In Homer's epic The Odyssey, although Odysseus displays the qualities of a hero such as bravery and strength, he also exemplifies human qualities such as curiosity. Odysseus" long journey has forced him to portray these characteristics. From his bravery to kill a Kyklops and his strength to string a bow. Although he has the curiosity to investigate an unknown land, his qualities are caught between the qualities of a human and a hero.
Heroes possess a multitude of different characteristics including bravery. Bravery is one of the main distinctive attributes that come to mind when thinking of a hero. During Odysseus" journey throughout the Mediterranean he has been told to voyage to the land of the Dead. What was special was that; "no man has ever sailed to the land of the Death."(180) He furthermore voyaged to the land of the Kyklops. While there he killed a Kyklops by stabbing him in the eye. "I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Kyklops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye."(156) His bravery decorated him as being a marvel hero.
A hero should also bear the quality of strength. While Odysseus was back in his homeland Ithaka he had disguised himself as being someone else; so he could stealthily move from place to place to plot his attack. He long wanted to be back with his wife Penelope and his son Telemakos, but he had to wait. He has disguised himself as an old beggar man. Antinoos had provided a challenge to everyone to shoot an arrow with Odysseus" old bow through the handle of twelve axes. Although first he had to string the bow, "but the man skilled in all ways of contending, satisfied by the great bows look and heft, like a musician, like a harper, when with quiet hand upon his instrument he draws between his thumb and his forefinger a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.
