How tall were the Greek Heroes? Like Achilles, Hercules, Odysseus, Ajax, etc.?
Nobody knows. This is a myth afterall. So you could look at it two ways: 1. Mythologically and; 2) Probability. The mythological response would suggest frames that are larger than life. It is fact that ancient people were smaller than humans are today. So, you could merely pick a height such as 6'4" and that would be a height that would probably make many of them giants. The probable response would suggest height around 5'5" or so. If you look at tombs, crypts, and ancient armour that fills the vaults of museums, you could reason that this would be a reasonable height. Regards.
Who is the greater hero, Achilles or Odysseus?
Overall, I’d probably say that Achilles is the better man. Of course, it also depends on your definition of “better.”Achilles is intelligent, hailed as the best warrior, cares a lot for those close to him, and is respectful towards other who show respect. His values do show him to very much be a product of his society though, and given that we have different values today, his actions are sometimes seen as unfavorable.Odysseus is, by far, much smarter than Achilles. However, his intelligence is also his downfall. He became self important and was dumb enough to insult the gods by not thanking them for their help, or even attributing the Greek’s win to any assistance made by the gods. The gods (mostly Poseidon) he offended stepped in to punish him for his hubris and his journey home from the Trojan War ended up being twenty years long.That in itself isn’t enough to say that he isn’t the better man, but the consequences of that are. Odysseus loved his wife and son very much, but his hubris that led him to be away from home for twenty years led his family to be in danger. So, basically, he let his own high opinion of himself get in the way of the wellbeing of his loved ones. (after all, insulting the gods - which he knew he was doing - can lead to grave consequences, and he did it anyways)
Is it possible that Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus, and Perseus were real people?
It's very possible that they are real. Not real in the sense that Heracles went through the labors that he was said to have gone through or that he was inhumanly strong as he was said to have been. But he could have a been a real guy who was pretty beefy and had a very tedious life.As for Achilles and Odyseus, historians and archeologists are still questioning the possibility of the Trojan War being a real war. If it was a real war then yes, it would suggest that the names and faces in the Illiad and Odyssey were real.And there deffinately could have been man with similarities to Perseus such as maybe there was a woman with a baby found in a chest at sea and that babys name was Perseues.It is more likely however that the collection of these heros stories were a collection of many different men who did heroic deeds and then were built up by extreme hyperbole and threw it into a story involving gods. Even today many authors of fiction use real life experiences to add a unique and amazing element to a true story without compromising the realism of the story. Most likely there were people who did these things and had these names, but not in the grand way that we would think of when we hear the names in myth.
What are the qualities of Odysseus as a hero?
The other champions of the Iliad epitomized strength and courage—the triumph of glory over death! But the Odyssey presents Odysseus as the new paradigm of a new age. In shorthand, Achilles, Ajax the Greater, and the other Greek paragons had personified strength, prowess, and honor—a short spectacular life in the service of gaining eternal fame. While Odysseus too represents most of these virtues, he also represents more. Additionally, he possesses a keen intelligence, cunning, and above all, a growing fund of self-knowledge. Achilles may epitomize the golden age of heroes, but Odysseus embodies a template for modern man. Men will have to evolve much further than we have so far, before we can glance sidewise in the mirror and not see the wily Ithacan peering back at us.Tellingly, Odysseus’ craftiness was viewed with suspicion by his comrades in the Trojan War, although they were happy to take advantage of it. His fellow champions viewed his cleverness as somehow a bit unmanly. They were bluff and straightforward, when not actually dense. By default, Odysseus’ trickiness and ingenuity have the aspect of feminine qualities, since at the time women had no overt power and were forced always to act indirectly. In fact, it is Odysseus’ feminine side which makes him unique and which gives him his special edge. Odysseus is actually a new amalgam of qualities. Strong, heroic, and brave, he also has an intellect and a persona that incorporates both masculine and feminine aspects. He aspires to glory, achievement, and a long life. Instead of a one-dimensional stereotype, Odysseus encompasses all that it is to be human. But since he is so human, Odysseus also has one serious flaw. Competing against champions, demi-gods, and at times the wishes of the Olympians themselves, he can’t help but be proud of his many spectacular achievements. In his attempt to return home from the Trojan War, this hubris will work against him to awful effect.
Why did Odysseus get to live happily after his adventures when other greek heros didn't?
I was studying him for school and I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on why Odysseus seems to be given good life after he gets home to Ithaca. Most Greek heroes hardships continue, or they go crazy, or their wives kill them, or some other bad thing happens to them and they lose everything. Odysseus seems to be the only one who is allowed to get through his adventures more or less unscathed and is able to continue living happily for a long time. Are we supposed to see him as better than other heroes or is his just a different kind of story?
What are some similarities between Nestor and Odysseus?
They are both the wittiest of the Greeks.though some of nestors advice seems bad(Patroclus fighting and dying disguised as Achilles),it does save the Greeks from losing the battle in way of Achilles coming to join the battle.Odysseus is not only a warrior but a thinker,sometimes with athenas help.they both are close to the gods,providing sound advice,even though some seem sinister.there's no difference really,the book is about fate,knowingly accepting it or not.you can say the same about life,if it's real or not(fate) by definition exists.which was a central Greek belief,homer.
WHY did Odysseus go to fight in Troy?
When Helen was abducted by Paris of Troy, Menelaus called upon the other suitors to honour their oaths and help him to retrieve her, thus forging the Trojan War. Odysseus tried to avoid it by feigning lunacy, as an oracle had prophesied a long-delayed return home for him if he went. He hooked a donkey and an ox to his plough (as they have different stride lengths, hindering the efficiency of the plough) and sowing his fields with salt. Palamedes, at the behest of Menelaus' brother Agamemnon, sought to disprove Odysseus' madness, and placed Telemachus, Odysseus's infant son, in front of the plough. Odysseus veered the plough away from his son, thus destroying his ruse. Odysseus held a grudge against Palamedes during the war for dragging him away from his home. Odysseus and other envoys of Agamemnon travelled to Scyros to recruit Achilles because of a prophecy that Troy could not be taken without him. By most accounts, Thetis, Achilles' mother, disguised the youth as a woman to hide him from the recruiters because an oracle had predicted that Achilles would either live a long, uneventful life or achieve everlasting glory while dying young. Odysseus cleverly discovered which of the women before him was Achilles when the youth stepped forward to examine an array of weapons. Some accounts say that Odysseus arranged for the sounding of a battle horn, which prompted Achilles to clutch a weapon. Just before the war began, Odysseus accompanied Menelaus and Palamedes in an attempt to negotiate Helen's peaceful return. Menelaus made unpersuasive emotional arguments, but Odysseus's arguments very nearly persuaded the Trojan court to hand Helen over.