Essay Sample: The Epic of The Odyssey

Religion is one of the critical aspects that many of the communities worldwide have had since time immemorial. The people believe in the existence of a superior being who has control over the elements of human life such as death and birth. The beliefs, however, differ with the communities. In some of them, there exist several superior beings each who play a different role (An excellent example is in the Greek mythology where there exist different gods such as Zeus, the God of thunder and Medussa, the goddess of death). In other religions, however, there is only one superior being who is in charge of all the supernatural occurrences as it is in Christianity. The supernatural beings have attributes such as great might which they use to accomplish different objectives. Take for example Zeus in Greek mythology- he has the power to control thunder and lightning. This paper is an analysis of the Epic The Odyssey and the aspect that is common in it and at the same time seems relatable to the modern world.

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Several incidences that show the theme of religion. To begin with, there is the instance when Nestor is telling his sons to make a sacrifice to the goddess Athena to please her. In another case, the people in this age poured libations when drinking wine as a means to please the gods which in turn was to earn them favour whenever they asked the gods for them. This is evident in lines between 460 where boys poured men wine in cups and filled them but also poured the first drops to the gods (Johnston 56). In addition to that, the people gave offerings all with the same intent. This was not only in accordance with their religious law but also it was believed that the more the offering that one gave, the more the blessings that they would receive. In the modern world, there are many religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism among others. The religions all have similar principles since they all show that the people are led by a superior being and that one should be close to them to get favours from them. The means to be close to them include praying or invoking the gods often, giving offerings, following their rules like it was in the Odysseus.

In addition to the offerings and libations, modern religions need that one offers sacrifices to the gods. The sacrifice does not have to be material wealth or physical goods, but it may be time or service. In modern Christianity for example, the essence of sacrificing part of the personal time to dedicate t to God is highly insisted on. Sunday, for instance, is supposed to be a day that is sacrificed for religion, and one should refrain from having a very busy day. In the Odysseus, the people majored on physical sacrifice whereby they offered burnt animals to their gods. The virtue of sacrifice also made one closer to the superior beings which further increased their chances of success in their everyday endeavours. In modern religions, the sacrifices also bring one closer to the gods they worship. This aspect makes the idea of faith in the Odysseus more relatable to that of the modern world.

Another significant aspect of religion is prayer. In the Odysseus, it is seen when Penelope prays to the goddess Artemis to kill her because she does not imagine living a life without Odessyeus (Johnston 67). Just as it was in ancient times where people prayed so that they could make known their wishes to the gods, the modern religions still have the same aspect (Olgun 96). It is relatable as it is a means to communicate with the gods. In modern days, it is also a means that is used in praising, worshipping, thanking and asking for blessings from gods. There are very minimal changes that have been introduced to prayer, and most of the contents in it remain just as constant as they were in the Odysseus.

Religion is one of the most prevalent practices in modern times. It has remained existing for a very long time as depicted by books such as the Bible, Quran and many others which are used in the areas of worship. In the Odysseus also, religion forms a significant impact on the activities that the people did as depicted in the book. The practice of religion in the Odysseus is very relatable to those of the modern world as explained above. Several aspects such as prayer, sacrifice, libations and offerings are common.

Works Cited

Johnston, Ian. Homer The Odyssey. Printed By Replika Press Pvt Ltd., 2006, Accessed 19 Feb 2019.

Olgun, Hakan. "Worship." Ritual and Sacrifice, Milel ve Nihal 13.2 (2016): 82-99.