Odysseus and Moses are characters from ancient stories in which the heroes are faced with the challenges of various obstacles and events. Odysseus is the main character in the Odyssey, a famous story written by Homer. This is the tale of a man who is faced with the prolonged journey to Ithaca after an extensive war in Troy. Moses' story on the other hand, is one that is both the basis of Christianity and Judaism. Moses' story begins from the day of his birth until the day of his death. During the story, Moses is a true believer and prophet of god, and he is chosen to spread and bring their faith to the promised land. Both the stories of Odysseus and Moses are influential, however both have various similarities and differences. .
The stories of Odysseus and Moses share various similar qualities. A similarity would be that they were both were favored by certain gods. The god Moses was favored by was God, therefore he was the chosen one, who God had the covenant with. Also, he was chosen to lead to the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. God leads Moses throughout the journey, and gives him the power to escape the Pharaoh when he splits the sea. The god Odysseus was favored by was Athena, who always helped and guided him. For example, Athena helps Odysseus out during the slaughter of the suitors. Another similar quality between the stories would be that they both seek atonement with a god. For Moses it is God, after the people have sinned by listening to Aaron and praising a golden calf. God agrees to forgive the people as long as the follow the Ten Commandments. In Odysseus case, it is the god Poseidon who is angry, because Odysseus had blinded his son Polyphemus. To seek forgiveness, Odysseus must go inland where nobody has ever heard of Poseidon, and make him a shrine, bringing his worship to a new land. Both faced various obstacles along the way. For Moses, he had to cross the sea with approximately 600,000 people, to escape the wrath of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.