Character
ZeusJove in this translation
King of the gods · holder of the balance
King of the gods, who holds the balance in this poem rather than driving it. He grants Athena's petition to bring Odysseus home, sends Hermes to prise him away from Calypso, wrecks his last ship when the crew eats the Sun god's cattle, and settles the blood feud in Ithaca on the final page. He opens the story by complaining that mortals blame the gods for the disasters they bring on themselves. Butler calls him Jove.
He opens the poem by complaining that mortals blame the gods for the ruin they bring on themselves — a thesis statement the next twenty-four books keep testing.