bilobae

[bilobae]

PERIOD POINT BLANK!!! Although ppl can have their own perspectives, it's unreal how people shit on eurylochus and those who defend/understand his character. (Ahem tiktok and twitter)

Dissecting every reason people call Eurylochus a hypocrite because I am sick and tired of defending this poor hungry man.

Eurylochus is not the easy villain or the perfect saint. He is the walking contradiction of the Odyssey and EPIC, and anyone who just calls him a hypocrite without understanding the nuances of his motivations really isn’t paying attention to the full picture. Let’s start with the infamous wind bag fiasco, which happens early enough for Eurylochus to show us his conflict. Yes, he doubts Odysseus’ judgment when it comes to the Wind God’s island, warning him about the risks. And let’s be real, Eurylochus is absolutely right. If you look at the situation, Odysseus is acting impulsively, relying on his wits and bravado, thinking he can control the outcome with the power of his charm. But this? It’s a god’s realm. The gods don’t work on your timetable. At this point, what does Odysseus’ confidence even mean? Eurylochus sees it as reckless, and I agree. Yes, Eurylochus is a bit wary of everything at this point (which might be annoying if you’re Odysseus), but it’s a valid concern. And Odysseus’ reply? It's a bit patronizing. He doesn’t respect Eurylochus’ caution. Instead of listening to his crew member, his second-in-command, Odysseus tells him to stand down and demands blind loyalty. Of course, this sets the stage for Eurylochus’ next crucial transformation. He’s now seen Odysseus as someone who doesn’t care about the real risks or the crew. People LOVE to bring up that line where Eurylochus says he opened the wind bag. Okay, okay, he messed up. But here’s the thing: he knows he messed up, and he admits it. In front of everyone. He’s not hiding it. He’s not making excuses. He’s owning up to it. And people still want to call him a hypocrite? He wasn’t the one who set the trap for the entire crew by opening that wind bag. Odysseus gave some instructions, but he knew the crew was starving and desperate. And then, on top of that, you have the winions stirring the pot, telling everyone there’s treasure in the bag? What did he think would happen? The crew wasn’t exactly in the best headspace to be taking orders from a guy who was clearly not as present as he should have been. You can’t put all the blame on Eurylochus when Odysseus didn’t exactly set them up for success. Everyone was already in a fragile place after the war, and Odysseus should have known better than to leave room for temptation. He was the leader; he should’ve anticipated how bad the temptation would be. Eurylochus gets a little too much flak for something that wasn’t entirely his fault. There’s enough blame to go around for everyone, not just one guy. All of the crew wanted to open the bag, Eurylochus was just the one who did. He represents the voice of the crew. His biggest focus becomes apparent in the Circe Saga, specifically during Puppeteer, when Eurylochus is forced into a brutal choice on Circe’s island. After the men are turned into pigs, Eurylochus has to come to terms with his decision. He’s a pragmatist. He doesn’t trust the island, doesn’t want to gamble their lives on a witch’s promises. So, when Odysseus sends him and the crew to investigate, Eurylochus doesn’t just go along for the ride, he stays behind and urges Odysseus to get out of there. But let’s remember, this moment is a turning point for Eurylochus. He’s scared, yes, but also rational. He was the one who saw the situation from a distance and thought, “This is too risky.” He’s the realist who wants to cut his losses, but it’s important to notice that his fear is the fear of losing more men, not necessarily cowardice. Unlike Odysseus, who acts out of hope, Eurylochus is practical. His attitude here reflects the trauma they’ve been through and how tired he is of losing people. That’s why his frustration boils over later when Odysseus sacrifices men — because Eurylochus has seen enough death.

