Symbols in the Odyssey: What Is Their Significance?
Symbols in the Odyssey can also be seen as allegories in the Odyssey; however, it may seem that the poem is just about the story of a Greek hero and his homecoming while fighting numerous monsters and supernatural phenomena. Here, we’ve looked at a few of the narrative’s most notable visual cues, such as Penelope’s shroud, Odysseus’ bow, the sea, Ithaca, and many more. The poem explains the meaning of the symbols used by Odysseus and what they stand for. As you read more of this article, you will find out further about them.
What Are the Symbols in the Odyssey?
Penelope’s shroud that she weaves at day and unravels at night, Odysseus’ bow and arrow, the sea, Ithaca, the marriage bed, Argus, food, and the eagle are all considered to be symbols in the epic poem that all have profound meanings. They are seen as a representation of deeper interpretation.
Their Importance
The symbols in the Odyssey are essential as they convey deeper meanings than just the literal translation in the story. These deeper meanings are what make this poem such an epic novel wherein the reader can relate to the adventures of Odysseus as he encounters and surpasses one challenge at a time.
The Odyssey Symbols
Symbolism in literature refers to themes, notions, or pictures that stand in for a more profound significance. It is one of the literary techniques that are employed by authors to convey ideas that go beyond what is stated. The Odyssey has many significant symbols, as could be anticipated from a work of this caliber.
Penelope’s Shroud
Also called Laertes’ Shroud, this is a cloak that Penelope is weaving for the eventual funeral of her father-in-law, Laertes, his father. It may seem ordinary as Greek women during that time usually do this, but in Penelope’s case, it has a bigger purpose and meaning. It represents Penelope’s love for her husband, which was what drove her to deceive her suitors.
After the Trojan War, there was no news on whether Penelope’s husband, the Greek hero, was still alive and would be coming back. With this, numerous suitors came to seek Penelope’s hand in marriage. However, the Queen of Ithaca did not give up on her husband.
She tried to turn away all the suitors at once but could not hold it off much longer year after year. As this was taking place, she was weaving the shroud, and becoming more concentrated on her hopes to see her husband, rather than being distracted from the world outside.
Soon, the suitors became aggressive and even threatened the crown and palace. As queen of the land, she knew her responsibility to the people of Ithaca, and she needed to choose a suitable husband to be king soon. As she lacked the physical strength to fight the suitors and turn them away, she devised a plan to hold off the suitors as much as she could.
Odysseus’ wife deceived them by announcing that she will only choose a husband once she finishes the cloak she is weaving for her father-in-law. Nobody suspected anything because everyone could see the queen weaving the cloak during the day, but she unraveled it at night.
The act of doing this is a representation of commitment to the relationship, she now has control and can keep the suitors waiting for her announcement. The Greek hero had indeed chosen a wise and determined woman, and the queen just proved it.
Odysseus’ Bow and Arrow
Another representation of Penelope’s cleverness was the competition wherein she challenges all of her suitors to use her husband’s bow to pierce 12 axes, and whoever achieves this, will marry without a question. Odysseus’ wife was confident that no one was capable of performing this other than the king himself, as the bow was originally owned by Eurytus, Apollo’s grandson.
The bow significantly represents the superiority of Odysseus’ abilities as a king. His physical prowess also implies that none of the suitors are qualified to be king of Ithaca as none of them came close to stringing it. Just for the fun of it, Telemachus, their son, tried it as well and almost got it on his fourth attempt. It only shows that since he is the king’s son, he had it in him, and he was also capable of ruling Ithaca, which was precisely what represented the bow and the arrow, the strength, and the uniqueness of the king.
However, everyone was unmatched by the Greek hero, who successfully strung the bow on his first try. This act demonstrates Odysseus’ dominance over the suitors. It re-established his rightful position as the most powerful monarch of Ithaca even after he had been lost at sea for almost a decade.
The Sea
Since the Odyssey focused on Odysseus’ journey back home from Troy to Ithaca, wherein the only way is through the sea, the sea became the novel’s primary setting and became one of the themes in the Odyssey. Hence, it frequently appeared as a symbol in itself. It symbolizes a man’s journey through life, which is unpredictable and full of joy and sorrow.
Just as the sea is full of mystery and waves, the same goes for the life of any human, filled with ups and downs. The king couldn’t have defeated the waves, the ship, and the part where he was stuck, and in the same way, when light is shed on the sea, in this poem, it is the symbol of life.
The sea also played a significant role when the Greek hero enraged Poseidon, the God of the Sea, by blinding Polyphemus the cyclops, one of Poseidon’s sons. To ensure that the Greek hero felt his wrath, the sea god did everything in his power, including sending monsters and brewing up storms. It made the journey more difficult and led to all of his soldiers dying along the way, leaving only the king to return home.
The Marriage Bed
The marriage bed, or the wedding bed of the King and Queen of Ithaca, represents the couple’s unwavering love for each other that not even the king’s 10-year absence nor the queen’s decisive suitors can shatter, and this is the way it shows their loyalty to one another in addition to their trust.
In the novel, what sets this bed apart from the rest is that it has a secret that only the couple knows. No servant had seen the bed made of an olive tree before the king sailed off to Troy. The bed is immovable, much like the couple’s love, representing the solid foundation of their union.
