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Shanetra Strickland
Professor Ware
World Literature
04/12/2021
Divine Intervention in the Odyssey
Epic stories, such as the Odyssey, often have a common thread running through them,
implying that the story includes powers outside mortals’ physical domain. These powers are
recognized as the ancient Greek gods in this context. Both in charge of shaping the plot and the
epic’s tale itself, the ancient Greek Gods play several roles. The gods serve to contextualize the
plot and the narrator by encouraging readers to compare and contrast what was appreciated in
Greece’s hero. They also help define many of the characters by whatever they choose which
relationships in the plot they have with all of those characters, and by allowing readers to
compare and contrast different gods and what has been appreciated in a hero in ancient Greece.
In this essay, how Homer uses divine intervention to portray the relationship between gods and
men in the Odyssey is discussed.
In the tale, the gods intervene either directly or implicitly and consciously participate in
the plotline as protagonists rather than simply as the outside entities. The gods’ existence as
characters in the Odyssey remains the primary tale for humans and gods, with the gods’ positions
serving as a component of the story rather than the focal point. Like many other epics, the
Odyssey depicts a divine relationship between gods and the bard who narrates the tale. There is
an appeal to the Muses right at the start of the poem where the narrator says, ‘Tell me, Muse,
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about the man many turns (Rodgers p. 125)’ The goddess daughter of Zeus begins the tale for the
readers.
The audience’s reality is receptive to the gods’ interactions implies that Homer is unique
among the elite who would consort with the gods. They, mere mortals, are granted access to this
story because of his special status. Homer is framed almost as a holy and respected member of a
chosen few by invoking the muses coupled with the experience of divine interactions, putting
him on an equal level with a priest. His expression is taken literally, and the authenticity in
which he says this story far outweighs that of any non-bard (Jankulla). As a result, among the
most important factors to consider about the gods in the ancient epic, such as the Odyssey, they
lend permission or almost approval for readers and audiences to believe Homer’s tale. It,
therefore, establishes Homer’s interpretation of the tale as absolute and unquestionable and