Now, let’s talk about Scylla. Because this is the moment where everything Eurylochus has learned comes crashing down on him. Remember that vow Odysseus made to him earlier: “There’s no length I wouldn’t go if it was you I had to save”? Well, that sentiment sticks with Eurylochus. He takes that to heart. So when Odysseus makes the decision to sacrifice six men to Scylla, you can see why he snaps. It’s not just that Odysseus is willing to sacrifice them — it’s that he does it without warning, without giving them the choice. Eurylochus feels like Odysseus has abandoned everything he taught him about loyalty. That vow he made? Yeah, it means nothing now. Eurylochus is furious because Odysseus fails him here. He’s been teaching Eurylochus the value of every single life, yet when the time comes to uphold that belief, Odysseus throws it out the window to save himself and his pride. So, of course Eurylochus is mad. And it’s not about the six men dying (because, let’s be real, he’s no saint), it’s about the betrayal. He’s been made to believe in the cause, but now he sees Odysseus as a hypocrite. It stings, and it’s totally justified. This leads us to Mutiny. Eurylochus is right to be mad at Odysseus for sacrificing six men just to save his own skin. Don’t even try to justify that. Odysseus put his own desire to get home ahead of the lives of his crew. Eurylochus did not agree to be cannon fodder for Odysseus’ personal agenda. He wasn’t going to sit back and watch his brothers die without questioning what the heck was going on. So, when Odysseus goes full “sacrifice six for the greater good,” you bet Eurylochus was angry. He wasn’t just upset because they were going to die; he was upset because Odysseus made the decision to send them to their deaths without even consulting them. Eurylochus’ reaction is human, it’s justifiable, and it’s completely rational. He’s not a traitor, he’s someone who realizes that Odysseus’ quest for glory comes at the expense of the people he supposedly cares about. Then we get to the cattle of Helios because apparently everyone’s learnt nothing. Eurylochus has already checked out emotionally. He’s looked at the situation, and for him, the reality of their fate is clear: they’re not going to make it home. They’re already dead in a way, and the gods are just playing with them. So when faced with the opportunity to eat the cows, he sees it as a way to take some control over a situation where they’ve lost all control. His logic isn’t about doing what’s morally right in the eyes of the gods. At least if they’re going to die, they can do it on their own terms — full stomachs, no slow starvation or suffering. It’s a very bleak and cynical perspective, but it’s also realistic. And in a way, it shows a form of wisdom that Odysseus doesn’t have in this moment. Odysseus, of course, refuses to let go of hope. His entire journey is a testament to his stubbornness and unwillingness to give up. That’s his defining trait, and it’s what keeps him going, but it also blinds him to the obvious signs of doom around him. He refuses to accept that the gods are no longer in his favor, that they’ve been punished for their mistakes, and that he’s already sealed their fate. For Odysseus, admitting that they’ve lost would be admitting defeat, and that’s something he can’t stomach. So, instead of facing the reality of the situation, he doubles down on his hope and pride. Eurylochus isn’t the naive one here. He’s not playing the hero’s game. He’s real. He’s already accepted that their journey is doomed, but he refuses to be passive in that fate. He wants to take charge of how they go out. He’s not waiting for divine intervention anymore because, honestly, it hasn’t worked out so well for them so far. He’s out of options and out of faith.

But here’s the darker, more tragic implication: Eurylochus’ perspective is the voice of the crew. His attitude — “We’re never gonna make it home; we’re already doomed” — isn’t just his own individual despair; it’s shared by everyone else around him. The crew is no longer fighting for survival; they’ve been through too much. They’ve seen too many of their comrades die for a cause that seems meaningless at this point (how do you think Perimedes would feel when Elpenor died). They’ve been stranded for so long, constantly at the mercy of the gods, with no real agency over their fates. They’ve lost hope. The entire crew is in a suicidal state of mind, and Eurylochus’ willingness to eat the cows is just the worst tangible sign of that collective despair. He’s the one who finally gives voice to it, like always, but it’s a sentiment that’s been building throughout their journey. He’s come to terms with it in a way that Odysseus has not. In that sense, his desire to eat the cows is almost a form of passive suicide — an attempt to bring some meaning, some control to an already doomed situation. His actions signal a profound loss of the will to live. This attitude is contagious. When Eurylochus speaks, he’s speaking for a crew that’s also checked out, a crew that’s surrendered to the inevitable. They don’t believe in their survival anymore. They’re not thinking about glory or heroism. They’re thinking about getting something out of their final moments, about finding some form of solace in the face of certain death. They no longer care about the gods or their promises. They just want to eat, even if it means defying the divine laws. This is a crew that’s collectively suicidal, mentally exhausted, and emotionally broken. And Eurylochus, in choosing to act, becomes both the catalyst for their final downfall and the embodiment of their emotional exhaustion and surrender.

