Do we like them?

Do we like Odysseus?

A character from The Odyssey (c. 8th century BC)

Our score: 6 out of 10. A brilliant, brave and loyal-to-home hero, but his pride and trickery cost his crew dearly. We'd back him, but we'd want a say in the route.

Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, famed among the Greeks for his wits as much as his sword. In Homer's epic he is a married father who was pulled away to the Trojan War. The Odyssey follows his long, dangerous journey home. Britannica describes him as a man of wisdom, shrewdness, eloquence, resourcefulness, courage and endurance.

The score comes from a mix of strengths and flaws. He is the sort of leader who can talk or trick his way out of nearly anything, and he never gives up on getting home. But he is also vain and sometimes careless, and his boasting and curiosity put his crew in danger more than once. He is loyal to family and home, yet not always to the people beside him.

After years of wandering, he returns to find his household under pressure from men who want to take his place. He disguises himself, tests who is loyal, and wins back what is his. It is a satisfying triumph, though it is violent and merciless, which is part of why he is a hero we would follow but not always like.