Calypso and Odysseus, the Greek myth of seduction of Odysseus by Calypso (2024)

One of Oceanides sea nymphs, Calypso was the daughter of the Titan god Atlas and her mother was Tethys. Her name is related to the Greek word καλύπτω, which means “to conceal” and she symbolized the forces that divert men from their goals. The Greek myth of Calypso and Odysseus (Ulysses) is full of intrigue and moments of seduction.

Calypso

Calypso, in Greek mythology, seduced Odysseus and kept him for years away from his wife, Penelope, until Athena intervened; eventually Calypso had to let him go and even helped him to build his boat. She has both negative and positive connotation in Greek mythology: as a concealer and seductress, Calypso is a negative symbol, but as a rescuer she is a positive one. She is always compared with Penelope and thus ended up being a force of diversion and distraction.

Calypsoand Odysseus in Ogygia

Calypso and Odysseus, the Greek myth of seduction of Odysseus by Calypso (1)Calypso lived in Ogygia, where she was ousted as a prisoner because she supported her father in the battles between Titans and Olympians. Where the island was is still unknown, and there are many versions of its possible location. The story of Calypso and Odysseus in Ogygia was introduced by Homer and the common belief among many historians and scholars is that Homer’s locations were mostly fictional, mythical, so this one was too. Some believed that the island was located in the western Mediterranean Sea, or more precisely – in the Ionian Sea. Anyway, in the island Ogygia, Calypso welcomed the exhausted Greek hero, Odysseus, who was drifted for nine days in the open sea after losing his ship and his army to the monsters of Italy and Sicily when coming back home from Troy.

Mythical Calypso fell for Odysseus and wanted to make him her immortal husband and give him the eternal youth. But Odysseus didn’t accept her generosity – he was dreaming about going back to his Ithaca and his wife. Calypso was so much in love with him that despite his refusal of her offers, she kept hoping and seducing Odysseus. Eventually, she made him her lover.

They lived together for seven years in her breath-taking cave-home, and according to Hesiod, Calypso even gave birth to two kids: Nausithous and Nausinous. Apollodorus said that Calypso bore Odysseus a son, Latinus. Was Odysseus really imprisoned by Calypso, or his longings weakened over the years and comfort and love that Calypso provided him with?

If goddess Athena hadn’t asked Zeus to “save” Odysseus from Ogygia and Calypso, what could have happened? Zeus sent the messenger of the gods, Hermes, to persuade Calypso to let Odysseus go. Calypso couldn’t refuse Zeus, the King of the gods, but being somewhat fearful of Zeus’ s powers, somewhat angry because of her loss to come, she had something to say to Hermes: “Cruel folk you are, unmatched for jealousy, you gods who cannot bear to let a goddess sleep with a man, even if it is done without concealment and she has chosen him as her lawful consort.” (Homer, Odyssey 5.120). So, she helped Odysseus build the boat that would take him back to his wife and his Ithaca. She provided enough food and wine for the long journey, and good winds.

Calypso, who believed that she saved Odysseus, after losing her lover of seven years tried to kill herself. But being immortal, she only went through terrible pain and suffering.

If Athena and Zeus hadn’t intervened, what could have been the end of this story? Would Odysseus have ever thought of building the boat to leave the island? Did Calypso, a sea nymph, really have such a power to tie Odysseus’s free will to leave? Could she have kept him against his own, presumably strong will? Was Calypso really the myth of diversion or the eternal temptation of passion?

Calypso and Odysseus, the Greek myth of seduction of Odysseus by Calypso (2024)

FAQs

Calypso and Odysseus, the Greek myth of seduction of Odysseus by Calypso? ›

What is Calypso role in the Odyssey

the Odyssey
Polyphemus, better known as the Cyclops (a mythological one-eyed giants in Homer's classic poem The Odyssey). He fails to observe the ancient Greek laws of hospitality when he begins eating King Odysseus' crew after they shipwreck on his island.
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? Calypso kidnaps Odysseus on her island (Ogygia) for seven years. She wished to make him fall in love with her, which he did not. With the assistance of Athena and the other gods, however, Calypso is forced to release Odysseus from her island.

What is the myth of Calypso and Odysseus? ›

According to Homer, Calypso kept Odysseus prisoner by force at Ogygia for seven years. Calypso enchants Odysseus with her singing as she moves to and fro, weaving on her loom with a golden shuttle. Odysseus comes to wish for circ*mstances to change.