He doesn’t trust Odysseus anymore. Odysseus promised to bring them home, but where are they? They’re stranded, they’ve lost men, brothers, friends, and the gods keep throwing obstacles in their path. When Odysseus becomes a king in his eyes and no longer a brother, it’s clear: Eurylochus starts thinking about himself, and that definitely doesn’t make him a hypocrite. It makes him human. It makes him someone who’s had enough. So, when the storm hits, and Eurylochus says, “We’re going to die anyway,” it’s not just a defeatist attitude — it’s the voice of someone who’s been burned by his faith in Odysseus too many times. He finally does what Odysseus would have done if he weren’t so obsessed with getting home — he does what’s necessary for survival. It’s harsh, but it’s consistent with his struggle all along. Eurylochus isn’t a hypocrite because he speaks out against Odysseus — he’s just a man who wants to believe in loyalty, but realizes that Odysseus has never really been loyal to anyone but his wife, never his men. It’s a brutal realization, and it’s only when he lashes out in Mutiny that we see the full extent of his disillusionment.

So, before anyone calls Eurylochus a hypocrite, let’s remember that he was the one who had to deal with the consequences of Odysseus’ stubbornness and false promises. He wanted to be the loyal friend, the one who stuck by his leader. But Odysseus made it impossible. Now, he’s just a man broken by the very loyalty he once held dear.

[bilobae]

What are some things that you dislike or hate abt EPIC?

Oomph— okay people, these are my personal takes! And just know things are gonna get a bit heated. (Also!, I’d like to hear what you all dislike or hate about epic/the fandom aswell!)

Warning ⚠️: Hot takes.

Okay I’ll talk about Epic the musical as the musical itself, and then the fandom because they also help make up Epic.

Epic the musical

I honestly love this musical so much do it’s gonna be hard to find personal dislikes.

-Plotwise, I kinda dislike a the plot a bit, I don’t know why but I do dislike some of the changes made in the musical compared to the odyssey, they’re cool but sometimes I feel like it’s a bit too much. Such as the whole Poseidon stabbing thingy. (I’ve talked about this b4)

-Polites, I don’t dislike him, but I dislike how fast his character came and went, I didn’t feel sad for Polites when he died because we only had a small amount of time to know him., and Compared to Eurylochus I was devastated when he was cooked like bacon. I felt his character was just there… then continued to just be there.

-The demonstration and characterization of Telemachus, I think many can agree when I say I do not like how infantized he is portrayed, or kidlike, this has made people confused about his age, he’s 20/21 people.

-The musical sometimes Justifying Odysseus’s actions here and there and making him look real good. Of course the musical is from Odysseus’s pov so it makes sense.

Anddd that’s it!

Now…the fandom…..😀

-the mischaracterization of characters. Such as Eurylochus, Odysseus, Penelope, etc. they believe characters have a one track persona, and that’s it. But in reality they are all very diverse

-lying/spreading false information. I see it all the time specifically twitter and TikTok. Polites having a daughter, Penelope in wanting to get shot by the arrows, or she’s standing behind them???, Telemachus and Circe that’s not in the Odysseus it’s a different story and a modern spin of the story of Circe. And whatever made up shit some create to win arguments.

-tearing down different art styles. This really irritates me, though it’s a small majority, it’s agitating how they easily tear down lots of very talented epic animators and artists, because that artwork is their babies. It’s so disappointing to see.

-odysseus being infantised. I hate this. Some people in the fandom make him an uwu baby boy who can do no wrong and well “everyone else is at fault but Odysseus” it irritates me.

-Media illiteracy, sometimes I believe some people don’t understand the story sometimes, and how it’s supposed to be a tragedy. (This can also be in the mischaracterization idea)

-The inability to understand other perspectives. I’ve seen plenty of debates but I’ve also seen people bring down others for having differing perspectives, I’ve experienced it myself. In fact I at one point was receiving some incredibly rude stuff in my inbox for creating fun drawings of Eurylochus, and enjoying his character.

I’ve deleted both twitter snd TikTok for most of these major points. Both sites are addicting, and so very toxic based on the people on it.

-

Of course these certain people make the fandom look real bad, but it’s so common and popularized within the fandom.

And yes I’m tagging cause I want people to see this lol.

