6 Monsters and their Roles in Homer’s Odyssey

Monsters in the Odyssey represent a variety of themes and ideas, including the unknown, danger, temptation, and the primitive. A source of fear and fascination for the ancient Greeks, they are embodied specific difficulties Odysseus must face on his journey home. These monsters are reminders of the significance of certain cultural and societal values held in Greece and the anxiety about the unknown. Since the Odyssey stresses certain obligations concerning community, hospitality, piety, and family, which formulated the Greeks’ notion of civilization, it is the lack or, rather, outright rejection of these values that construct the barbaric image of the Homeric monsters. The monsters also play a crucial role in highlighting Odysseus’ heroism, leadership, and cunningness, all fundamental values within ancient Greek society.

Polyphemus was a cyclops — a one-eyed giant — described in the Odyssey as a brutal, uncivilized creature who devoured several of Odysseus’ men before the hero was able to outwit the monster and escape.

When Odysseus and his men arrived on the island where Polyphemus resided, they entered his cave, attempting to steal his food. Polyphemus returned and trapped them inside, intending to consume the companions as punishment for their transgressions. Odysseus then devised a plan to get Polyphemus drunk and blind him by stabbing him in the eye with a hot stake as soon as he fell into a deep sleep.

After Odysseus and his men had escaped, the blinded cyclops cursed them, praying to his father, Poseidon, to punish them for their actions. Poseidon granted his son’s request causing Odysseus to face numerous hardships and obstacles on his journey back to Ithaca.

From a broader perspective, the episode can be interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict between civilization and barbarism. Odysseus is aligned with values of reason, intelligence, and rationality that were celebrated by the Greeks. Polyphemus, on the other hand, represents the uncivilized with his lack of refinement, cruelty, and violence, consumed by primitive instincts such as eating his human visitors. The Cyclops can be viewed as embodying the ancient Greeks’ fears and anxieties about the other and the foreign. By consuming his guests, the Cyclops completely defiles the concept of hospitality or xenia. In ancient Greece, xenia was an essential moral obligation involving the mutual respect between host and guest expressed through gifts, food, and shelter.

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were alluring half-bird, half-woman sea creatures who used their enticing voices to lure sailors to their deaths. Their voices were said to be so captivating that sailors would become mesmerized and unable to resist their call, leading to their deaths by crashing their ships onto their rocky shores. During their journey, Odysseus and his crew had to navigate the perilous waters near the island of the Sirens. To avoid succumbing to the Sirens’ song, Odysseus orders his men to plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast of the ship. This way, he could experience the beauty of their song without being lured toward them.

One explanation concerning the metaphorical significance of the Sirens in the Odyssey is that they represent the temptation of the other, the allure of something or someone perceived as different or exotic. Their irresistible pull signifies the negative consequences that might be caused by yielding to temptation. Despite the danger, Odysseus’ desire to hear the Sirens’ song can be interpreted as a reflection of the human desire to experience the beauty and allure of the unknown. Another symbolic understanding of the Odyssey’s Sirens is that they represent the power and seduction of art. Their songs have been described as incredibly beautiful, capable of entrancing even the toughest of men, expressing — to the extreme — art’s ability to move people and elicit an intense response.

3. Scylla: The Six-Headed Serpentine 

Scylla was a sea monster with twelve tentacle-like legs and six heads, each with three rows of sharp teeth. She lived in a narrow channel of water opposite Charybdis’ whirlpool. She was said to live in a cave on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea, and her presence made ships passing through this strait dangerous.

This terrifying mythological creature represents the dangers of unfamiliar territory and the perils of exploration. She is known for her frightening ability to snatch sailors from their ships with her many tentacles. Odysseus is warned of the danger of Scylla by the witch Circe, who states that he must choose between losing six of his crew to Scylla or risking the entire ship by passing too close to the whirlpool of Charybdis. This choice highlights the cost of achieving one’s goals and the sacrifices that must be made along the way. Odysseus’ decision to sacrifice six of his men to save the rest of the crew demonstrates the difficult choices of a leader that must be made to achieve success.

In the Odyssey, Charybdis is described as a massive whirlpool that sucked in everything around her, a force of nature with no physical form or personality. Her only purpose was to devour anything that came near her. Homer describes her as having a “black mouth” that swallows ships and men alike.

In Book 12 of the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men had to navigate through the narrow strait between Charybdis and Scylla, warned by Circe. Ultimately, Odysseus avoids the powerful force of nature that was Charybdis, choosing instead to sacrifice some of his men by passing Scylla.

5. Laestrygonians: The Cold-blooded Cannibals 

In Book 10 of the poem, Odysseus and his men land on the island of Telepylos, which is home to the Laestrygonians, cannibalistic giants. The sailors are initially welcomed by a local princess, who directs them to a nearby harbor, but when they arrive, they are ambushed by the Laestrygonians. The Laestrygonians attack, devouring many of Odysseus’ men, while the remaining survivors flee to their ships. The giants hurl boulders at the ships and sink all of them except for Odysseus’ vessel. Odysseus and his men escape by cutting the ropes of their boat and sailing away, narrowly avoiding being captured by the Laestrygonians.

It is the first major obstacle that Odysseus and his crew encounter on their return to Ithaca, and it establishes the tone for the many perils that they would have to face along the way. The Laestrygonians were described as incredibly powerful and frightening, with their size and strength making them nearly invincible. Ruthless and bloodthirsty, they held no regard for humanistic values, with their cannibalism highlighting their savage nature. The Laestrygonian episode is a clear example concerning the violation of xenia. Odysseus and his men are lured under the false guise of hospitality before being ambushed.

In book 9, Homer introduces the Lotus-Eaters, a tribe who lived on a remote island and consumed a magical plant known as the lotus. The consumption of the lotus plant resulted in the loss of all sense of time as well as the desire to return home. When Odysseus and his men encounter the Lotus-Eaters, they are offered the plant, which some choose to consume causing them to become uninterested in returning home. The Lotus-Eaters are certainly not monsters like the Laestrygonians. They are portrayed as peaceful and hospitable, but their capacity to induce total apathy and forgetfulness through the lotus poses a significant threat.

The encounter with the Lotus Eaters highlights the importance of Odysseus’ leadership skills and determination in resisting such temptations and overcoming obstacles on the path to achieving his goal to return home. He is shown to be an exemplary leader, recognizing the danger posed by the Lotus-Eaters and devising a strategy to avoid their influence. Despite the seductive power of the lotus, he successfully convinces his men to leave the island and continue their journey.