Introduction
Homer’s poem, The Odyssey is a timeless and poignant story about leadership, heroism, and bravery. Due to it being an Ancient Greek poem, it also has many monsters and obstacles for the heroic Odysseus to slay and/or trick. Underneath the grandeur and spectacle though lies a complex but mainly reductive view of women and foreigners. On his journey Odysseus meets many people and cultures unknown to himself and the readers of The Odyssey. The women are often associated with nature and are depicted as schemers and tempters. The monsters are shown to use brute force and scare Odysseus with their strange ungreek-like cultures. Anything foreign to the Greek’s culture is immediately considered to be evil and is either killed or evaded. Both women and monsters are used to display the insecurities, prejudices, and fears that the Greek people held towards women and foreigners. In the context of The Odyssey, women and monsters often mix. Charybdis, Scylla, and the Sirens are three such examples. There also exist ‘villainous’ but not explicitly monstrous women, Circe and Calypso. While they are obstacles to Odysseus, they are described as beautiful and end up sleeping with him. In both examples, instead of killing or maiming, the two instead either trap or transform men and make them unable to return home to their families. In all these cases, there is emphasis on women’s mouths and lack of hospitality. By analyzing depictions of women and monsters in The Odyssey, we can see what obstacles and biases they represent in the daily lives of the Ancient Greeks, and how that then differs or is like the biases we carry today.
Case Study 1
Polyphemus, the Cyclops, plays a vital role in the story of Odysseus’ journey home after the Trojan War. The start of book 9 recounts what happened immediately after the Trojan War’s end. He and his men decide to pillage more cities but are eventually run off to sea after a counterattack. Once at sea, a wild wind drifts them off course to the land of the lotus eaters. Consuming the lotus flowers made his men lazy and complacent. Once Odysseus is able to drag his men off the island they land on an island occupied by the Cyclops’, where they meet Polyphemus. Odysseus wanted to see if the Cyclops would give them gifts since they were his guests. However, Polyphemus doesn’t live under their current social norms so he traps them inside the cave blocking them in with a boulder where he begins to consume the crew. Realizing they must do something to survive, the men create a giant spear out of a walking stick. Odysseus, being the clever man he is, introduces himself as “Nobody” to Polyphemus. After offering lots of wine to Polyphemus, the Cyclops falls asleep, allowing the men to poke his eye out. When other Cyclops come to check on Polyphemus and ask who is killing him, he replies that Nobody is killing him. To which the other figure he has gone mad and leaves him to suffer. After this, the men hide under Polyphemus’ sheep where they ride out of the cave the following morning undetected. While the men are rowing away from the island, Odysseus cannot resist the urge to inform Polyphemus of his name. In doing this Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, prays to his father to not let Odysseus make it home; or at least to let so much time pass that nobody will know him when he arrives home. This action almost gets Odysseus and his crew smashed by boulders thrown by Polyphemus and gets into Poseidon’s bad graces.
Through Ancient Greek beliefs, it can be determined that Odysseus treated male and female monsters differently. Homer backs this up by making the difference between male and female monsters throughout this story clear. The two monsters portrayed as a male are the Cyclops and the Scylla. Both of these monsters are massive, strong, and craving destruction. While the female monsters are beautiful and use tricks to make Odysseus and his men want to stay. This might give insight as to why Odysseus is so skeptical when encountering female monsters. Trying to not fall victim to their tricks. On the contrary, when encountering male monsters, he knows he has the strategic advantage of using fake names and alluding attacks through deception. This shows the ideas and social norms of Ancient Greece. In Greek myth, it is believed that Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans. As punishment, Zeus created a “beautiful evil” to torment mankind (women). With these beliefs, it is not surprising women were depicted this way throughout Homer’s Odyssey.
Odysseus’ lack of concern for his crew, as well as his god-complex mentality, forced Poseidon to have a vendetta for him, which is why this simple journey took so long. Despite his intelligence and leadership, he has no regard for his crew’s safety.
Using the above image as contextualization, as well as the book, I was able to deduce this is after Odysseus asked the Cyclops for gifts, since they were his guests, and quickly found out that these practices did not apply on this island. I can make this guess since Poylphemus still has his walking stick and it seems as though Polyphemus is looking at Odysseus (meaning he has not been blinded yet). Odysseus is highlighted in the image wearing a bright red cape with battle armor on. This is most likely because he is the protagonist and is supposed to be the “hero” of the story. This is also why he is the closest man to the Cyclops, with his men hiding behind him and the boulder to protect themselves from Polyphemus.