[bilobae]

THANK YOU, KIND PERSON!!!! Every time I read a comment or see a video about how Calypso is "just lonely" or worse, Odysseus cheated on Penelope, a part of my soul gets farted out of my ass. Ppl be sympathizing for the wrong characters.

Although I am aware that Epic Calypso and Odyssey Calypso are portrayed differently, it's honestly weird how self-righteous hypocrites of the fandom would disregard this then go out of their way to demonize other characters who are objectively NOT worse than her. Ahem.

Hey EPIC fans who may not have had the pleasure of actually reading the Odyssey (or who just like the idea of it but prefer the fanfic versions) and are curious about Calypso’s backstory!

Do you want to know more mythology about this goddess? It might not be what you want to hear, but hey, this is for those of you who want to know the real deal about Calypso. I will cite my sources at the end.

First things first: who actually is Calypso?

Calypso is a character introduced in Homer’s Odyssey, composed around the 8th century BC, and she doesn’t show up in any earlier mythological texts. In the story, she’s a nymph who lives on the island of Ogygia. She’s depicted as beautiful and powerful. When Odysseus washes up on her island after being shipwrecked, she takes him in and keeps him there. She falls in love with him and, using her divine powers, keeps him captive, making him live with her for years while he longs to return home to Ithaca. She's a rapist. Let me say that again for the people in the back: Calypso rapes Odysseus. You can’t romanticize this. She literally traps him on her island, and despite his desire to leave, she won’t let him go. She keeps him as her lover, against his will, using her divine powers to hold him captive. This isn't just a "love story" where the two are tragically torn apart by circumstances. She has no interest in letting him leave, and in fact, actively stops him from doing so, which is rape:

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη κρατὺς ἀργεϊφόντης: ἡ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα πότνια νύμφη ἤι᾽, ἐπεὶ δὴ Ζηνὸς ἐπέκλυεν ἀγγελιάων. τὸν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀκτῆς εὗρε καθήμενον: οὐδέ ποτ᾽ ὄσσε δακρυόφιν τέρσοντο, κατείβετο δὲ γλυκὺς αἰὼν νόστον ὀδυρομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι ἥνδανε νύμφη. ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι νύκτας μὲν ἰαύεσκεν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι παρ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ: ἤματα δ᾽ ἂμ πέτρῃσι καὶ ἠιόνεσσι καθίζων δάκρυσι καὶ στοναχῇσι καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἐρέχθων πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἀτρύγετον δερκέσκετο δάκρυα λείβων. Thus, having spoken, the mighty slayer of Argus went away, and the goddess, the queen nymph of great Odysseus, went to him, after hearing Zeus' message. There she found him sitting on the shore; his eyes were never dry, for tears flowed, as sweet life drained away, mourning his homecoming, for the nymph no longer pleased him. But for sure, at night he slept in the cave, forced, though unwilling, by the nymph, who had her way; and during the day, sitting on the rocks and shores, he tore at his heart with weeping and groaning, gazing at the endless sea, shedding tears. (Translation by me.)

Let us think about what she’s doing here: Odysseus is clearly not happy to stay on her island. Homer even makes it clear that he yearns to return home. He’s crying, he’s miserable, and yet, Calypso still keeps him there, for years. She uses the one thing she can offer him (comfort, beauty, and whatever else she thinks he might want) as a means of trapping him. The fact that he eventually gives in and even sleeps with her is not consent. It’s not a moment of mutual love. It’s survival under duress. He’s trying to find a way out, and she’s keeping him locked in, controlling the situation with her power and influence.

Misconceptions about Calypso:

