The Use of Symbols and Symbolism in Homers Odyssey :: Odyssey essays

The Use of Symbolism in Homer's Odyssey There are three signs in the Odyssey which are quite significant to the epic and are symbolic of different things. The first sign is the scar, the second sign is the bow and the third sign is the bed. "Note the importance of signs in the works of Homer, such as the sign of the burning ship in the Iliad. Then there is a long flashback telling how Odysseus got the scar and the significance of it. The scar is symbolically important, for it defines who he is -- and what he is. The scar-flashback starts with the naming of Odysseus by his grandfather Autolykos, who was the world's greatest thief. There Autolykus says, since he has caused pain to people all over the world (the Greek verb odyussai) the boy will be called Odysseus. Odysseus is one who both gives pain and also suffers it. Then we get the long description of the hunt in which Odysseus gets the scar. This is a type of male initiation ritual, where the men of the family or tribe take the young man on an animal hunt so he can prove himself in the company of men. Such rituals often involve scarring or ritual mutilation, and here Odysseus achieves notable deeds by killing the fierce boar (giving pain) but also receiving pain and a scar as token of his accomplishments"(chss.montclair.edu/classics/ODYNOTES19TO24.HTML). "IN the folk-tale told about the husband who comes home after years of absence, so changed by time and Fortune's hard usage that he must adduce proof after proof of his identity before his wife will admit his claim, the first Sign to be exhibited is the scar. This he reveals first to an aged dame, his old nurse, perhaps the only woman then alive in the world who was familiar with its appearance and history. For naturally the first token must not be of a kind so intimate and convincing as to make the wife's unreadiness to respond to it appear capricious and unreasonable. To this extent Homer has adopted the ancient tale"(questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5372374). "The book ends with another sign of the great sympathy that exists between the two, as Penelope admits she could gladly spend all night talking with Odysseus. The beggar has accomplished his mission of winning her confidence and now can see the means by which he might kill the suitors -- the bow" (chss.