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ODYSSEUS
King of Ithaca and son of Laertes, Odysseus is a hero described by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey, the latter works of
which he is the protagonist and in which his cunning and intelligence emerge.
Odysseus is also often in conflict with the gods, especially with Poseidon, a deity of the sea that causes him and his crew numerous adventures during their return to their homeland.
Unlike Achilles, the Achaean hero of the Iliad, Odysseus is able to win over his enemies thanks to his ingenuity.
Famous is the episode of the fight in the cave with the cyclops Polyphemus.
He is also present in the beautiful 26th Canto of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.
The latter tells of Odysseus' last journey towards the Pillars of Hercules that no man had ever dared to cross because it was a sign of defiance to God.
The voyage is completed for Odysseus and his companions with a shipwreck, caused by a vortex that originates from the sea when his ship arrives near a mountain.
In western culture the figure of Ulysses expresses the human desire for discovery and the search for the unknown. It also represents the
affirmation of human ingenuity and reason against irrational dogmas and prejudices.
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