After reading about this image, I concluded that the author also believes Odysseus is far too prideful and lacks concern for the safety of his crew. Since the author makes sure to highlight Odysseus was the reason they were trapped in the cave in the first place, as well as the reason Polyphemus was able to accurately throw the boulders at their ship while trying to sail away. This is exactly how I felt Odysseus acted in this book. His crew was continuously correct in trying to change Odysseus’ mind, however, they were never successful. In the end, Odysseus is responsible for the death of 6 of his crew throughout this book alone. He believed the Cyclops was inferior to him, therefore it could not harm him. Although Odysseus survived, probably by the will of the gods, he was very wrong to underestimate Polyphemus.
Modern Depictions
Male and female monsters are re-used constantly in Greek mythology. The use of Polyphemus and Cyclops’ in the Odyssey is his most famous story. However, he is also renowned in the Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters book. This occurs after Odysseus has already blinded Polyphemus when Percy is trying to retrieve the golden fleece and his friend from Polyphemus’ island. This is a look into the Cyclops’s life after being blinded by Odysseus. He uses the golden fleece to lure sheep to him so he can eat.
PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS Clip – “Polyphemus” (2013)
In the film adaptation of the book, Percy and his friends point out a huge boulder and recognize it as the one that trapped Odysseus and his crew. The significance of the boulder is much more than just the loss of 6 of Odysseus’ men. Without the boulder, Polyphemus would have never cursed Odysseus and his men. Therefore, without this altercation between Odysseus and Polyphemus, Odysseus would have made it home shortly after and their story would not be as famous. After Odysseus and his men escape, we do not hear about Polyphemus. With the Percy Jackson series, he is brought back to life. Not only is he brought back to life, but he is from the same storyline as the Odessey. In fact, in the movie adaptation, Percy and his friends can escape Polyphemus’ cave by trapping him in there with the boulder he used to trap Odysseus. I used to watch the Percy Jackson movies with no knowledge of other correlating Greek myths. So the irony of them trapping Polyphemus in his cave with a boulder flew over my head. Revisiting these books now, I am able to see the history behind the book.
Overall, Polyphemus was a major reason Odysseus’ trip took as long as it did; while also giving great insight into just how arrogant Odysseus is. It seems as if Odysseus gets into these situations so he will have tales told of him and how he escaped them. All in all, it is safe to say without the curse from Polyphemus, Poseidon wouldn’t have gone against Zeus and delayed Odysseus’ arrival home.
Case Study 2
The Sirens are an iconic and long enduring monster from Homer’s The Odyssey and are usually depicted in a manner that reflects today’s societal views rather than the time from which they were from. The Sirens who were devoid of physical appearance in the first ever depiction are now known for their looks as much as their actual trait, the singing.
They were used as a way to demonstrate Odysseus’ good traits and make the reader sympathize with the man and his quest. The Sirens actually have a very weak story presence despite their staying power in popular culture. Calypso has a more significant role in the story yet somehow has much less impact in the media. The reason for this is that the Sirens have been bastardized and merged with another unrelated fairytale that brings down both stories. Somehow, society’s views on the Sirens have regressed from how they were displayed in The Odyssey, a story that came out over 2500 years ago.
Sirens in Current Media
Almost every incarnation of the Sirens has them looking like a beautiful women seducing and luring men away from their wives and children. As mentioned in the above paragraph however, this image of the Sirens is not at all grounded in the source material. While the line “never make his wife and children happy.” (Book 12, 42) is in the book, there is no visual description of Sirens. It is left entirely up to the reader’s imagination. It is believed that at the time of writing, the Sirens were viewed as giant birds with the faces of women. They were associated with death and knowledge, both closely related to birds in Ancient Greece.
Somewhere through the passage of time however, they became entwined with mermaids. The Sirens became aquatic and gained tales with much more feminine bodies attached. While the ‘singing sailors to death’ remained true, every other aspect was shorn off never to be seen again. It is disappointing. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides demonstrates all of this. First off, the YouTube video with the Sirens in it labels them as mermaids. They tease the men in the boat before physically killing them by dragging the pirates into the sea.
