Zeus is father of the Olympian gods and goddesses; but to obtain this agathos, or honorable status, he had to overthrow his father, Kronos, a titan, who had deposed his own father, Uranus. Zeus did not want history to repeat itself; so, to keep himself from being overthrown like his predecessors, he established a sense of order and balance by having control over each person’s moira, or an evolving fate. This is evident in Homer’s Odyssey, as demonstrated in Odysseus’ life and his journey back to his oikos to reclaim his home. The poem shows that, while Zeus respects Poseidon’s and Athena’s wishes concerning Odysseus’ future, he has the ultimate decision as to what happens in Odysseus’ life. Zeus acts as the mediator among the gods and goddesses by allowing Poseidon to cause suffering in Odysseus’ life, but then letting Athena help Odysseus return to Ithaka. There is a sense of order and balance here, and Zeus has the final authority in determining how events progress throughout the poem.
After Athena convinces Zeus to let Odysseus leave Kalypso’s island, Poseidon delays his homecoming with several displays of anger, and Zeus does not interfere with these actions. Odysseus is only released from the island once Athena comes to his defense and tells Zeus, “those Odysseus ruled cannot remember / the fatherhood and mercy of his reign / Meanwhile he lives and grieves upon that island” (5.13-15). She asks Zeus to relieve Odysseus of his suffering and let him go home. Zeus listens to Athena and sends Hermes to instruct Kalypso to release him. While Zeus heeds Athena’s plea, he also accommodates the wishes of Poseidon, who is provoked by Odysseus’ release from Kalypso’s island and decides to destroy his vessel as punishment. Homer writes, “Brewing high thunderheads, he churned the deep / with both hands on his trident” (5.301-02) and continues to explain how Poseidon expressed his wrath: “Hurricane winds now struck from the South and East / shifting North West in a great spume of seas” (5.305-06). Zeus listened to Athena earlier, and now respects what Poseidon wants. The latter is bent on vengeance for what Odysseus did to his son Polyphemos, and Zeus does not interfere with his destruction of Odysseus’ boat. Even after Ino, a sea deity, tries to help Odysseus, Poseidon persists, and Zeus does not act to limit Odysseus’ suffering. Poseidon continues heaving waves against Odysseus until he finally lets him rest on a riverbank. In this way, Odysseus’ life take shape as Zeus maintains a balance between Athena’s calm support and Poseidon’s anger.
When Odysseus tells Alkinoos of his journeys thus far, he explains how the sea has kept him from going home, but also how his metis, or craft, has gotten him out of tough situations. In describing the ocean he battled, Odysseus describes how the current “took me out to sea, and from the north / a fresh gale drove me on, past Kythera / Nine days I drifted on the teeming sea / before dangerous high winds” (9.88-91). By referencing the dangerous sea, Odysseus implies that Poseidon caused the harsh current and high winds. It once again shows how Zeus allows Poseidon to express his anger towards Odysseus. Poseidon does his best to delay Odysseus’ journey and cause suffering without killing him. However, while Poseidon tries to keep Odysseus from going home, Athena gives him metis to help him figure out how to work against Poseidon’s efforts. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, and Odysseus uses the wisdom granted by her to complete his journey. He uses this wisdom to keep his crew from hearing the Seirenes: “I carved a massive cake of beeswax into bits” (12.208) and “laid it thick on their ears” (12.214). His use of craft shows how Athena helps him while he is at sea. Zeus oversees the actions of Poseidon and Athena, making sure that there is a balance between Odysseus’ suffering and his successes.
Twenty long years pass, and Zeus finally allows Odysseus to head back home, but not without a final burst of anger from Poseidon. After Odysseus finishes telling his story to Alkinoos, the Phaiakians complete the last element of xenia by helping Odysseus on his journey back to Ithaka. The sailors prepare the ship as “they unloaded / all those gifts the princes of Phaiakia / gave him / when by Athena’s heart and will / he won his passage home” (13.145-48). From the beginning of the poem, it was Athena’s goal to help Odysseus return to Ithaka. Here, Zeus respects her wishes and lets Odysseus not only go home but go back with timé provided by Alkinoos and the Phaiakian princes. To no surprise, Poseidon is angered by this, and goes to Zeus to ask about his sudden change of mind. As Poseidon sees it, Zeus agreed that Odysseus might go home at one point but needs to suffer; instead he gets to go home with plenty of gifts. Zeus replies, telling Poseidon that he can do whatever he wants; but Poseidon does not want to anger Zeus, acknowledging that the latter has power over him. Nonetheless, Zeus does take Poseidon’s desire for vengeance into consideration:
“Here is how I should do it, little brother
When all who watch upon the wall have caught
Sight of the ship, let her be turned to stone—
An island like a ship, just off the bay.
