The Journey and Psychological Development in Homer's OdysseyHomer's Odyssey arguably stands apart from any other piece of epic literature produced by Western civilization for nearly three millennia. Most notable is the extent to which the Western hero archetype is still today the result of the modeling that took place on the character of Odysseus so long ago. In imagining a police line-up of the most profoundly influential protagonists of Western epic poetry, Ulysses would surely impress with his stature and malignant air far beyond the others because he is not gray-eyed Athena, daughter of the rain-bringing Zeus himself, bound in the devotion to this mortal hero? It is she who repeatedly enhances the appearance of Ulysses so as to imprint his divine qualities in others: And Athena, she who was born of Zeus, made him bigger to look at and more robust, and on his head she made her hair flow in curls, like the hyacinth flower. . .So He poured grace upon his head and shoulders. (6.229-35) In anointing Odysseus similarly during the tale of his arduous journey home, ancient and modern readers cannot help but look to Odysseus as a model. Implicit in this behavioral model is one of Homer's many subtexts, namely that having one or more gods on your side is not enough to guarantee even partial success in your endeavors. The god Poseidon is in direct opposition to Odysseus' goal of reaching Ithaca, but his attacks against the hero always fail just short of killing him. Instead, with each calamity that befalls Odysseus at the hands of Poseidon, the hero finds himself facing a parallel internal struggle. Surviving the physical realm at first seems to be the test when in reality... in the center of the paper... the woman's side (the animus) and the passive, feminine side of the man (the anima). Even if the two figures always tempt the ego to identify with them, true understanding even on a personal level is only possible if identification is rejected. (Jung 16: 469) Perhaps The Odyssey, when viewed from the perspective of Jungian and post-Jungian psychology, offers the reader a rich model for their own psychological development and an opportunity to re-examine the hero archetype in Western civilization. Works Cited Cirlot, J.E., A Dictionary of Symbols. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1971. Hillman, James. Soul: An Anatomy of a Personified Notion. Dallas: Spring Publications, 1985. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans., ed. Alberto Cuoco. New York: WW Norton, 1993. Jung, collected works in CG. 20 vols. Trans. RFC Hull. Princeton: Princeton SU, 1954.