In the Coen brothers’ movie, O Brother Where Art Thou, the Sirens are literal tempters, luring the ‘heroes’ off of their course home. While the Sirens are not great portrayals of women in their origin, they are somehow better than current adaptations. This schema involving the Sirens is nothing new, however.
The painting at the top of this article, “Ulysses and the Sirens” is from 1891 and was painted by artist Carl von Blaas. The painting shows first contact with the Sirens. Ulysses is tied to his mast on the left side, and the Sirens beckon him over to the right. While appearing peaceful at first, just behind the Sirens lays a pit full of snakes, representing the hidden danger the Sirens hold to passersby. The movement of the eyes also follows the direction the ship will be going, which is left to right. Something interesting about this painting is the Sirens themselves. They are just people with no wings or fins. Are they monsters or normal people sitting on an island? Even in The Odyssey the Sirens aren’t actually menacing. We the audience have no reason to fear the Sirens besides Circe’s warning. Circe might just not like them. We are assuming from secondhand descriptions and our own expectations of what the Sirens will be like.
Despite this, the book is not beyond reproach. The language used for the Sirens and women as a whole is subpar at best. Phrases like “bewitch” (Book 12, 38), “seduce” (Book 12, 44) and “never make his wife and children happy.” (Book 12, 42) All of these place blame on the Sirens for the man’s infidelity and none on the perpetrator.
This is a common theme throughout The Odyssey with Odysseus’ cheating never being brought up even though he claims to have unwavering love for his wife. He sleeps with both Circe and Calypso, and it is never brought up. The Odyssey tends to portray female characters as schemers who want to disrupt family units and leave children fatherless. Bewitch is used a few times in The Odyssey and does not have great connotations. To bewitch someone is to enchant them, and by enchanting you are removing free will. Words like bewitch and seduce shift fault from the men to the women. Cheating is a two-way street. There is almost never a case in which one party is blameless. Also, on bewitch, many of the female characters are associated with nature and the Sirens are not exempt. In the Sirens case, they are found in a “flowering meadow.” (Book 12, 162) Nature is often used to describe the women of The Odyssey and their locales. Each character contains their own aspect of nature. Circe represents the transforming and resilient power of wildlife, Calypso is the allure of the sea, and the Sirens are the temptation that the forest holds. The ever-present idea of leaving everything behind you to go live in the woods. This correlation with nature applies to all the female characters and adds another layer of symbolism to the already prevalent themes of change and loyalty. While having many interesting things to say, The Odyssey unfortunately has some very outdated opinions on women which are still somehow prevalent today.
The Sirens serve as an intriguing window into which to view our current ‘progressive’ culture. While The Odyssey may at first seem ancient, we can see a lot of our current society in it. Women are seen of lesser value and weaker strength regardless of their contributions to those around them. Looks seem to be the most important aspect of a women even when they are not at all tied to their personality or what makes them unique. The Odyssey should be a book in which we can laugh at its outdated views, not see our own culture in.
Case Study 3
When first learning about Circe it seemed that due to her being considered a monster in The Odyssey I had an impression in my head about how she was almost a ‘villain’ as that is how most monsters are portrayed in other media. However, Circe is a powerful figure within Greek mythology and Emily Wilson seems to grasp a more modern approach to how Circe is represented. Within Book 10 in The Odyssey, we are first introduced to the entrancing sorceress, Circe. Before we are though, we first begin Book 10 with Odysseus’ crew on a voyage from the attack that occurred with the Laestrygonians and the loss of some of the crew. They had stumbled upon the island of which Circe resides on, Aeaea, then half of Odysseus’ crew decided to explore the island a few days into their rest on the beaches of the island. When Eurylochus, second-in-command on the crew, leads one half of the crew to the house where we then meet Circe for the first time as Odysseus stays on the beaches with the other half. This crew meets her and it states how the crew are first confronted, with what seems to be, vicious wolves and lions. However, as they get closer to the home of Circe the animals seem to greet the men quite friendly. We find out that this is due to the drugs Circe tames them with, but nonetheless unexpected. Then soon after this encounter the crew hears the voice of Circe greeting them. The imagery explaining this first encounter with Circe from the crew’s perspective explains why the men feel comfortable walking, and eventually being, in her home. The amount of buildup of this first interaction definitely represents how she is going to be an important figure within the building of Odysseus’ role as a hero.
