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Sacrifice In The Odyssey

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Name: Cara Miller Date: 1/2/23 Class Period:1st The Odyssey, by Homer, is a fictional epic poem. The Odyssey is an epic poem by Homer that tells a story about a man named Odysseus and his adventures. From Troy to the land of the dead, Odysseus loses men and angers the gods, but uses cunning and courageousness to survive. He recites his tale to king Alcinous, who is quartering Odysseus. In the Odyssey, qualities such as sacrifices to the gods, humanlike qualities in the gods, and calling upon the gods are presented. The Odyssey shows that calling upon the gods for help was very important to the Greeks. On page 766, Odysseus says “if but Athena granted what I prayed for” which is referring to when Odysseus is stuck in the Cyclops’ cave …show more content…

The Odyssey shows that sacrifices to the gods were very important to the Greeks.“...performed prayers and rituals...these offerings...were laid on the fire”(790). Even when they are cattle of the sun god, which the men are forbidden to eat, they still know the importance of sacrificing food to the gods. Another example would be “...and make a fair sacrifice to Poseidon”(781). This second quote is what Thebes instructs Odysseus to do, as to apologize to the gods that he has angered. It shows that the Greeks valued their gods and wanted them to be content. The Odyssey shows that Gods having humanlike qualities was very important to the Greeks. “And the lord Helios burst into angry speech among the immortals”(791). Helios was angry at Oddyseus’ men because they had eaten his cattle. Furthermore, Zeus and Helios are trying to compromise, Zeus states“Peace, Helios”(791). Zeus is trying to be more peaceful, whereas Helios is trying to punish the men. When Helios is upset, he wants to get revenge, Zeus however is trying to compromise, just like humans do. It shows that the gods had similar emotions to humans and also shows that the Greeks had a very complex religion and

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