Mortals may gape at that for generations!
But throw no mountain round the sea port city” (13.193-98).
Zeus approves of Poseidon’s proposed actions but modifies them by saying that he should turn the Phaiakians’ ship to stone. Instead of making Odysseus suffer any further, Poseidon is told to take his anger out on the Phaiakians. In this instance, Zeus continues to maintain the balance between Athena’s desire to send Odysseus home and Poseidon’s desire to seek revenge.
Odysseus reaches Ithaka, and while his return may be a success, there is still suffering in his life. Odysseus is home again, but because of his beggar’s disguise, people treat him differently than before he left for Troy. Melanthios the goatherd sees Odysseus and “like a drunken fool / he kicked at Odysseus’ hip as he passed by” (17.297-98). Odysseus controls his anger and withstands the horrible action that a man of his own hall committed. Zeus is not ready to give Odysseus his final success just yet. Again, someone provokes Odysseus, but this time it is Iros the tramp. He explains how he could destroy Odysseus in his beggar form: “With two punches / I’d knock him snoring, if I had a mind to— / and not a tooth left in his head, the same / as an old saw caught in the corn!” (18.33-36). Iros as well as the suitors in Ithaka show their true nature when Odysseus is disguised as a beggar. They show him what has gone on in his absence, causing him great pain and disappointment. Athena helps Odysseus in this time of disappointment by getting him ready to fight with the suitors: “Athena / stood nearby to give him bulk and power, / while the young suitors watched with narrowed eyes— / and comments went around” (18.83-86). Odysseus suffers emotional and physical pain as soon as he comes back to Ithaka, and to relieve some of this pain, Athena helps him reveal his arete in the brawl with Iros. Zeus watches over Athena’s doings and shows that he approves by not interfering with her actions. When Athena helps Odysseus, she contributes to maintaining the balance that Zeus requires under his authority.
Zeus implements his final restoration of order in the Odyssey by putting Odysseus in his rightful place and ridding the hall of the suitors. To achieve this, Odysseus must engage in a battle with the suitors. During the fight that takes place between them, “the suitors threw again with all their strength, / but Athena turned their shots” (22.302-03). Athena aids Odysseus in his fight and deflects the suitor’s shots because he is not meant to die yet. Earlier in the poem, Zeus tells Poseidon that he cannot kill Odysseus, and now, Athena does Zeus’ bidding by keeping Odysseus far from death. Towards the end of the poem, Athena does this again when she says, “Now hold! / [...] Break off this bitter skirmish / end your bloodshed, Ithakans, and make peace” (24.592-94). In this way, Athena ends the revolt of the suitors’ families led by Alkinoos’ father Eupeithes. She keeps Odysseus and Telemakhos safe, and prevents more damage by bringing order to Odysseus’ previously chaotic hall. She also shows that it is Zeus’ command to end the fighting by announcing, “Call off this battle now, / or Zeus who views the wide world may be angry” (24.608-09). Odysseus listens to Athena and ends the battle there, showing that he indeed respects Zeus’ wishes. With Odysseus home, there is peace and order in Ithaka, making him a symbol of the order created by Zeus.
Homer’s Odyssey thus contains a balance of suffering and successes shown throughout Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaka. Zeus oversees this balance and restoration of order, and maintains it by having final authority over each person’s moira. He influences the way life goes on as shown in his supervision of Athena and Poseidon’s actions. He accommodates for both of their wishes concerning Odysseus’ life by allowing his return to Ithaka, but delaying his homecoming. Odysseus’ suffering continues while he is disguised as a beggar in his own home, but Athena limits the pain this causes him by increasing his strength and protecting him from danger. By the end of the poem, Odysseus brings peace to his hall, making him a symbol of order. Zeus accomplishes his goal of maintaining structure in Olympus as well as Homeric Greece.