![]() ![]() ![]() Following the death of Achilles, there was something of a squabble over who should inherit the hero's magnificent armour. Apart from a minor incident where Odysseus and Diomedes ambushed the youth Dolon in a forest, Odysseus had little to do until the final stages of the war. The Greeks duly received fair winds and landed at Troy. Fortunately though, just as Agamemnon let fall his sword, Artemis took pity on the girl, replaced her with a deer, and spirited off Iphigeneia to become a priestess at Tauris in one of the goddess' sanctuaries. When arriving at Aulis, however, preparations had already been made for the sacrifice and the poor girl was immediately set upon an altar. Pleased at the prospect of such a prestigious son-in- law, the queen readily agreed. Odysseus then travelled to Mycenae and promised Iphigeneia's mother Klytaimestra that the girl could marry Achilles. Whilst hunting, Agamemnon mistakenly killed a deer sacred to Artemis and according to the seer Kalchas, only the sacrifice of the king's daughter would appease the goddess and allow the Greeks safe voyage to Troy. ![]() Odysseus was once again chosen as envoy in order to persuade Agamemnon's daughter Iphigeneia to join the Greek forces at Aulis. In the trojan war Odysseus came up with the brilliant idea of the wooden horse. Homer also states that the name Odysseus means “victim of enmity”, no doubt in reference to the ill-feeling which Poseidon directed against the hero. However, the hero was not just a thinker but also a warrior, and his courage and fighting prowess are referenced in the Homeric epithet “sacker of cities”. Hesiod describes Odysseus as “patient-minded”, and Homer most often describes him as “godlike”, also as “Zeus' equal in his mind's resource” and a truly great speaker, whose persuasive words “flocked down like snowflakes in winter”. The hero was also fortunate enough to regularly receive the special aid and protection of the goddess Athena. Married to Penelope, he also had a son, Telemachos (or Telemachus). In Greek mythology, Odysseus was the son of Laertes and Antikleia (or Anticlea) and the King of Ithaca, leader of the Kephallenians. His resourcefulness and oratory skills were instrumental in the Greek victory in the Trojan War and following the conflict, he was the protagonist in many fantastic adventures on his long voyage back home to Ithaka (or Ithaca). Famed for his courage, intelligence, and leadership, Odysseus ( Roman name: Ulysses) was one of the great pan- Hellenic heroes of Greek mythology. ![]()
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