#1: Calypso is cursed to never leave her island because of the Titanomachy, where she supported her father. Nope. Absolutely not. This is a Percy Jackson invention, where they love to take pieces of ancient mythology and twist them into some modern version of the story that makes it feel more dramatic or “tragic”. In The Odyssey, The Theogony, or even in Bibliotheca by Apollodorus, Calypso does not have any curse placed on her because of the Titanomachy. There’s nothing in any real ancient myth that says she’s stuck on her island because of some ancient grudge. She’s a nymph living on her island with no restrictions on leaving. Homer doesn't mention any past conflict that would tie her to a curse. In fact, Calypso is depicted as living peacefully on her island with no mention of any curse from the gods or the Titans. She’s simply there. She’s not trapped by some divine punishment; she just... exists. #2: Calypso is cursed to fall in love with any man who washes up on her island. Again, no. This is another piece of modern fanfiction nonsense, likely a Percy Jackson concoction, that people seem to think is canonical. Calypso doesn’t have any curse that makes her fall in love with every shipwrecked man she encounters. In fact, ancient sources never suggest that Calypso is cursed at all. She doesn’t have some magical compulsion that makes her fall in love with any man who happens to stumble upon her island. The reality is far more straightforward: she’s just a nymph living on an isolated island with her fellow nymphs, and when Odysseus washes up there, she falls in love with him. But that’s her own doing. There's no divine law forcing her to fall for him, no curse. She just sees him, desires him, and takes him in. The whole curse thing is a modern layer of drama that doesn’t exist in the original myth.

The truth: Calypso just lives on the island with other nymphs. Calypso isn’t trapped, she’s not cursed, and she doesn’t have to constantly fall in love with shipwrecked men. She’s just a nymph who lives on her island, Ogygia, surrounded by other nymphs. It’s not a punishment, it’s just where she resides. There is no grand backstory or divine interference that keeps her on that island. It is her home, and she’s just living her life until Odysseus washes up there. And let’s be clear, there’s no narrative implication that this is her “punishment” for any past sins or mistakes. She’s not being punished for supporting her father during the Titanomachy, nor is she cursed to fall for random men. She’s just living until Odysseus shows up, and then, of course, the whole situation turns complicated. I don’t know why this curse business keeps getting attached to her, but it’s not in any of the actual ancient sources. She is not a tragic character because of some godly revenge; she’s a character trapped by the narrative Homer constructs for her. And as much as people want to romanticize her or give her some tragic backstory, the truth is that she’s simply a nymph who had a shipwrecked man wash up on her shores. There’s no elaborate mythological reason for her being there, and there’s no curse making her fall for him.

Calypso and her lack of mythic pedigree.

I mentioned that Calypso doesn’t show up in earlier sources, but let’s dig deeper into the implications of that. Homer introduced Calypso in his Odyssey, but prior to that, there is no record of her in any mythological cycle. Calypso is Homer’s original character in the truest sense of the term. Homer needed a figure who could keep Odysseus stranded on his island for a prolonged period of time, and so he invented a goddess who could hold him there, ensnare him, and prevent him from moving forward. But unlike many other mythological characters who were integrated into the larger mythos and had complex roles within Greek religious traditions, Calypso is just an invention. A tool for the plot of the Odyssey who has no independent existence outside of Homer’s work.

Calypso’s entire mythological existence is built around The Odyssey, and that's it. Seriously, if you look at her in any real source, whether it’s Homer, Hesiod, or anyone else, there’s nothing else about her. No temples, no shrines, no altars, no cult following. There’s not a single piece of evidence that suggests people were lighting incense or singing her praises. She doesn’t even show up in any meaningful way in other myths. She literally doesn’t exist outside of The Odyssey. The one myth she does have is about Odysseus. That’s it. That’s her whole narrative. People like to reimagine it in a million different ways, with reinterpretations of whether it was consensual or not, whether they had kids together or didn’t, and there’s even weird fanfic-like stuff about their so-called “romance.”

So, Calypso is Homer’s OC?

Yes.

Yes, she absolutely is.

She’s a goddess who exists only for the purpose of holding Odysseus back, and once that role is fulfilled, she fades away into obscurity. She doesn’t have the depth of other mythological figures because she was never meant to. She’s just a plot device in a grand epic.

But hey, if you like her as a tragic romantic figure, I guess that’s your prerogative. Just don’t forget that it’s all modern reinterpretation and not based in the actual myths.

SOURCES:

Homer, The Odyssey - Greek Epic C8th B.C. Hesiod, Theogony - Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C. Hesiod, Catalogues of Women Fragments - Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.

[bilobae]

Hey EPIC fans who may not have had the pleasure of actually reading the Odyssey (or who just like the idea of it but prefer the fanfic versions) and are curious about Calypso’s backstory!

Do you want to know more mythology about this goddess? It might not be what you want to hear, but hey, this is for those of you who want to know the real deal about Calypso. I will cite my sources at the end.

First things first: who actually is Calypso?

