Donnie Pittman
Greek & Roman Myth
3-2-2015

The Power of Zeus In the Odyssey, Zeus decides the fate of all people and all gods. All other gods must succumb to Zeus’ will at all times and seek permission to do what they want. This pattern, along with the gods constantly deciding the fate of all humans, shows Zeus’ true power. Through the use of these patterns in the Odyssey, Homer is showing that Zeus is truly the all-powerful God, and decides the fate of everyone in their world. Athena provides aid to Odysseus throughout the book, trying to get him to his home in Ithaca. While Athena is a powerful and respected Goddess, she still must request permission on her mission, “That long-suffering Odysseus gets to go home. I myself will go to Ithaca” (I. 94-95). Athena truly cares of the fate of Odysseus, and believes that he deserves to get home after suffering so much anguish. She feels extremely strongly about the fact that Odysseus deserves a different fate than the one dealt to him, but is unable to do anything about it without Zeus’ blessing. Athena is forced to seek out Zeus in order to get what she wants, despite her goddess ‘status’. This is one piece of the continuous pattern of Zeus being the decision maker for all gods in his kingdom, suggesting that he is truly the one who decides the fate of all people. Calypso is another goddess that is a part of Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca. Although she wants Odysseus for herself, Zeus has already decided that Odysseus needs to get home. That is why Zeus sends his personal messenger, Hermes, to let Odysseus continue his journey: “But you said it, Hermes: Zeus has the aegis and none of us gods can oppose his will. So all right, he can go, if it’s an order from above, off on the sterile sea” (V. 136-139). Calypso is so deeply in love with Odysseus and will do so much to keep Odysseus on her island. She is truly dedicated to Odysseus, and she speaks her mind to Hermes, an extension of Zeus. She knows it is wrong for Zeus to be able to do this, to dictate exactly what happens in all people’s lives, but in the end knows that there is no use fighting it. This is another chain in the pattern of Zeus having complete power and control. Calypso feels as strongly as one can feel against what he is doing with his power, yet even she won’t dare do anything about it. Homer is again suggesting that all gods must succumb to Zeus in the end. Poseidon hates Odysseus with an extreme passion, and rightfully so. He swears to his promise that he will hurt Odysseus, but it isn’t that simple. Poseidon can’t just intervene how he wants, even though he is an extremely powerful