Wild Man

Jack and the Bean Stalk, the Odyssey, and Gilgamesh can all be defined as folklore having been passed on for years and years through writing and verbal story telling. Although all three are from differing cultures, each addresses the concept of the “savage” and some even use it as its main theme.

The story of the Cyclops in Homer’s The Odyssey is a prime example of addressing the “savage” form a Western point of view. The savages in this story, the Cyclops, are described by Odysseus as having no government, no central towns, and no farming. Although Odysseus is just describing what he observed to the King, it is said with a demeaning undertone. Homer’s Cyclops’ are giants who are barbaric because they live in caves. Additionally, they are cannibalistic in the sense that they eat humans (if you consider Cyclops being within the human breed). If someone from a non-western culture were to have written this story, it might have been presented in a different way. It might have made Odysseus seem ridiculous for being under control of a king and living in a more organized or rigid way. But, the Odyssey was written by Homer, who was from Greece, which was considered a civilized culture.

Greek culture in this time was known as a civilized culture. It had government, and it was organized. The Greeks were smart and made many technological advances. The Odyssey may have survived all these years and especially in its early years because it was a story that highlighted their beloved culture. The hero in this story is Odysseus, a Greek. The Odyssey may have empowered the people who heard the story in the day because it was celebrating their lifestyle and making it seem like the better way of life. It did not even consider the Cyclops’s way of life as a good one. Odysseus walked into the Cyclops’ territory with the attitude that he was better than them.

Another reason why the Odyssey may have survived as anadmired story is because mythology was an important part of Greek life. They have had many Greek gods with mythological stories around each character.

Mythology may have survived in general in early cultures simply because they did not have explanations for many things but had the questions in their head. These stories, unrealistic as they were, addressed these questions in creative ways.

Caitlyn Bierman