Calypso is a character introduced in Homer’s Odyssey, composed around the 8th century BC, and she doesn’t show up in any earlier mythological texts. In the story, she’s a nymph who lives on the island of Ogygia. She’s depicted as beautiful and powerful. When Odysseus washes up on her island after being shipwrecked, she takes him in and keeps him there. She falls in love with him and, using her divine powers, keeps him captive, making him live with her for years while he longs to return home to Ithaca. She's a rapist. Let me say that again for the people in the back: Calypso rapes Odysseus. You can’t romanticize this. She literally traps him on her island, and despite his desire to leave, she won’t let him go. She keeps him as her lover, against his will, using her divine powers to hold him captive. This isn't just a "love story" where the two are tragically torn apart by circumstances. She has no interest in letting him leave, and in fact, actively stops him from doing so, which is rape:

ὣς ἄρα φωνήσας ἀπέβη κρατὺς ἀργεϊφόντης: ἡ δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ὀδυσσῆα μεγαλήτορα πότνια νύμφη ἤι᾽, ἐπεὶ δὴ Ζηνὸς ἐπέκλυεν ἀγγελιάων. τὸν δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀκτῆς εὗρε καθήμενον: οὐδέ ποτ᾽ ὄσσε δακρυόφιν τέρσοντο, κατείβετο δὲ γλυκὺς αἰὼν νόστον ὀδυρομένῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι ἥνδανε νύμφη. ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι νύκτας μὲν ἰαύεσκεν καὶ ἀνάγκῃ ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι παρ᾽ οὐκ ἐθέλων ἐθελούσῃ: ἤματα δ᾽ ἂμ πέτρῃσι καὶ ἠιόνεσσι καθίζων δάκρυσι καὶ στοναχῇσι καὶ ἄλγεσι θυμὸν ἐρέχθων πόντον ἐπ᾽ ἀτρύγετον δερκέσκετο δάκρυα λείβων. Thus, having spoken, the mighty slayer of Argus went away, and the goddess, the queen nymph of great Odysseus, went to him, after hearing Zeus' message. There she found him sitting on the shore; his eyes were never dry, for tears flowed, as sweet life drained away, mourning his homecoming, for the nymph no longer pleased him. But for sure, at night he slept in the cave, forced, though unwilling, by the nymph, who had her way; and during the day, sitting on the rocks and shores, he tore at his heart with weeping and groaning, gazing at the endless sea, shedding tears. (Translation by me.)

Let us think about what she’s doing here: Odysseus is clearly not happy to stay on her island. Homer even makes it clear that he yearns to return home. He’s crying, he’s miserable, and yet, Calypso still keeps him there, for years. She uses the one thing she can offer him (comfort, beauty, and whatever else she thinks he might want) as a means of trapping him. The fact that he eventually gives in and even sleeps with her is not consent. It’s not a moment of mutual love. It’s survival under duress. He’s trying to find a way out, and she’s keeping him locked in, controlling the situation with her power and influence.

Misconceptions about Calypso:

#1: Calypso is cursed to never leave her island because of the Titanomachy, where she supported her father. Nope. Absolutely not. This is a Percy Jackson invention, where they love to take pieces of ancient mythology and twist them into some modern version of the story that makes it feel more dramatic or “tragic”. In The Odyssey, The Theogony, or even in Bibliotheca by Apollodorus, Calypso does not have any curse placed on her because of the Titanomachy. There’s nothing in any real ancient myth that says she’s stuck on her island because of some ancient grudge. She’s a nymph living on her island with no restrictions on leaving. Homer doesn't mention any past conflict that would tie her to a curse. In fact, Calypso is depicted as living peacefully on her island with no mention of any curse from the gods or the Titans. She’s simply there. She’s not trapped by some divine punishment; she just... exists. #2: Calypso is cursed to fall in love with any man who washes up on her island. Again, no. This is another piece of modern fanfiction nonsense, likely a Percy Jackson concoction, that people seem to think is canonical. Calypso doesn’t have any curse that makes her fall in love with every shipwrecked man she encounters. In fact, ancient sources never suggest that Calypso is cursed at all. She doesn’t have some magical compulsion that makes her fall in love with any man who happens to stumble upon her island. The reality is far more straightforward: she’s just a nymph living on an isolated island with her fellow nymphs, and when Odysseus washes up there, she falls in love with him. But that’s her own doing. There's no divine law forcing her to fall for him, no curse. She just sees him, desires him, and takes him in. The whole curse thing is a modern layer of drama that doesn’t exist in the original myth.

