and shattered his jawbone, so bright red blood cam bubbling from his mouth, as down he pitched into the dust, bleating, kicking against the ground, his teeth stove in./Then, by the ankle bone, Odysseus hauled the fallen one outside, crossing the courtyard to the gate, and piled him against the wall.Everyone is amazed at the incredible strength of this old beggar. With one swift movement Odysseus effortlessly breaks Iros' jaw, picks him up and carries him outside. Later on after Odysseus fires his bow during the contest to win Penelope, Odysseus' wife's, hand in marriage, a battle ensues. It is only Odysseus and his son, Telemakos, against all of the suitors, but he is still triumphant, proving he is smarter, cleverer, braver and also stronger than an ordinary person is. Although his "death" and "rebirth" paved the way for the changed Odysseus to become a true epic hero, just his changed state of mind and his physical attributes are not enough to tag him as a true epic hero; there are other things involved. Every characteristic, aside from being of divine and human birth, is one that Odysseus possesses. This hero's quest to return home to Ithaka is definitely of great value to him and also to his people, for in his absence there has been great chaos. After being absent for so long all Odysseus wanted was to return to his wife, his son, and his palace. His wife and son and many of his people could no longer handle the hectic nature of things caused by Odysseus' absence, they wanted him to return and order to be restored.The villains in The Odyssey that try to keep Odysseus from his quest are definitely uglier, more evil, and more cunning than anyone in ordinary life. Poseidon, Polyphemos, Skylla, Kalypso, and Circe are all gods. There is no doubt they are more evil, more cunning, and often times uglier than ordinary people. The fact that most of the villains in The Odyssey are gods proves the final characteristic of an epic her...
