Odysseus was the son of Laertes and Anticles. Born in Boeotia. His grandfather Autolycus gave him a name. It, apparently, comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "angry" or "angry." The wife of Odysseus was Penelope, cousin of Elena the Troian. They had two sons - Telemachus and Polyport.
Let's take an excursion into the past to find out what Odysseus is famous for and who he is. According to the "History of the Ancient World" this topic does not pass, but the myths of Ancient Greece are included in the school course of foreign literature. And this is exactly what we need.
Who is Odysseus
Odysseus is known as a participant in the Trojan War and as a hero of the eternal Homeric Odyssey and Iliad. He came to Sparta to take part in the matchmaking of Elena the Beautiful. There he meets Penelope, takes part in the competition for her hand and, having won in it, marries her. In honor of this event, three temples were erected in Sparta. Then Odysseus returns to Ithaca.
Having succumbed to the persuasion of the Spartan king, Odysseus decides to take part in the campaign against Troy. He was the main strategist among the Greeks. Thanks to his tactics and cunning, Troy fell. The famous Trojan horse is his idea. Ahead of Odyssey was still waiting for many adventures, but he returned home himself, having lost all the soldiers with whom he went on a campaign.
Returning to Ithaca, he and his son Telemachus killed all the "suitors" who plagued Penelope. Relatives of the slain rebelled against Odysseus, and although he won, the arbitrator drives him out of the kingdom for ten years. And Telemachus becomes king.
Odysseus built the temple of Athena on Mount Borea. He died in Epirus, where he was revered as a hero. He was buried near Perga Mountain.
Whether or not it was - that’s the question
So who is Odysseus? His adventures and life are detailed in Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, in the works of Euripides, Sophocles, and Virgil. Therefore, it is difficult to find a person who does not know who Odysseus is. However, the question of whether such a person really existed, or whether it is simply a legend, is of certain interest, and it is impossible to answer unequivocally. It is believed that this hero of the ancient Greek epic really lived in ancient times. This is evidenced by frescoes on ancient vessels and references in the cultures of many peoples. “The Odyssey” and “Iliad” - the immortal poems of Homer - most fully tell of the amazing wanderings of King Ithaca, and although it is difficult to classify them with historical sources, there is still some truth in these works of the legendary poet-storyteller. Of course, fiction and mysticism are present there, but from this they do not become less interesting and instructive, rather, on the contrary.
To summarize
If you answer the question: "Who is Odysseus?" briefly, we get the following information: this is a literary, historical, and mythical character. He is a hero of myths, fairy tales, parables and legends. His image is reflected in art, sculpture, painting.
Odysseus became the prototype of the ideal hero from the ancient past. But his image is most fully revealed in Homer's poems. This is one of the heroes of the Iliad and the main character of Odyssey. In them he is endowed with intelligence, cunning, resourcefulness and courage. In addition, Odysseus is a talented commander and strategist. However, in fairness, we note that this image is very contradictory. Some kind of bifurcation is felt in him. He is either a hero, or a robber, or a loving husband, or an insidious lover ... He has both positive and extremely negative traits. And sometimes metamorphoses occur to him.
Who is Odysseus? This is a creative character who is in eternal wandering and eternal search. And the ultimate goal of his path is to find a new self, his family, his homeland.