The Hero's Journey can be done in many ways. The first version is as seen by Justin Eichenlaub. The second version is done by Tony Arkwright.

1. Ordinary World - In the case of Odysseus in the "Odyssey", our hero's ordinary world can not wholly be defined or looked at as "ordinary". However, for this book and tale of Odysseus, it is the closest thing to fit for this segment of the journey. His ordinary world is living on the island of Ogyia, retained by the goddess Calypso, who ever tries to win over his heart, and never does.

2. Call to Adventure - Odysseus' call to adventure takes place while he is still in his ordinary world. Hermes travels from Mt. Olympus to tell Calypso that Zeus has declared that Odysseus is to be set free from her detainment of him. She assents to what her fellow immortal has told her, and she grudgingly relates the news to Odysseus that he is at liberty to finally leave her.

3. Refusal of the Call - When Odysseus is told this, he reacts to her in a very stubborn and pessimistic view of things. He talks about how he does not trust her devious mind and suspects her of hatching some trick against him, for he does not believe that she would ever willingly let him go with out making sure something bad were to befall him. So with this he for a time refuses her statement that he is emancipated from Ogyia.

4. Mentor - Odysseus' mentor figure is perhaps the single most significant factor of the lengthy poem that Homer writes for us. For the King of Ithacaís mentor and helper throughout his journeys, from the beginning of the Trojan War until he finally returns to Ithaca to reclaim his throne, is the bright-eyed goddess, Pallas Athena. She prompts him to have the courage to be able to act in many situations, she knows all and often uses this omnipotence to aid Odysseus, and she is the one who also aids his son, Telemachus, first by providing the impetus for him to search for news of his father around Achaea in the very first books of the "Odyssey". Throughout Odysseus' heroic journey, the immortal Athena plays a major role in the events that occur, by taking on the look of Mentes and other people along the journey of Odysseus.

5. First Threshold - The mighty Odysseus' first threshold is agreeing to leave the island of Calypso, after he has collected her binding oath, and as he sets sail homeward bound for Ithaca. The strong and just Prince begins his voyage home with the thought in mind of stopping off at some benevolent land and making friends and peace with those people, who will then help him furnish a ship and crew to finally assist him in his voyage home. This period of beginning to sail for home, after a long period of stagnation and frustration at not being able to get back to his homeland, comprise what is Odysseus' crossing the 1st threshold of his heroic journey.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies - Odysseus' tests, allies, and enemies segment of his journey does not consist of many events. Although he faces many enemies and feats that he must overcome throughout his struggles getting home from Priamís city of Troy, at this point he faces only one major foe whom definitely provides a non-superficial test for him to pass, and only one entity, being the Phaecians, as his ally. As he begins his journey, Odysseus travels safely for many days, however the immortal curse bestowed upon him by the relentless and unforgiving Poseidon, god of the seas and earthquakes, is yet to befall him. At around the 29th day into the story of the "Odyssey", Poseidon is seething up on high about the release of Odysseus from the caption of Calypso, and still infuriated by the transgression that the hero waged against his son Polyphemus the Cyclops, he wrecks his raft and Odysseus drifts to the shores of Scheria. This is the island of the Phaecians, and after meeting the King of these peoples' daughter, Naussica, he is welcomed by King Alcinous and Queen Arete. After he stays at this great land which Homer portrays as being like the perfect utopian society, relating all of his past adventures and stories to the royal court and palace of Phaecia, he is given a great many gifts and set off in a great ship of these people to sail him quickly home. He finally reaches Ithaca with these great oarsmen rowing him on in their own ship, and finds that hefaces another challenge on coming home, perhaps even more trying than all the previous perils that he has faced outside of Ithaca, sailing around the great and mighty seas.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave - Odysseus approaches his inmost cave when he returns to his homeland and finally touches the ground of Ithaca once again. As he wakes up, after being dropped off by the Phaecian sailors, he is immediately confronted by Athena and she drapes him in the guise of an old man, and advises him to first go to the swineherd Eumaeus' field and home. He is now back finally on his own land, the homecoming that he has longed for intermittently, for the past twenty years! It must be with great concentration and self-control that he can keep himself from running to his palace and proclaiming his return, an act which would probably have been fatal for him. So he learns from his loyal Euameus all that has befallen his kingdom during his absence, primarily the troubles of the suitors lying in wait to marry his bride Penelope. After learning all this, and meeting his son Telemachus for the first time grown-up, these two lay a plan and trap so that they may slowly test the suitors and all the servants of the palace for their loyalty and their resolve before finally slaying all that have wronged the great and now returned Odysseus.

8. Supreme Ordeal - Odysseus' supreme ordeal is obviously facing the suitors and all those that have wronged him. He scrupulously and painstakingly draws out the time between when he first arrives and when he will attack. He remains under the guise of the old man, even up until the time when he kills the first suitor. Only he, the hero, knows when the time will come for the attack. The only other person that knows it is coming is Telemachus, and he is only told to be ready for the sign from Odysseus, whenever he decides that he will wreak his ultimate revenge and unfurl his rage. Eventually Odysseus finds out who is loyal to him and who is not, then finally decides to do the deed that he has waited for with thoughts of blood for about two or days. He kills all of the suitors in a battle in the main courtyard of the palace, then has the disloyal maids also executed.

9. Reward - His reward is winning back his place of power and being able to be with his wife again, his son, and his surviving father.

10. The Road Back - I believe that Odysseus' road back can be symbolized by his journey on the road to see his father Laertes and bring him back so that he may live with him finally in peace in the palace. Odysseus has to face his last enemy in this denouement section of his journey in the object of the suitor's angry fathers who come after him with a hord from the city to kill Odysseus for his slaughter of the suitors. Odysseus, Telemachus, and even Laertes, of course with the help of the mentor Athena, fend of these aggressors and kill them too.

