The Role and Portrayal of the Gods

Divine power in a human story

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus’ return from Troy to Ithaca depends on more than his own courage and intelligence. Gods can provide help, create obstacles or influence decisions. They are immortal and possess powers unavailable to human beings, yet their motives include recognisably human feelings: pity, anger, affection and loyalty to family.

The gods do not act as a single united force. Hermes protects Odysseus from Circe, while Poseidon hears a prayer directed against him. Divine power therefore creates both danger and the possibility of rescue. It also raises an important question throughout the poem: how much can a mortal achieve through personal effort when greater powers influence the outcome?

Poseidon: family loyalty and revenge

At the end of Book 9, Odysseus reveals his identity to the blinded Cyclops Polyphemus, despite his crew’s warnings. Polyphemus is Poseidon’s son. By naming himself, his father Laertes and his homeland Ithaca, Odysseus gives Polyphemus the information used in his prayer for revenge.

Polyphemus stretches his hands towards heaven and asks Poseidon to prevent Odysseus from reaching home. His request then becomes conditional: if Odysseus is destined to return, he should arrive late and ‘in sore distress’, in another person’s ship, having lost all his companions, and find trouble in his house. The narrative confirms that ‘the dark-tressed god heard him’.

Poseidon’s involvement turns the escape from one monster into a threat to the whole homeward journey. He is portrayed as responsive to his son’s appeal, rather than as an impartial judge of Polyphemus’ treatment of his guests. Divine family loyalty can therefore work against the human hero.

The titles ‘Earth-Shaker’ and ‘Earth-Bearer’ emphasise Poseidon’s immense power. Polyphemus also claims that his father alone could heal his eye, if he wished. This is Polyphemus’ claim about Poseidon’s abilities, not an account of a healing that actually occurs.

Fate does not remove human responsibility

Polyphemus recognises that Telemus’ prophecy has come true: he was destined to lose his sight at Odysseus’ hands. He had expected a physically imposing opponent, not someone who overcame him through wine and cunning. The fulfilment of the prediction connects the encounter to a larger destined pattern.

Yet human decisions still matter. Odysseus chooses to keep taunting Polyphemus and reveal his name. His crew tries to prevent this. Homer places prophecy alongside choices whose dangerous consequences are clear.

The wording of the curse also suggests a limit to what Polyphemus expects Poseidon to achieve. He allows for the possibility that Odysseus’ return is already destined: if it cannot be prevented, it can still be made painful. Fate and divine hostility are therefore related, but not identical.

Zeus: authority without guaranteed favour

Odysseus presents Polyphemus’ blinding as divine punishment for murdering guests: ‘Zeus and the other gods have had their revenge on you.’ This connects the gods with the protection of hospitality, or xenia. However, the words belong to Odysseus’ angry speech. They reveal his interpretation of the escape rather than proving that Zeus directed it.

The ending of Book 9 complicates his confidence. Odysseus sacrifices the ram to Zeus and burns its thigh pieces, but says that Zeus ignored the offering and was instead planning the destruction of his ships and companions. A sacrifice is an attempt to obtain divine favour, not a transaction that forces a god to provide protection.

Zeus is called ‘son of Cronos’ and ‘lord of all’, language which stresses his authority. That authority also appears in Book 10: Zeus has appointed Aeolus keeper of the winds, giving him the ability to raise or calm them. Divine power can operate through someone entrusted with a particular responsibility, rather than through a god appearing personally.

The winds: divine assistance and human failure

Aeolus gives Odysseus a tightly sealed bag containing the winds and releases the West Wind to carry the ships home. After nine days and nights, Ithaca is visible on the tenth day. This help brings the travellers close to success.

While Odysseus sleeps, the crew opens the bag, believing it contains gold and silver. The released winds drive them back to Aeolia. Odysseus identifies sleep and his foolish crew as the causes of the failure.

Aeolus nevertheless interprets their return as evidence that the gods hate Odysseus. He refuses further assistance because he believes helping such a man would be against religion. His reaction shows how belief in divine approval or hostility influences human behaviour. It also creates a contrast between the human cause of the disaster and Aeolus’ religious explanation of it.

Hermes: knowledge and practical protection

In Book 10, Circe transforms Odysseus’ companions into pigs. Odysseus sets out to rescue them, but bravery alone would not protect him from her magic. Hermes meets him in the appearance of a young man and takes him by the hand. This approachable appearance makes divine assistance personal and immediate.

Hermes supplies both protection and a plan. He gives Odysseus the herb moly, which has a black root and a milk-white flower and prevents Circe’s drugs from enchanting him. It is difficult for mortals to uproot, emphasising the difference between human and divine capabilities.

He also explains what will happen and how Odysseus should respond: draw his sword when Circe strikes with her wand, then require an oath that she will not harm him before accepting her invitation to bed. Odysseus follows these instructions. His successful resistance depends on a combination of divine knowledge, supernatural protection and his own action.

Circe is herself a goddess, although she initially threatens the travellers. Hermes’ intervention shows that supernatural powers can oppose one another. The oath she swears then makes a change in their relationship possible: divine authority can provide protection through a solemn promise as well as through physical power.

Athena: shaping the return and the confrontation

Athena’s interventions in Books 19, 21 and 22 help move the story towards Odysseus’ recovery of his household. In Book 19, she provides light as Odysseus and Telemachus remove weapons from the hall. Her assistance supports their practical preparations rather than replacing them.

In Book 21, Athena inspires Penelope to set out Odysseus’ bow and the axes for the contest. This links divine influence to a human decision which creates the opportunity for Odysseus to act against the suitors. Athena also gives Penelope sleep after she withdraws and weeps: divine help can offer emotional relief as well as military advantage.

During the fighting in Book 22, Athena appears with Mentor’s form and voice. Disguise allows a goddess to enter the action through a familiar human identity. When the suitor Agelaus threatens Mentor for supporting Odysseus, Athena becomes angrier. Her response reveals personal involvement rather than detached supervision.

Athena challenges Odysseus to show the courage and strength he displayed at Troy. She deliberately withholds complete victory because she wants to test both his prowess and that of Telemachus. She then takes the form of a swallow and perches on a roof beam. Her protection is therefore demanding: father and son must demonstrate their own abilities, rather than simply wait for the goddess to defeat their enemies.

Nevertheless, Athena directly influences the battle. She makes the suitors’ first coordinated volley of spears miss. She also renders most of their next volley ineffective, although Telemachus and Eumaeus receive minor wounds. Divine assistance does not remove every danger.

Finally, Athena displays her aegis, a divine protective attribute whose appearance terrifies the suitors. Their courage collapses and they flee through the hall, allowing Odysseus and his allies to press their attack. Her power works on their minds as well as on the flight of their weapons.

These interventions make Athena more than a source of miraculous rescue. She assists preparation, influences the circumstances of the confrontation, tests the fighters and helps secure victory. Odysseus and his allies still have to carry out the work and face the danger.

Gods as causes, characters and sources of uncertainty

Small acts of help matter alongside major interventions. On Circe’s island, Odysseus attributes safe arrival to a god and the appearance of a stag to divine pity. The stag provides food which helps restore the exhausted crew. Neither helping god is named, so these actions should not automatically be assigned to Athena.

Across these episodes, divine action explains changes in human fortunes and gives the plot a wider significance. The gods can be compassionate, protective, threatening or unresponsive. Their involvement does not mean that every mortal interpretation is correct, that every offering succeeds or that human choices cease to matter.