Was Odysseus Really a Hero?

The Myth of the Noble Return

Odysseus has long been celebrated as the archetypal Greek hero — clever, enduring, and determined. Homer’s Odyssey paints him as a man of great intellect and resilience, navigating gods, monsters, and men to return to his kingdom and family. But as I’ve read and re-read his journey, I’ve come to question whether his actions truly merit the title of “hero.” Was Odysseus a paragon of virtue and bravery, or was he a flawed, sometimes ruthless figure who simply survived?

Cleverness vs. Honor

Odysseus’s famed intelligence is undeniable. He devises the Trojan Horse, outwits Polyphemus, and uses wit to survive encounters that would destroy lesser men. But is intelligence alone enough to make a hero? When he blinds Polyphemus, he does so not only to escape but also to boast — revealing his name and provoking Poseidon’s wrath. His cleverness often serves pride as much as survival. In ancient Greek culture, hubris was a fatal flaw, and Odysseus walks that line repeatedly.

Loyalty or Self-Preservation?

He claims loyalty to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, yet during his long journey, he spends years with Circe and Calypso, sleeping with both. He never tries to leave Calypso until the gods intervene. If loyalty is a heroic trait, how do we reconcile his extended infidelities? Some argue that he was held captive, but he never truly fights to leave. He adapts, enjoys, and delays — not the actions of a man desperate to return home.

Ruthlessness in Ithaca

Upon returning to Ithaca, Odysseus is anything but merciful. He slaughters the suitors without offering quarter, even those who beg for mercy. More disturbingly, he kills the servant women who had slept with the suitors — not in battle, but by making them clean up the carnage before execution. There is no trial, no appeal, only vengeance. In Homeric times, justice was often swift and brutal, but even by those standards, his actions raise questions about whether he was a hero or a tyrant reclaiming power.

Divine Favor vs. Human Fault

Odysseus is favored by Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, which helps him survive. But the gods in Greek mythology are capricious — their favor does not necessarily imply virtue. In fact, many of Odysseus’s misfortunes stem from divine anger, like Poseidon’s wrath for blinding his son. His journey is not one of moral redemption, but of endurance. He doesn’t grow wiser or more compassionate — he becomes more calculating, more vengeful.

So, Was He a Hero?

I’ve come to see Odysseus not as a hero in the modern sense, but as a complex figure shaped by the brutal world he inhabited. He is clever, yes, and persistent, but also prideful, vengeful, and morally ambiguous. His story is not one of moral perfection, but of survival. And perhaps that’s why we keep telling it — not because he’s flawless, but because he’s human.

Talk to Odysseus on HoloDream and ask him directly what he thinks of the choices he made.