Every Greek God in The Odyssey, Explained

In Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the gods of ancient Greece play key roles in Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca.

Homer’s 3,000-year-old poem sees the gods often get together to discuss Odysseus’ plight and fight about if and when he should be allowed to return home. However, Nolan’s adaptation takes a far more realistic approach, making the gods part of the film’s contextual fabric while remaining mostly hidden from sight. Because so few gods actually appear on-screen (apart from a pouting Athena), you might justifiably be a little confused about who is who over on Mount Olympus.

So, let’s take a look at all the Greek gods who play a role in Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca in The Odyssey, and flesh them out with a bit of their ancient backstory.

Zeus

In Greek mythology, Zeus is the King of the Gods. Also known as the God of Thunder, Zeus often makes his anger or approval known to the mortals through his use of loud thunder and lightning — scary stuff! He is also generally known for philandering with the mortals while in disguise.

Unlike in monotheistic traditions, Zeus is not an almighty power, but rather acts within a system of other gods (all siblings, offspring, and lovers) known as the Olympians. While he might technically be their king — and father to divinities like Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Aphrodite, Persephone, Eres, and others — Zeus isn’t always treated with deference by the other gods, and there’s plenty of debate and disobedience occuring on Mount Olympus.

Zeus is also the brother of Poseidon, King of the Sea. While the two share a mostly amicable relationship, in Homer’s Odyssey, Zeus eventually says “enough is enough” to Poseidon and allows Odysseus to finally return home — much to Poseidon’s chagrin.

In Nolan's The Odyssey, you might remember hearing Zeus’ name in association with Zeus’ law, the ancient Greek law of hospitality, xenia. While this explicit law does not exist in Homer's text, the concept of xenia was sacred at the time and plays a key thematic role in Nolan’s film.  

Athena

Athena is the daughter of Zeus, and as the myth goes, she sprouted directly from his forehead after he swallowed his pregnant wife, Metis — yes, you read that right.

Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom and War, amongst other things, and is perhaps the most important goddess in Homer’s Odyssey as she aids Odysseus on his journey home as both his protector and guide.

In Nolan’s The Odyssey, Athena (played by Zendaya) is a little more of a mixed figure. Although she appears regularly to Odysseus throughout the film, it is unclear by the end if she is indeed a goddess or the ghost of a priestess slaughtered at Troy that continues to haunt his conscience.

Poseidon

As previously mentioned, Poseidon is the God of the Sea, and Zeus’ brother. Although we never see him in Nolan’s film, Poseidon’s name is mentioned as the primary obstacle to Odysseus’ return home.

Why the grudge? Well, Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son, the Cyclops Polyphemus (more on him below), and like a good father, Poseidon swore vengeance.

In Homer's poem, it was only with the help of sympathetic gods like Athena, Hermes, and Aeolus, that Odysseus made it home at all. Indeed, it took years of debate between the gods, thwarting, waiting, and some cajoling of Zeus to finally get Odysseus safely back on the shores of Ithaca.

Helios

The God of the Sun, Helios, is only briefly mentioned in The Odyssey as the owner of the Cattle of the Sun on the island of Thrinacia. After surviving Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus and his battered crew land on the island, and bad sailing conditions leave them stranded there for a month.

According to Tiresias’ prophecy, Odysseus’ remaining crew would eventually meet their end after incurring the wrath of Helios for slaughtering his sacred cows — a prophecy that eventually comes true.

In Homer’s poem, the crew kill the cows as a sacrifice to the gods, while in the film, they kill one to eat out of desperation. After the crime, an enraged Helios enlists the help of Zeus, who smites their ship with a thunderbolt, dooming them to Poseidon’s depths — all except for Odysseus, who mercifully floats off to Calypso’s island.

Calypso

Calypso is a nymph who lives on the island of Ogygia. Although her parentage isn’t completely clear, it is generally understood that she is the daughter of Atlas, the titan forever condemned to hold up the world.

In the poem, after Odysseus washes up on Ogygia, Calypso keeps him there for seven years against his will. She tries to convince him to stay consensually with offers of immortality, but Odysseus always longs to go back to Ithaca. In the end, Athena intervenes and sends Hermes to tell her she must let Odysseus go — something Calypso grudgingly does after some memorable lines about the double standard of male gods being allowed mortal lovers without consequence — ahem, Zeus!

In Nolan’s film, her role is somewhat different. Calypso (played by Charlize Theron) traps Odysseus on the island by continuously feeding him the lotus flower, which causes him to forget his previous life. However, a guilty conscience eventually turns her into a kind of trauma therapist, and from then on she helps him process what happened to him since Troy before finally letting him leave.

Cyclops (Polyphemus)

Although not exactly a god, Polyphemus is the son of one: Poseidon. Living in a cave on the Island of the Cyclopes, this one-eyed monster spends his days happily making cheese and tending to his beloved flock of sheep.

However, he proves quite the terrible host when Odysseus and his men show up, eating a few of them after trapping them in his cave. It’s only thanks to Odysseus’ quick thinking that he and his men find a way to escape by blinding the cyclops with a sharpened wooden stake.

But while Polyphemus might not respect Zeus’ law, he is nevertheless granted help by his father, Poseidon, in getting revenge against Odysseus by making it almost impossible for our hero to return home to Ithaca for 10 long years.

Circe

While Circe is also not an outright goddess, she is an extremely powerful sorceress. As the daughter of the sun god Helios and the oceanid nymph Perse, Homer’s Circe lives a bountiful life on her island of Aeaea in a palace surrounded by enchanted lions and wolves.

When Odysseus’ men find their way to her home, she turns them into pigs. But when Odysseus, with the help of Hermes, is able to defend himself against her spell, she returns them to their forms and he and his men wind up staying there happily as guests for a year.

Nolan’s depiction of Circe as a solitary witch living in a cottage might seem like a bit of a downgrade, but the role is infinitely elevated by Samantha Morton’s masterful performance; and her short time on-screen has drawn much attention due to the viscerally memorable horror her character wreaks on Odysseus’ crew.

Going back to the Greek mythology, Circe’s story with Odysseus actually continues in the book’s sequel, The Telegony, where it turns out that she bore him a child — and then winds up marrying Telemachus. I somehow can’t imagine Christopher Nolan adapting that!