Honor and Fate

It is clear that death lies outside the control of even the most powerful Olympians, but rather in the hands of the mysterious Fates who, despite the power and influence, are not considered above Zeus in the mythological hierarchy. But how one dies is still viewed as an important reflection of the honor, it seems, though one might argue that is an irreversible part of their predetermined destiny. It is clear that the most honorable among men are those who prove themselves in war, the archetype being our hero himself. “No one, no Achaean labored hard as Odysseus,” laments his comrade Menelaus, “or achieved as much… I swore that when he came I’d give him a hero’s welcome, him above all my comrades – if only Olympian Zeus, farseeing Zeus, had granted us both safe passage home” (Book 4, Lines 119-191). Yet Odysseus did not receive the hero’s welcome he deserved, as a result his honor was forgotten among his people, and his house forsaken. Odysseus himself, tossed at the mercy of the sea, sees the sparing of his life as a curse rather than a blessing: “Would to god I’d died there too and met my fate that day… A hero’s funeral then, my glory spread by comrades – now what a wretched death I’m doomed to die!” (Book 5, Lines 340-345). There seems to be a contradiction here; one’s death is totally outside the control of even the gods, yet one must die in battle in order to be considered a true hero. This, I think, alludes to the argument that humans do, in some ways, control their destiny, or at least the mysterious notion of death. While he receives help from immortal beings, whether he parishes and is forgotten or returns home in triumph ultimately might lie in Odysseus own hands. Perhaps it is the mortal beings that can truly understand death and fate, because the can perceive an end. Perhaps it is the humans that can influence fate and conquer death. After all, it is the “great leveler” – it abates the gods power, yet give humans a say in their destiny.