To relate to the idea of there being the comparison of monsters and women in the epic it is clear to note that there is a lot of imagery within Book 10 that seems to describe Circe and her true intentions. Obviously, within the lines 210-225 display a certain image in my head that allows me to have a better understanding of Circe as a character without even really having an interaction with her. It truly proves how intelligent Circe is in her way of ‘manipulating’ men into believing they are safe on her island.
Although there is a lot of potential for Circe to be a prime role in the epic it is clear that gender plays a part in how she is depicted overall. As well as the theme that has to do with how this case study of Circe is a monster. On this topic it is important to note the time period of when it was written and how this has now caused Circe to be translated in the eyes of men. Which translates Circe into this kind of monster for the act of protecting her own land.
Now this ultimately reveals the way that Circe is depicted throughout the book ultimately depends on how you approach Circe as a ‘monster.’ With the other monsters in mind and what they brought to Odysseus’ journey it brings the question to mind about what truly is a monster in The Odyssey? What defines a monster? It ultimately brings in the information on Circe as being depicted as this monster when in fact she ends up helping Odyssey and falling for him. It is important to remember that although the women in the book are seen as less compared to the men, even seen through Penelope, Emily Wilson does a beautiful job in writing to dampen the stereotypical narrative of women. In general, Homer’s Odyssey fails to explain more about Circe’s background and how what she is doing isn’t just out of the blue. Homer seems to represent Circe as what a man sees as a seductress and considered a monster in The Odyssey. It is a good way to reflect upon what one sees as a monster in the book and how that affects what the reader may think of the character overall.
Seen Throughout Media
To create a deeper understanding of Circe researching this painting created by Wright Barker within 1889 it seems that there isn’t too much information on the origin of Barker’s meaning. However, after depicting this painting and contrasting it to Book 10 alongside it reveals how Circe can be seen as a powerful figure. Which honestly seems to highlight that she is a strong woman in this time and has the protection she needs to be independent. With the fact that some have said the red poppies could be represented as blood, it caused me to question other figures in this painting that could reveal how Circe is portrayed in The Odyssey. Especially in the painting with the presentation of lions and wolves surrounding her it correlates with Book 10 stating that they were surrounding her residence when half of Odysseus’ crew were frightened by them. Specifically, this image correctly highlights the importance of Circe’s character in The Odyssey even more with the development of how she uses animals and her musical ability to attract sailors. From the protective nature of the animals revealed in the painting it definitely exaggerates the point that she has tamed these animals in order for her to have a ‘shield’ of protection. Obviously, in the book it had the animals being seemingly friendly towards Odysseus’ crew. But, ultimately they can be seen as protection as they are almost like a warning to the crew as not everything that they see is what they will get. As we know the crew gets turned into pigs from Circe after they seem like odd and friendly, usually violent, animals. Overall, it is interesting how a good amount of monsters in the book are women and has caused me to look deeper into what a monster is, or really if there is a true comparison of what truly is the difference between a man and a monster.
Map of The Odyssey
Conclusion
Homer’s “Odyssey” uses Odysseus’ journey to symbolize the trials and tribulations people go through in life. Using monsters as obstacles along the way, some will appear desirable and keep you content for the rest of your life, never achieving your ambitions, and others will rip you apart and eat you. Depicting the male monsters as big brutes with physical advantages, while women are manipulative and sly. It is these gender roles that show the societal norms of the Greeks at that time. Greek myth had a very negative outlook on women, believing Zeus created them as a “beautiful evil” to torment man. Through the spectacle of the ancient Greek norms, Homer has created a symbolic piece to mirror a dramatized Ancient Greece.
Bibliography
Bibliography:
Jordaeans, Jacob. “Jordaeans Odysseus in the Cave of Polyphemus.” Greek Mythology in Art, 2018, www.greekmythologyinart.com/polyphemus-jordaens.html.
“PERCY JACKSON: SEA of MONSTERS Clip – “Polyphemus” (2013).” Www.youtube.com, youtu.be/-O5B8ppHc14. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
Elbein, Asher. “Sirens of Greek Myth Were Bird-Women, Not Mermaids.” Audubon, 6 Apr. 2018, www.audubon.org/news/sirens-greek-myth-were-bird-women-not-mermaids.
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