Who does Calypso end up with? ›

None of those heroes whom she falls for would ever be able to stay with her. Calypso was rescued by Leo Valdez after the Second Giant War ended. Once she left her island, she gave up Titan-hood and is currently a mortal, but eventually regained her magical powers. Calypso is the girlfriend of Leo Valdez.

Why was Calypso banished? ›

Calypso is banished to the phantom island of Ogygia as punishment for siding with her father, Atlas, against the Greek gods during the First Titan War. She is cursed to fall in love with anyone who reaches the island.

What does the goddess Calypso symbolize? ›

Her essence is intricately intertwined with the vast expanse of the sea, symbolizing the untamed beauty and unpredictable nature of the ocean. Immersed in the pages of the epic poem “The Odyssey,” attributed to the legendary Homer, Calypso becomes a pivotal force in the tumultuous journey of the heroic Odysseus.

Was Odysseus assaulted by Calypso? ›

Odysseus; in some versions, raped by Calypso on the island of Ogygia in his seven-year stay.

Why is Calypso cursed? ›

Calypso was a daughter of Atlas. She supported him in 1st war so the gods punished/cursed her that she would have to stay in Ogygia forever. Ogygia could bring all the things Calypso wanted but company.

Did Odysseus willingly sleep with Calypso? ›

Calypso forces Odysseus to sleep with her against his will. These lines encourage us to condemn the powerful goddess's abuse of the powerless Odysseus. Later, however, as Odysseus tells his story to the Phaeacians, the poet reminds us that Odysseus, too, has captured and enslaved women.

Is Calypso good or evil? ›

Is Calypso good or evil? The goddess Calypso neither good nor evil. She contains both qualities. She kidnaps Odysseus while driven by her overwhelming love for him, but she also offers him the necessary tools and supplies to aid in his journey upon his departure from the island.

Is Calypso a hero or villain? ›

She is depicted as an adversary of the superhero Peter Parker / Spider-Man. She is also the occasional lover and partner of the supervillain Kraven the Hunter. Calypso Ezili is known under the codenames The Witch and The Hunter of Souls.

Why was Calypso angry with the gods? ›

When Zeus orders Calypso to release Odysseus, she complains about the gods' double standard which allows male deities to take human lovers but punishes goddesses who do the same: “You unrivalled lords of jealousy—/scandalized when goddesses sleep with mortals.” Calypso's speech draws our attention to the similar double ...

Who did Calypso marry? ›

When Odysseus was shipwrecked on Ogygia, Calypso fell deeply in love with him. She offered him immortality and an end to all his suffering if he stayed with her as her husband. For several years, Odysseus remained on Ogygia, held captive not by chains but by Calypso's love and the comforts of her enchanted island.

Why does Poseidon hate Odysseus? ›

Poseidon was furious with Odysseus and his crew because they blinded his son, the cyclops Polyphemus. Even before this, however, Poseidon was not happy with Odysseus, since Odysseus fought for the Greeks in the Trojan War, while Poseidon favored the Trojans; the Greeks were ultimately victorious.

Why does Calypso fall in love with Odysseus? ›

After a series of toss-ups with a nasty Cyclops, a pair of sirens, and even several of his own crewmates, Odysseus was one of the first to wind up on Calypso's island. Thanks to a curse that compelled her to fall in love with any man who washed up on her shore, Calypso bonded with the marooned king.

What is Calypso original myth? ›

Calypso, in Greek mythology, the daughter of the Titan Atlas (or Oceanus or Nereus), a nymph of the mythical island of Ogygia. In Homer's Odyssey, Book V (also Books I and VII), she entertained the Greek hero Odysseus for seven years, but she could not overcome his longing for home even by promising him immortality.

Why did Odysseus sleep with Calypso? ›

In The Odyssey, Odysseus slept with Circe and Calypso, but this was not true love because both women were not his spouse and he was told he must sleep with them in order to set his faithful followers free.

What happened at Calypso island in the Odyssey? ›

Calypso's island, Ogygia, is where Odysseus drifts ashore after his fleet is destroyed by Zeus. It is inhabited by the beautiful nymph Calypso, who cares for Odysseus and nurses him back to health. Calypso, driven by profound loneliness, refuses to let Odysseus leave the island for seven years.

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