Why is Odysseus different from a typical epic hero?
Odysseus is different from heroes like Achilles, Ajax or Hector because his greatest asset is his intelligence. He is still a great warrior – but not on the same level as Achilles – but he uses his intelligence to win his battles. It was Odysseus who thought of the idea of the Trojan Horse which ultimately won the Trojan War for the Greeks. In the end it wasn’t the battle skills of a great warrior which decided the eventual outcome of the nine siege – it was due to Odysseus using his brain instead of brawn! This intelligence can also be seen at the end of ‘The Odyssey’ when again, Odysseus uses his intelligence to deal with the suitors – but once he has ensured they have fallen into his trap – then his skills as a warrior come to the fore as he dispatches them and the handmaidens who had succumbed to them mercilessly. Following this, he also tests his wife’s faithfulness to him by using a clever trick. So, basically, the thing that differentiates Odysseus from other heroes in an epic s
