The Wanderings of Odysseus

The motif of Odysseus’s homecoming is at the heart of the story. Odysseus longs to return to his home, the island of Ithaca, and his resolve does not wane despite the numerous hardships he faces along the way. The motif of homecoming was an important one for the Greek heroes who fought at Troy. After the Trojan War, the Greeks needed to make the voyage back home to Greece. Some heroes, like Nestor, completed this voyage quickly and safely; others, like Odysseus and Menelaus, wandered for many years before finally reaching their homes. Some of the heroes who fought at Troy also needed to overcome further dangers once their completed their journeys. Odysseus, for example, has to kill his wife’s suitors, and only after accomplishing this is his homecoming complete. Some heroes were less successful—Agamemnon (whom Odysseus meets in the Land of the Dead) is killed by his wife and her lover when he reaches his home. The motif of Odysseus’s homecoming thus exists within a larger background of the mythic homecomings of each hero who fought at Troy. At the same time, Odysseus’s homecoming also presents its own unique aspects, including Odysseus’s use of cunning to get out of scrapes, the support he receives from