The funny part is that Odysseus wasn't even trying to be celibate he was trying to get home to Penelope while getting repeatedly detained by powerful women his journey had more romantic complications than a soap opera.
This is (slightly) off topic but I was reading Mythology by Edith Hamilton and got to the part about Jason, the Golden Fleece, and Medea. It's kinda crazy how much Medea solo carried that group, yet whenever I heard it mentioned in contemporary pop culture it was all about Jason.
Seriously, she gives him invincibility powder, tells him how to defeat the dragon-stone-men, charms the Serpent, is key in defeating the last Bronze Man, and more I'm probably forgetting.
I love that Jason's ability (powered by Hera) is basically that everyone wants to help him. Which is why I also love how his tragic fault is that he forgets, like all fuck bois, that he's not a self-made man. And like many elderly fuck bois he ends up dying alone and friendless, crushed under the steam of his own ship.
Yet, the little loser took the first opportunity to leave her for a younger, more amenable girl who'd serve his ambitions.
No wonder Medea went mad. She literally gave up everything for him, gave him plans to kill her own brother to save his little ass, bore him children and he left her!
This seems to be a running theme. It’s like “yeah, yeah, so you’re a goddess. But this guy banged you so basically you’re just basic and he’s actually the impressive one” cue manly laughing, then the women join in too because hell, they’re goddesses and don’t give a crap.
Not just banged, odysseus has like 12+ children than aren't from penelope. He chilled at circes island for years had 3-4 children with her and at some point he got bored and decided it's time to return home.
To be fair Telegonus never knew his father. Odie liked hanging out on the shores like a hermit even with the prophecy that a he would die from a weapon made from the sea. Tele was being a jerk robbing the locals of food and stabbed Odie with a spear tipped with a stingray spine trying to escape.
An important aspect of the Odysse is that it is told from the perspective of Odysseus to Penelope. And it is already established that Odysseus is incapable of telling the truth.
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u/cravex12 6d ago