11. Resurrection - He is resurrected when he defeats this last enemy and can now take a reprieve from the constant threat of fighting and danger that has plagued him for two decades.

12. Return with the Elixir - The return with the elixir is when Odysseus and his loyal friends finally defeat his last threat to their survival, and peace is wrought over the entire place of Ithaca by Athena and the rest of the immortal gods up on high.

This second version starts off with the Trojan War, so it gives a different perspective on the hero.

1. Ordinary World - The peaceful island of Ithaca is the ordinary world of Odysseus. Here Odysseus is the well respected and loved king of the island. He is married to his love, Penelope, whom he adores with his heart.

2. Call to Adventure - Odysseus is summoned to join Agamemnon and other Achaeans to attack the city of Troy. They are going to Troy to retrieve the wife of Menelaus, Helen, after she is taken by Paris, the prince of Troy.

3. Refusal of the Call - At first Odysseus refuses this invitation because he does not want to leave his quiet and peaceful homeland and leave behind his wife and his newly born son.

4. Mentor - The mentor of Odysseus is, without a doubt, Pallas Athena, the bright-eyed goddess. Athena helps Odysseus innumerable times throughout his travels. The daughter of Zeus endows Odysseus with advice for which he is greatly faithful and devoted to her.

5. First Threshold - The Trojan War is the first threshold of Odysseus. At the war Odysseus becomes renown for his cunning, bravery, prowess, and this mind. His mental and physical attributes are of equal importance to this heros.

6. Test, Allies, Enemies - The journey home is an amalgam of tests, allies, and enemies for Odysseus. There are many tests, not to mention many temptations, through which Odysseus thrives through. The people which befriend Odysseus are the ones who give him food, clothes, and shelter like King Alcinous, and Circe. Obviously throughout the story there is one main enemy who is against Odysseus, this is Poseidon. There are also many small enemies who Odysseus meets on his travels. Scylla, Charybdis, and the Lastrygonians are some of his adversaries, but the most important is the cyclops, Polythemus, who condemns Odysseus to his long, arduous journey home. Primarily speaking Odysseus encounters new tests, allies, and enemies on each new land he falls upon on his trek back to Ithaca.

7. Approach to Inmost Cave - The approach to the inmost cave is when the son of Laertes, Odysseus, finally arrives home at last. At first he does not acknowledge the fact that he is home. When he does come to that fact, he knows he cannot run home and exclaim that he is back. He knows he must bury his great feelings until the time is right.

8. SupremeOrdeal - Getting back to his peaceful home of Ithaca and reuniting with Penelope and Telemachus is the ultimate ordeal of Odysseus. Before he can do that, he must drive the careless suitors from his once proud household.

9. Reward - The reward for Odysseus is when he arrives home and then defeats the complacent suitors. Also Odysseus is abound with riches in presents from the aristocrats of Phaeacia.

10. Road Back - The road back for our hero, Odysseus, is when he cleanses his house of the incarnadine stains from the vile blood of the suitors and removing their bodies to the outside. After this is done, Odysseus goes to see his sick and emaciated father to bring his spirits back to life.

11. Resurrection - Now Odysseus is once again in his rightful position as King of Ithaca. This can be seen as a resurrection for Odysseus.

12. Return with Elixir - The returning with elixir for Odysseus is partly when he restores peace and tranquility to his house. The other part that fulfills this is when Odysseus is reunited to crestfallen Penelope (and his father later on) he brings back happiness to them once again.

The Character Arc

Once again, there is more than one way to do these types of character studies. Here is one view of the character arc of Odysseus.

1. Limited Awareness - Odysseus is living a placid life in the land of Ithaca with his lovely wife, Penelope, and his young son, Telemachus. He is not at all aware of what role that war will play in his life.

2. Increased Awareness - Odysseus' awareness is augmented when Agamemnon and Menelaus come to him ascertaining if he will join them with their warfleet to Troy.

3. Reluctance to Change - At first Odysseus refuses this invitation because he does not want to leave his quiet and peaceful homeland and leave behind his wife and his newly born son.

4. Overcoming - After some convincing Odysseus gives in and embarks on a journey that will take him twenty years to next lay eyes on his homeland once again.

5. Committing - At the Trojan War Odysseus is seen as one of the most respected and important warriors of the Achaeans.

6. Experimenting - The war home and the journey home is what I say as Odysseus' experimenting. At these situations Odysseus gets a chance to show his bravery and his mind.

7. Preparing - The journey home is when Odysseus prepares himself for when the times comes of him reaching the shores of Ithaca. There are many temptations which put Odysseus' love for Penelope on the line. Through each one he struggles and triumphants.

8. Big Change - The big change for Odysseus comes when the ruler of all gods, Zeus, permits his long awaited return to Ithaca to continue once more. Prior to this Odysseus thought that reaching home was almost impossible for him. His grieving heart sank more and more each passing day until Hermes, with his wing-tipped golden sandals, flew down to Ogygia, and told Calypso to release Odysseus.

9. Consequences - Calypso had no choice but to release her captive to voyage home. After she tells Odysseus to leave he constructs a makeshift raft to carry him back to his homeland.

10. Rededication - Odysseus' thoughts and actions are redirected to try to return to Ithaca to reunite with Penelope.

11. Final Attempt - The battle between the suitors and Odysseus, Telemachus, and his allies serves as Odysseus' final attempt.

12. Mastery - Odysseus defeats the suitors and restores tranquility to his house. Thus completing his arduous journey that lasted twenty long enduring years.