Every Greek God In ‘The Odyssey’, Explained

When Troy premiered in 2004, one of the most common complaints about the Homer adaptation was the absence of the Gods. In Iliad and Odyssey, the gods are a driving force of the narrative, but works like Troy have avoided this plot point in favor of historical realism.

For Troy fans who missed the Gods, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) is a special treat, as the Gods play a prominent role. While Nolan still strives for a sense of realism, several Gods appear in the movie. However, even the Gods that aren’t seen drive the plot through their actions. Use our guide to find out every Greek God who appears in or is mentioned in The Odyssey.

Athena

Athena (Zendaya) is the most prominent God in The Odyssey. As the Goddess of wisdom and battle, she’s perfectly suited to serve as Odysseus’s (Matt Damon) patron God. She frequently appears and guides him throughout his journey. However, she’s not just a guiding force, but also a haunting one. Although she provides comfort and wisdom to Odysseus, the ending reveals she’s also a somber reminder of the past. As Odysseus recalls the devastating assault on Troy, he remembers the face of a priestess his men killed as they desecrated Athena’s temple. Athena took the form of this young woman as a reminder of his wrongs. 

In Greek mythology, Athena was born from her father Zeus’s forehead after he swallowed his wife, Metis. She’s incredibly wise and adept in tactical warfare. Throughout Greek mythology, she has served as a patron God to many heroes. In Homer’s Odyssey, Athena also guided Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, by disguising herself as his guide, Mentor. However, The Odyssey chooses to make Mentor (Ryan Hurst) mortal.

Circe

Circe (Samantha Morton), the Goddess of magic and sorcery, makes an appearance during Odysseus’s journey in The Odyssey. Odysseus and his men, after becoming lost, seek food and refuge with Circe. Disgusted by their greed and fearful of their motives, she uses her witchcraft to transform them all into pigs, which she believes is their true form. However, Odysseus convinces her to turn his men back into humans or, as she calls it, back to their “disguises” as men.

Circe is considered a minor God in Greek mythology as the daughter of the God Helios and the nymph Perse. Well-versed in magic, herbs, and sorcery, she transformed all who offended her into animals after luring them into her isolated home, where docile lions roam freely. Although The Odyssey leaves this part out, Homer’s Odyssey features Hermes as the force who helps Odysseus resist the magic of Circe. She and Odysseus also became lovers for a period in the poem.

Calypso

Calypso (Charlize Theron) is a minor Goddess, or nature deity, who plays a big role in The Odyssey. Sometime after losing his crew and becoming shipwrecked, Odysseus washes ashore on Calypso’s island. She falls in love with him, feeding him lotus flowers to make him forget his past and desire to go home. For seven years, she holds him captive on her island until her guilt and pity drive her to reveal the truth and allow Odysseus to continue his journey.

The Odyssey’s depiction of Calypso is quite close to that in Greek mythology. In Homer’s poem, she’s the daughter of Atlas, exiled to her island after the Olympians defeated the Titans. When Odysseus arrives on her shore, she falls in love with him and holds him captive until the other Gods intervene. Although she offers Odysseus the gift of immortality in exchange for staying, he refuses the offer.

Zeus

Zeus doesn’t take on a physical form in The Odyssey, but he’s just as big a player in the story as Athena. In the film, Odysseus and his son often speak of “Zeus’ law,” which demands that one honor guests and embrace the spirit of hospitality. However, Odysseus and his men broke Zeus’ law during the Trojan War. By hiding within the Trojan horse, which they presented as a gift to the Trojans, to breach Troy’s walls and massacre the Trojans, Odysseus gravely violated and manipulated Zeus’ law and the rules of hospitality. The violation is responsible for the many perils Odysseus faces along the way, and the breakdown in civilization as people like the Laestrygonians ignore Zeus’ law with grisly results.

In Greek mythology, Zeus is the God of the sky, who rules as the King of the Gods on Olympus. His power and authority are matched by none, as he maintains order among both humans and Gods. Although The Odyssey doesn’t depict Zeus in physical form, it captures his power, evident not only in the wind but also in the brutality of the world Odysseus faces. The scale of his wrath effectively conveys his power.

Poseidon

Like Zeus, Poseidon doesn’t physically appear in The Odyssey, but the characters certainly feel his presence. Odysseus incurs Poseidon’s wrath after blinding his son, the cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin). Following the incident, Odysseus and his men face treacherous conditions at sea. The thrashing waves and violent storms cause the crew to lose their way, setting them on a course toward monsters like Charybdis and the Laestrygonians.

Poseidon is the God of the sea and brother of Zeus. He helped his brothers Zeus and Hades overthrow Cronus and defeat the Titans. His domain is the sea, and he has often been the protector or punisher of seafarers. His wrath is shown on a spectacular scale in The Odyssey, manifested through the raging, unrelenting sea. 

Helios

The Odyssey also mentions Helios, the Titan God of the sun. Odysseus and his men arrive on the island of Thrinacia, seeking a break from the wind and the sea. However, before they embark on the island, Odysseus demands that they all swear not to kill Helios’ sacred cattle, lest they incur the wrath of yet another God. Although the men swear not to, starvation soon drives them to kill and eat one of the cattle. It’s the final violation of the Gods’ will, as, shortly after, the crew returns to sea, where Poseidon strikes down their ship, killing all of Odysseus’s men.

Helios is the personification of the sun, driving his chariot across the sky to bring light to the world each day. In Homer’s Odyssey, the immortal cattle were his sacred animals and precisely numbered: 350 cattle divided into seven herds of fifty. Much like how harming Polyphemus offended Poseidon, harming the sacred cattle deeply offended Helios, resulting in him imploring the Gods to act on his behalf and punish Odysseus’s men.