The truth: Calypso just lives on the island with other nymphs. Calypso isn’t trapped, she’s not cursed, and she doesn’t have to constantly fall in love with shipwrecked men. She’s just a nymph who lives on her island, Ogygia, surrounded by other nymphs. It’s not a punishment, it’s just where she resides. There is no grand backstory or divine interference that keeps her on that island. It is her home, and she’s just living her life until Odysseus washes up there. And let’s be clear, there’s no narrative implication that this is her “punishment” for any past sins or mistakes. She’s not being punished for supporting her father during the Titanomachy, nor is she cursed to fall for random men. She’s just living until Odysseus shows up, and then, of course, the whole situation turns complicated. I don’t know why this curse business keeps getting attached to her, but it’s not in any of the actual ancient sources. She is not a tragic character because of some godly revenge; she’s a character trapped by the narrative Homer constructs for her. And as much as people want to romanticize her or give her some tragic backstory, the truth is that she’s simply a nymph who had a shipwrecked man wash up on her shores. There’s no elaborate mythological reason for her being there, and there’s no curse making her fall for him.

Calypso and her lack of mythic pedigree.

I mentioned that Calypso doesn’t show up in earlier sources, but let’s dig deeper into the implications of that. Homer introduced Calypso in his Odyssey, but prior to that, there is no record of her in any mythological cycle. Calypso is Homer’s original character in the truest sense of the term. Homer needed a figure who could keep Odysseus stranded on his island for a prolonged period of time, and so he invented a goddess who could hold him there, ensnare him, and prevent him from moving forward. But unlike many other mythological characters who were integrated into the larger mythos and had complex roles within Greek religious traditions, Calypso is just an invention. A tool for the plot of the Odyssey who has no independent existence outside of Homer’s work.

Calypso’s entire mythological existence is built around The Odyssey, and that's it. Seriously, if you look at her in any real source, whether it’s Homer, Hesiod, or anyone else, there’s nothing else about her. No temples, no shrines, no altars, no cult following. There’s not a single piece of evidence that suggests people were lighting incense or singing her praises. She doesn’t even show up in any meaningful way in other myths. She literally doesn’t exist outside of The Odyssey. The one myth she does have is about Odysseus. That’s it. That’s her whole narrative. People like to reimagine it in a million different ways, with reinterpretations of whether it was consensual or not, whether they had kids together or didn’t, and there’s even weird fanfic-like stuff about their so-called “romance.”

So, Calypso is Homer’s OC?

Yes.

Yes, she absolutely is.

She’s a goddess who exists only for the purpose of holding Odysseus back, and once that role is fulfilled, she fades away into obscurity. She doesn’t have the depth of other mythological figures because she was never meant to. She’s just a plot device in a grand epic.

But hey, if you like her as a tragic romantic figure, I guess that’s your prerogative. Just don’t forget that it’s all modern reinterpretation and not based in the actual myths.

SOURCES:

Homer, The Odyssey - Greek Epic C8th B.C. Hesiod, Theogony - Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C. Hesiod, Catalogues of Women Fragments - Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.

[bilobae]

Another drawing I made for art class. Too bored and untalented with color, so I just used a red lipstick, lol. I'm just gonna add a lil description on my thought process while drawing this cuz I can

Odysseus: Rugged, bloody, scarred, just how I pictured an image of a monster-like man who has been through it all. For some reason, I headcannon that before, during, and after his fight with Poseidon, he was nude bc Poseidon was going full-on Megatron with currents and waves on this mortal that his clothes went bye bye. I also think the windbag was stronger than the first one given to him by Aelous when his crew was alive (hence Hermes' quote "we've been through so much to get this"). Again, a headcannon. I haven't read the Odyssey again since 10th grade, but I will if I have more time.

TW// another detail, the handprints were from Calypso.

