Odysseus is the BEST Greek Mythological character because his entire story is like “I just wanna see my wife again please gods let me see my wife and son” for ten fucking years after already being away for ten years at war. Like Odysseus and Penelope truly love each other and it’s rare to find a marriage in Greek Mythology that is as stable and loving as theirs. And yes I say that even with Odysseus’ trip to Calypso’s island and the fact that he immediately murders 108 men when he gets home, but they had it coming.
But let’s talk about their bed. Let’s talk about Odysseus and Penelope’s bed. When Odysseus finally gets home he disguises himself as a beggar(after meeting his son for like the first time) to spy on the court and Penelope. When he is assured that his wife has stayed faithful and isn’t in danger, he reveals himself to her. Penelope wants to make sure it’s Odysseus and not another suitor trying to trick her, so she’s all “oh my husband so happy to see you but before we get to making sweet homecoming love can you move our bed? I want it to be against the opposite wall.” Someone not Odysseus, who was not aware of their bed, would have been like “yeah whatever” but Odysseus is like “you know that’s impossible, our bed is a tree.” And it is. Where their bedroom is there was an olive tree growing, and they built around it, and carved out their bed from its boughs. The tree is still planted, still alive, and immovable. The bed is representative of their marriage: sturdy, stable, alive, unmoving, and a gift from the heavens(olive trees had special significance). In the very same scene after Penelope confirms it’s Odysseus he tells her that he and Telemachus(their son) need to kill the suitors that have been making a mess of the place, so he tells Penelope to get all of her servant girls and bring them into their bedroom and hide there, because no one would dare enter the bedroom of a noble lady. Thus the bedroom takes on more significance, as a place of security and safety. A place where no blood shall ever be spilled.
This SHOULD be the marriage that gets woobified, not Hades and Persephone. I know everyone loves that kind of dynamic but Persephone WAS NOT A WILLING PART OF THE MARRIAGE. Penelope stayed faithful to Odysseus for 20 YEARS because she never doubted that the love of her life was out there somewhere doing the same. Like I’m not trying to be trad or whatever the fuck, I’m just reading the Odyssey and getting emotional. Whoever made that post that was like “the best straight man characters are the ones that are just like ‘I really fucking love my wife’” hit it right on the nose, man. The Odyssey is a breath of fresh air after like, all the other myths.
When Odysseus describes staying on Aeolus’s island, he uses the word φἰλει (10.14), which has been taken to mean that Aeolus hosted him in a friendly fashion. It is then followed by Odysseus saying that Aeolus “refused nothing” when he asked (τι κεῖνος ἀνήνατο, 10.18). While φίλει has both platonic and romantic/sexual connotations, parallels could be drawn between Odysseus’s arrival and reception on Aeolus’s island, and his arrival and reception on Circe’s island (wherein he enters a sexual relationship with the goddess and is then taken care of through her resources). Thus, it is not inconceivable that Odysseus had a similar relationship with Aeolus in book 10 of the Odyssey. In this essay I will
ngl im kind of obsessed with how odysseus meets achilles and ajax in the underworld and is like ‘why are you guys still upset about dying, just be happy ☺️’ bruh
Phemius is portrayed here on the reverse of a silver hemidrachm coin from ancient Thessaly, minted by the Ainianes. They were essentially a tribal people/state with their capital at Hypata, rather than a conventional Greek polis. The coin dates from the 360s to 650s BC. Phemius is shown nude but for a belt holding a short sword in a scabbard and a chlamys draped over his shoulders and arm. He’s hurling a javelin with his right hand and holding his petasos, as if it were a small shield, with his left. ΑΙΝΙΑΝΩΝ is inscribed and on the ground line between his feet is a sideways Φ (=Phemios). The obverse shows the laureate and bearded head of Zeus.