When the Greek hero returned to Ithaca and found the many aggressive suitors surrounding the palace, he initially disguised himself as a beggar. Nobody knew it was him except Telemachus. However, the wise queen put the king to the test through her wisdom.
She commanded the servant to move the bed, much to the surprise of the king, who was still in disguise then. It confirmed what the queen had suspected all along: that the beggar was none other than the king, the man she had loved her entire life. Overall, the moving of the bed shows their love and unity because only he was the one who had the ability to move it.
Odysseus’ Dog
Argus is Odysseus’ pet dog in Ithaca, and Argus can be seen as a symbol of faithfulness and fidelity to his master, even in his absence. Aside from Odysseus’ wife and son, his dog has demonstrated its loyalty to him. This persistence even prevented Argus from dying until his master had returned.
When the king eventually returned to Ithaca, he was forced to don a disguise so that he could successfully get rid of all the pestering suitors. On his way to the palace, he saw his pet dog, Argus, covered in swine and cow dung. Once agile, strong, and known for his outstanding tracking abilities, he is now frail, filthy, and on the verge of death.
Upon seeing his old master, even in disguise, Argus immediately recognized him and gathered all his remaining strength to wag his tail, lower his ears, and welcome him back. However, he was unable to do it, and as soon as the Greek hero left, Argus passed away. It can be assumed that he only waited to see his master once again before succumbing to death, and the way that he waited is a portrayal of his loyalty and love to him.
Ithaca Island
Ithaca was the island, where the Greek hero ends his journey in the book, serving as a metaphor for home. It stands in for the location where the book’s protagonist longs to return to, where his wife and only son are waiting for him.
Being together with his wife and son in the comfort of his home, having the pleasure of spending the wealth that he had accumulated, eating home-cooked meals that he loved as a child, and sleeping on the bed he built were the things that the king missed from Ithaca. Thinking of these has kept him going and not surrendering, even if it took ten years and numerous storms, fighting several monsters, and getting away from his nymph lovers and captors.
The king of Ithaca ultimately reached his homeland, yet his journey did not end there. All of Penelope’s suitors were still present in the palace, so the king had one more challenge to face. Now, in this case, this is a symbol of endurance.
They were able to devise a strategy to defeat the suitors with the assistance of the ever-reliable goddess Athena, his son, and two devoted herdsmen. The novel’s culmination finally happened when the Greek hero was restored to his throne as the ruler of Ithaca, where he was once again at home with his family.
Food
Despite the fact that associations with food are prevalent in literature and frequently describe feasts and celebrations, they are supposed to lead to unfortunate events in The Odyssey. Food represents the root of the careless behavior that ultimately resulted in the victims’ deaths and future challenges for the main character, and that turned to gluttony.
Similar to what happened in the case of Helio’s prized cattle, the Greek hero and his men were forewarned not to touch the Sun god’s priceless creatures from the start. However, due to hunger, they gave in to the temptation of slaughtering the cattle and consuming them. As requested by the enraged Helios to Zeus, this action caused the deaths of his men with a single thunderbolt.
Food was also used to describe a negative trait of the monsters that the main protagonist encountered. The Cyclops, who is also depicted as a glutton who devours victims as evidenced in his vomit, and Scylla, who swallowed one of Odysseus’ soldiers for each of its six heads, serve as examples of this, which overall shows that he was raging and wanted to devour the simple things.
Eagle Omen
An eagle, which appeared at least four times in the novel, is also considered to be a symbol and an omen. It appears for the first time when Zeus informs Telemachus that he is going to search for information regarding his father’s whereabouts and status, and he ended up meeting his father’s friend, Menelaus. Zeus showed up in a vision of two eagles fighting to the death. It was interpreted by a person who is knowledgeable about myths as the oncoming demise of the suitors.
On the other hand, another omen appeared when Telemachus was about to return to Ithaca. This time, the eagle was holding a goose in its claws, and this showed the opposite of every eagle, because this was a key symbol of hope, and this is how Telemachus interpreted it as proof that Zeus was helping him.
Conclusion
In Homer’s Odyssey, the epic poem contains many challenges that the protagonist had to surpass before he would be able to get back to his family and home. Many people believe that these challenges represent deeper truths than just metaphors. Below are the key notes to remember:
- Penelope’s symbol is the shroud that she keeps on weaving during the day and continues to unravel at night. This is one of the most featured symbols in the epic novel.
- The Shroud represents a number of things, including Penelope’s undying love for and faithfulness to her husband, her cleverness, and her deception of the suitors.
- Another distinguished symbol from the novel is Odysseus’ bow symbol, which represents the king’s physical prowess and dominance over all other men, especially the suitors who were not able to come close to stringing the bow.
- Telemachus’ symbols represent faith. Even though he was not respected and honored as an equal and qualified replacement king of Ithaca by the suitors, he had not given up hope in searching for and finding his father. He believed that the gods will help him, and he was right.
- The sea and Ithaca are both geographical symbols that represent the destination of the journey in the novel. The sea also became the poem’s main setting as it was the only way home from Troy to Ithaca.
In Greek mythology, the story is broader than that as it is a perfect illustration of a man’s journey through life. It shows that the consequences of one’s actions can result in life-changing situations, just like what happened to the Greek hero when he incurred Poseidon’s wrath.
