Imagine this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and returns to obtain directions to his home from a blind prophet. It seems like a completely impossible journey, but that's exactly what makes Ulysses even more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem passed down orally by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, must have contained a certain variety of attributes that the Greeks valued in a person. Odysseus is one of the embodiments of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character. Odysseus is known as what we call an epic hero. An epic hero is the protagonist of a story who represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty and strength. To begin with, one of the characteristics that makes Odysseus an epic hero is his intelligence. In order for him to survive throughout his journey, he must have a large amount of intellect. Having survived a Cyclops is an accomplishment in itself. His ability to think quickly, plan situations, and make the right decision in horrific environments helped him survive throughout his disastrous journey. When he is trapped by the Cyclops, Polyphemus, he must carve, smooth and sharpen a gigantic spear-shaped pole from a large tree which he and his strongest men would then use on the Cyclops to blind him. In order to carry out his plan, Odysseus must sedate him. He gives Polyphemus an extremely strong wine, in which Polyphemus asks him his name. Odysseus replies: “My name is Nohbdy; mother, father, friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy” (9.274-9.275) When the Cyclops faints, Odysseus and four of his strongest men stab Polyphemus in the eye with the sharpened pole that he and his men ...... middle of paper ...... measure Odysseus' strength and tie the bow. Later, when Odysseus has the opportunity to string his bow, he does so with such ease that the epic poem compares him to a harpist stringing his instrument with a soft new string. This clearly shows his strength compared to the other warriors of Ithaca. In conclusion, Odysseus' intelligence, loyalty, and strength are all key aspects that make Odysseus an epic hero. Besides having these characteristics, he has accomplished impossible tasks and could be compared to many American superheroes like Batman. Both have relatively the same characteristics: strength, loyalty, intelligence, courage, and pride, but what makes them an epic hero doesn't entirely depend on what they've experienced. It is actually their ability to portray what their civilization finds most heroic in a person that makes them an epic hero..