Penelope: Complete opposite of Ody. More elegant and composed, yet never hiding her anguish from waiting for 20 years and her disgust that 108 freeloading men in the palace deluded themselves into thinking that they deserve her hand and the throne. Like Ody, she aged and is extremely exhausted with the way she, her son, and her servants are constantly disrespected in their own home. I love the idea that Penelope has some calluses for the constant weaving and having the strength to carry and string the bow that it made the suitors think that the challenge was easy peasy. (Based on Anniflamma and VirusAp's MUST WATCH animatics).

2. I am with the headcannon that the Odysseus, Penelope, and Telescope are buff baddasses (Ody being the shortest by two heads but the biggest size)

3. I personally enjoyed sketching Penelope more than Odysseus, tho I loved outlining Odysseus more lol. A give and take.

[bilobae]

Creating "get in the water" but as animals that I'm required to draw for art class

Why does poseidon look like a donkey instead of a horse lmao

[bilobae]

Odysseus is a very feminine character, now that I think about it...

Alright, let’s get something straight before anyone comes at me with a “bUt tHiS iS gEnDeR eSsEnTiAlIsM” take. I’m not saying Odysseus is literally a woman or that masculinity and femininity are these rigid, unchanging constructs. I’m talking about how the ancient Greeks perceived these traits. This is about Homeric gender coding, not modern gender politics.

Ancient Greek society had clear ideas about what was “masculine” and “feminine.” Men fought, conquered, and sought kleos (glory). Women used cunning, patience, and endurance to survive. Odysseus? He embodies the latter far more than the former. That’s the point. That’s what makes him interesting. I’m not slapping modern labels on him; I’m analyzing how he would’ve been understood in his own time.

Got it? Got it. Then let me explain.

Greek heroism is all about kleos (glory), right? You charge into battle, fight, die gloriously, and get immortalized in song. Odysseus? Not his style. His whole thing is survival. Achilles, the epitome of warrior masculinity, chooses an early death in exchange for undying fame. Odysseus chooses life, no matter what it takes. He hides, deceives, and grovels when necessary...all acts that a traditionally “heroic” warrior wouldn’t be caught dead doing.

Take the Cyclops episode: a classic strongman hero would just fight Polyphemus. Odysseus? He outsmarts him with wordplay, drugs his enemy (like a sneaky witch would), and escapes by disguising himself under sheep. You’re telling me this is masculine? If anything, it aligns him with figures like Circe and Penelope. Women who survive through wit and deception rather than brute strength.

This man’s mouth is his deadliest weapon. He doesn’t win with a spear; he wins with stories, persuasion, and trickery. The word polytropos (πολύτροπος), used to describe him in the very first line of The Odyssey, literally means “many-turned” or “twisting,” evoking the way a woman might spin or weave. The metaphor of weaving is all over his character, and weaving is, of course, the domain of women in Greek thought.

Even his lies are textile-like. He spins tales, unravels them, and reweaves them as necessary. And let’s not ignore that his narrative mirrors Penelope’s: she weaves and unweaves her shroud, delaying the suitors; he spins and unspins his identity to survive. He and Penelope are two sides of the same coin, both manipulating reality to stay in control.

If we take ancient Greek gender norms seriously, dominance in sex = masculinity, and submission = femininity. And Odysseus? The man spends years being kept by women. Calypso and Circe both hold him as a sex slave, reducing him to an object of desire rather than an active agent. That’s not exactly Achilles ravaging Briseïs, is it? He’s literally lying in bed (λέχος) while these women rule over him.

Even in Ithaca, his return isn’t some macho takeover. He sneaks in, disguises himself, and watches before making his move. Unlike Agamemnon, who storms into Mycenae post-Troy and gets murked by his wife, Odysseus waits, gathering intel like a patient, calculating woman.

He also cries...like...a lot.

Masculine heroes go out into the world to conquer (Iliadic energy). Feminine figures are more often concerned with the home. Odysseus’s entire goal? To get back to Ithaca, to his oikos, to his wife. He’s not seeking new conquests or greater glory. He wants stability, family, domesticity. He longs for the space traditionally occupied by women.

Odysseus is basically the Greek epic’s answer to the trickster woman trope. He’s wily, verbal, emotionally expressive, and constantly using the strategies of metis, not brute strength, to survive. While Homeric masculinity typically means fighting, dying, and achieving kleos, Odysseus thrives through deception, patience, and endurance. Traits that the ancient Greeks more often ascribed to women.