Notes

In the spiritual sense Odysseus is a hero, because he remains faithful and loyal to his wife and household. Although he has been wandering away from home for almost twenty years, the only thing that keeps him alive is the thought of his wife and son that are back at home waiting for him.

Odysseus fought gloriously on behalf of the Greeks in Troy and was considered a "war hero" of sorts because of it. But he became to full of himself and did not give the Gods credit for helping him. That is why he was punished by Poseidon. He bravely endured Poseidon's punishment and in the end learned that Man is nothing without the Gods. So I guess that makes him a hero, that he endured so much and learned a valuable lesson in the end.

In Homer's The Odyssey, the tale of a man's journey home after long years at war, is also the tale of a man's spiritual journey through his own soul. Odysseus' role as an epic hero is modified throughout the epic poem. As Odysseus leaves Troy for home, he is the typical bloodthirsty warrior. During the course of his trek, he undergoes a symbolic death and rebirth. Upon his arrival in Ithaka, the wiser man he has become is evident. The Odyssey is Odysseus' story of his journey not only from Troy to Ithaka, but also from bloodthirsty warrior to epic hero.