Daddy Issues
According to the internet's most helpful guide, Dictionary.com, "daddy issues" is "an informal phrase for the psychological challenges resulting from an absent or abnormal relationship with one's father." Who does that remind you of?
Spoiler alert: it's our fav man child Telemachus.
So, it is pretty obvious from early on in the Odyssey that Telemachus has daddy issues. His uncertain, vague responses when asked about his father by Athena reveal his doubt about his ability to live up to his father's legacy and even question his mother's loyalty to Odysseus--but can you blame the kid? He has no memory of his father, left only with the stories told to him by other people to create a blurry picture of what his father was actually like in his mind. Notably, the book doesn’t really mention any prominent male figures in Telemachus’s life besides the suitors who swarm his home. The standard he has to live up to is set incredibly high because of Odysseus's status as a war hero and king, but he doesn't have anyone to fill in the role of a father and teach him how to become a man.
Maybe it's a stretch, but while reading the first few books of the Odyssey I couldn't help but feel that Athena was kind of filling in the role of a father figure for Telemachus--I’m calling her a father figure simply because she regularly appears to Telemachus as a man and he already as a mother figure, Penelope. Early on we see Athena taking charge of his expedition to find his father through how she tells him what to say and do and how she picks out his crew for him (among many other examples of how Athena goes out of her way to take care of him), caring for him almost like a parent would. You could argue that the gods taking care of mortals is common, expected, and therefore not a big deal, though I don't believe that people could generally call the gods "parent-like:" the deities are too emotional, unpredictable, and so UN parent-like on the regular the idea seems ridiculous (like, if you think that a normal thing for your parents to do would be turning all your friends into stone for helping you get home wtf dude). Telemachus latches onto her presence, listening to her advice and criticisms with full trust and without complain while Athena nurtures him into becoming the man he would've been if he had grown up with Odysseus raising him.
I kind of wish Athena was my dad tbh
Spoiler alert: it's our fav man child Telemachus.
So, it is pretty obvious from early on in the Odyssey that Telemachus has daddy issues. His uncertain, vague responses when asked about his father by Athena reveal his doubt about his ability to live up to his father's legacy and even question his mother's loyalty to Odysseus--but can you blame the kid? He has no memory of his father, left only with the stories told to him by other people to create a blurry picture of what his father was actually like in his mind. Notably, the book doesn’t really mention any prominent male figures in Telemachus’s life besides the suitors who swarm his home. The standard he has to live up to is set incredibly high because of Odysseus's status as a war hero and king, but he doesn't have anyone to fill in the role of a father and teach him how to become a man.
Maybe it's a stretch, but while reading the first few books of the Odyssey I couldn't help but feel that Athena was kind of filling in the role of a father figure for Telemachus--I’m calling her a father figure simply because she regularly appears to Telemachus as a man and he already as a mother figure, Penelope. Early on we see Athena taking charge of his expedition to find his father through how she tells him what to say and do and how she picks out his crew for him (among many other examples of how Athena goes out of her way to take care of him), caring for him almost like a parent would. You could argue that the gods taking care of mortals is common, expected, and therefore not a big deal, though I don't believe that people could generally call the gods "parent-like:" the deities are too emotional, unpredictable, and so UN parent-like on the regular the idea seems ridiculous (like, if you think that a normal thing for your parents to do would be turning all your friends into stone for helping you get home wtf dude). Telemachus latches onto her presence, listening to her advice and criticisms with full trust and without complain while Athena nurtures him into becoming the man he would've been if he had grown up with Odysseus raising him.
I kind of wish Athena was my dad tbh
This is a really interesting idea. Further cementing her role as Telemachus's father figure, Athena teaches/introduces Telemachus to more masculine things in his life. Her very caring nature toward Telemachus is indeed uncommon, and perhaps more motherly than fatherly. But the way in which she helps him get started and then pushes him off on his heroic quest is much more fatherly and masculine. Yes, she's his mentor, but she's introducing him to these aspects of masculinity that he never really got because of Odysseus's absence.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right! I think Athena definitely plays a "father" role in the traditional sense of what a father is supposed to be - someone who teaches you how to deal with the world and with your problems, and protects you at the same time. I do think it's interesting also that as you mention, Athena almost exclusively reveals herself to people as men. I don't know why that is. Perhaps it's the fact that Athena's main qualities (intelligence, power, emotional strength, trickery, or problem-solving) are associated generally with masculinity. I'm not sure what this means, but it's interesting that none of the other women display these qualities (except for the fact that Penelope is decietful.) Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis of Athena as Telemachus' father figure. I also agree with Xanthe that her choice to appear as a man at first is telling of gender dynamics in ancient Greek society, however I think the main reason why she appeared as a man at first is so that Telemachus would treat her well-- remember women basically weren't people. Anyways, Greek mythology and literature is full of daddy issues. Think Oedipus for example. Poor thing killed his dad and slept with his mom and then went blind and all of his sibling children died... I think it's interesting how common and pervasive the "daddy issues" thing is even going as far back as the ancient Greeks.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Totally agree with you. While reading the first couple chapters, I imagined Telemachus as this baby-boy who kind of puffs his chest as Athena guides him through the journey of manhood. Perhaps an odd thing to be picturing while reading, but the way that Athena let Telemachus have his own adventure in the very controlled environments that Athena set up for him made me have that picture in my mind. But yes, the way that Athena gave confidence to Telemachus, and the way that Telemachus latches onto Athena is definitely evident of his desire for a father-figure in his life as you say.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really good point because I feel like Telemachus and his psychological problems are a little overlooked in this story. He obviously has big shoes to fill with no idea where to begin, and has gone most of his formative life without having a male figure to guide him or help him grow into his adulthood or masculinity. I do think it's interesting that Athena is the one to finally step in to help him to start to take his life into his own hands. I think that, similarly to Penelope, his whole life has just been on hold waiting for Odysseus to come home and take control of the situation. I think this complacency was what showed Athena that she needed to step in to help Telemachus, not just Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas in this post and I appreciate the description of Telemachus as a man child as that's exactly what he is. I feel like at the end of the Telemachiad, we see him becoming someone with hero potential, even if he isn't there yet. In the patriarchal society of ancient Greece, it would have been the father's job to teach his son how to be a man, but Telemachus didn't have that until he was 20 and Athena came around. She fabricated this little trip as a way for him to gain some confidence and self respect because let's be honest, he needed it. Nice post.
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