Heroism today can be exemplified through various different virtues. To some, a hero could be a great baseball player or musician, to others, a corporate leader or entrepreneur. But what characteristics do these individuals hold that make them a true "hero?" Wealth, social status, or being skilled at a sport might be some, but in the Iliad and the Odyssey, Odysseus (the hero) embraces two very distinct and different characteristics; both of which help define his heroism. It has often been said that the Iliad demonstrates Odysseus' physical strength, as in the Trojan War, and the Odyssey proves his wit and cunning. But the Odyssey does not focus only on the wit and cunning of the hero, but rather combines them with the Trojan War-heroism seen before. These qualities, in different people, could exhibit two very different heroes, but when seen together with Odysseus, in the Odyssey, it redefines heroism altogether.
             The Iliad clearly demonstrates Odysseus' physical strength, much of which carries over into the Odyssey. But in the very first lines of the epic, we see the focus of the Odyssey is on the wit and cunning of our hero, "the man of twists and turns" (1.1) In various situations throughout the book, we can see that having the strength that Odysseus does isn't always enough. Perhaps the most apparent example of this is when he and his crew must face the "man-mountain," (9.213) the Cyclops.
             On the island of the Cyclops, Odysseus' party "quickly made it to his cave, but failed to find the host himself inside." (9.241) They waited, and when the Cyclops, "a monster built like no mortal who ever supped on bread," (9.212) made his way back into the cave, he "hoisted overhead a tremendous, massive slab – no twenty-two wagons, rugged and four wheeled could budge" (9.271) to block the cave entrance. When the Cyclops began questioning the crew, Odys...