Homer’s Odyssey

Introduction

 Homer's Odyssey highlights the concepts of spiritual wellbeing as one of the undertone themes. This concept is perpetuated in various characters and pushed forward through the escapades and engagements narrated in the book. Thus, Homer isolates some vital values of civilized Greek communities to go along with spiritual wellbeing- home, society, hospitality, and reverence for the gods. Values such as hospitality, communities, and reverence for the gods define the variance between development and barbarism. The book does not only dwell on an adventure but morality and values tied to the ancient Greek communities. Therefore, the most important themes are hospitality, reverence for the gods, and loyalty.

Hospitality

Hospitality is a central value in Homer’s Odyssey as it reflects on societal and religious aspects. In ancient times, the only way families could survive was through rearing livestock and a bumper harvest. Communities formed good relations with each other to safeguard properties, livestock, and their harvest. Hence most people depended on hospitality to defend their livelihood. Additionally, traders would easily sell their products if they were hospitable to neighboring people (McLatchey, 2019). For example, King Menelaus invites Telemachus with open arms and caters to his every need. In simpler terms, hospitable values facilitate the providence of important services and form stronger relationships between people. The necessity of hospitality enables people to exchange pleasantries and business ideas.

It is vital to note that hospitality was not only demonstrated through long travels but the ability to maintain friendships between two or more people. Hospitality was prevalent due to numerous underlying reasons. During Homer's time, traveling was long and tiresome than in contemporary society. The ancient transportation mechanisms were boats and walking (McLatchey, 2019). Due to this, more time was spent on the road and before one arrived at their destination, they were exhausted. Therefore, offering a person food and clothing after long-distance travel was seen as an extended act of kindness and hospitality.

 Reverence for the gods

  In the context of Homer’s Odyssey gods are seen as smart and powerful. It would be prudent for other people to respect the gods as their fate was determined by the gods. Similarly, Odysseus is portrayed as intelligent as he could read the minds of humans. Thus, he was well-informed on human emotions and feelings. Through Odysseus, the reader can perceive the amount of respect the Greek people had toward their gods. The Greeks valued the dead and respected their traditions and religion. For example, as Odysseus travels through the spirit world, he does not silence dead voices, instead, he acknowledges the voices and does everything possible to respect their wishes. More so, Homer builds up a scenery where Odysseus recognizes human reverence towards the gods. Reverence is a form of debt humans have to pay to the gods. In one of the sceneries, Poseidon states the human beings are nothing without the gods. Poseidon's statement summarizes the need for gods in human societies and cements the relationship people have with gods (Thornton, 2015). Characters are successful whenever they worship gods. On the other hand, they fail when they disrespect the gods. For example, Zeus fights off Odysseus's people after they disobey him by consuming the cattle sun. In summary, humans have to depend on the gods for most things concerning their lives because the gods know better.

Loyalty

Ancient Greek communities relied on each other. Loyalty to close friends, communities and the gods are vital in the lives of ancient Greeks. Loyalty is a central value because it is perpetuated through Penelope and Odysseus. Penelope demonstrates devotion to Odysseus by patiently waiting for him for two decades (Liang, 2017). She never replaced Odysseus after confirming his death. Even so, she did not replace him until she had woven a shroud.  Thus, the author makes use of the relationship between Penelope and Odysseus to bring out loyalty as a value. Odysseus deserves this type of loyalty because he risks his life for the sake of his own family.

 The loyalty Odysseus has for his family keeps him going even in hard times. Even though portrays Odysseus as self-reliant, it is the dependence upon the gods that guides Odysseus throughout his tough journey (Liang, 2017). Odysseus overcomes all the challenges he encounters due to the loyalty he has towards his family. The challenges make him better and strengthen his bond with his family. In Homer's Odyssey loyalty enables the formation of a relationship between men and their fathers which in turn assists in creating dependence and the ability to assist each other. For example, Odysseus is devoted and fair to his team and even when his team disobeys him, he welcomes them back to his ship.

 In conclusion, Homer's Odyssey entails loyalty to family, friends, and community.  Hospitality reflects on both societal ad religious concepts. Families depend on their neighbors to protect their harvest and property. In terms of reverence, the Greek citizens respect gods for them to gain favor from the gods. Loyalty cements the relationship between family members. Loyalty forms part of the friendship experienced between two long distance friends.

 

 

References

Liang, M. (2017). The Making of Odysseus the Hero in Homer’s Odyssey. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 6(7), 42-48.

McLatchey, M. B. (2019). Odysseus’ Wounded Healer: New Insights on the Therapeutic Value of Veteran Responses to Homer’s Odyssey. Journal of Veterans Studies, 4(2).

Thornton, A. (2015). People and themes in Homer's Odyssey. Routledge.