell. The famous Trojan horse is his idea. Ahead of Odysseus there were many more adventures, but he returned home himself, having lost all the soldiers with whom he had marched.

Returning to Ithaca, he, along with his son Telemachus, interrupted all the "suitors" who were annoying Penelope. Relatives of the dead rebelled against Odysseus, and although he won, the arbitrator dismissed him for ten years from the kingdom. And Telemachus becomes king.

Odysseus built the temple of Athena on Mount Boreas. He died in Epirus, where he was revered as a hero. He was buried near the Perga mountain.

Was or was not - that's the question

So who is Odysseus? His adventures and life are detailed in the Odyssey and Iliad of Homer, in the works of Euripides, Sophocles and Virgil. Therefore, it is difficult to find a person who does not know who Odysseus is. However, the question of whether such a person really existed, or is simply a legend, is of some interest, and it is impossible to answer unequivocally. There is an opinion that this hero of the ancient Greek epic really lived in ancient times. This is evidenced by frescoes on antique vessels and mentions in the cultures of many peoples. "Odyssey" and "Iliad" - the immortal poems of Homer - most fully narrate about the amazing wanderings of the king of Ithaca, and although they are difficult to classify to historical sources, the truth in these works of the legendary poet-storyteller still exists. Of course, there is both fiction and mysticism, but from this they do not become less interesting and instructive, rather, on the contrary.

Let's sum up the results

If you answer the question: "Who is Odysseus?" Briefly, we get the following information: this is a literary, historical, and mythical character. He is the hero of myths, fairy tales, parables and legends. His image is reflected in art, sculpture, painting.

Odysseus became the prototype of the ideal hero from the ancient past. But his image is most fully revealed in Homer's poems. This is one of the heroes of the Iliad and the main character of the Odyssey. In them he is endowed with intelligence, cunning, resourcefulness and courage. In addition, Odysseus is a talented warlord and strategist. However, for the sake of justice, we note that this image is very contradictory. Feels in him some kind of split. He is a hero, a robber, a loving husband, an insidious lover ... There are positive and extremely negative traits in him. And sometimes metamorphosis takes place with him.

Who is Odysseus? This is a creative character who is in eternal wanderings and eternal search. And the ultimate goal of his path is to find a new self, his family, his homeland.