The Character Odysseus in the Odyssey"The Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since its first composition and will remain so for centuries to come. One of the reasons this was the case is because of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus is an early Greek mythical hero famous for his brains and brawn. Indeed he is a man with an inquisitive mind, and he is also a man of exceptional skill and courage" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We must not forget that he is a world-class athlete who only adds more to this apparently insuperable character. It is no wonder why many scholars refer to Odysseus as a powerful mythical hero. "Odysseus often hesitates before acting, because he uses his reason and his gift to evaluate things. This patience is one of his most important additional attributes" (library.thinkquest. org/19300/data/Odyssey/odysseus.html) . She saved him and his men many times. "When the poem opens, it is the tenth year since the fall of Troy, and Odysseus has not yet returned to his home on the island of Ithaca, but is detained on Ogygia, an island to the west, by the nymph Calypso" (bartleby. com/22/1001.html Homer (fl. 850 BC) The Odyssey, 1909-14. "Disguised as an old friend of Odysseus, Athena travels to his manor in Ithaca, now invaded by the suitor's noisy and lustful intent to marry Odysseus's wife, Penelope. Odysseus's son, Telemachus, unhappy among the suitors, warmly greets Athena while a stranger and invites her to their feast. As the suitors devour Odysseus's oxen, Telemachus says that he believes that his father, who does not know at all, be dead." (gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/odyssey/summ1.html ). "He is so unsure of his identity that he refuses to unreservedly affirm his relationship with Odysseus introduces himself as Mentes, the old friend of Odysseus, and predicts that he will soon return home. Telemakhos matures from a callous and helpless youth into a stronger, more confident man" (Approaches to Teaching Homer's Iliad and Odyssey). "Just as Odysseus' story is about returning home to his old identity, Telemachus' story is about creating a new one; as Athena tells him, 'You are no longer a child.'" (gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/odyssey /summ1.html). As Telemakhos develops from youth to manhood, inspired by Athena, particularly her favorable comparisons between him and his father; he opposes the pretenders in his assembly. "Unable to convince the Ithacans to help him assert his rights, Telemachus sets out towards Pylos under the guidance of the goddess Athena, disguised as Mentes, a friendly leader.