User blog:Laquearius/Aeneas vs Odysseus



Aeneas, the Trojan prince who led his people on a quest for a land to call their own...

Odysseus, the Ithacan king who suffered the wrath of Poseidon on a ten-year journey home...

Which of these wandering heroes is DEADLIEST?

Aeneas


Aeneas was the demigod son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Anchises, a prince of Troy, who aided the Trojan defenders during the Trojan War. He frequently found himself in peril at the hands of Achaean champions, but the gods always delivered him from harm, knowing that he had an critical role to play in the future of the Mediterranean world. Aeneas was one of the few who survived Troy's destruction at the end of the war. He escaped with his father, his son, and as many survivors as could be found, and sailed away from their burning homeland. Aeneas and his followers braved the wrath of the gods who opposed the Trojans, and eventually arrived in Italy, where they came into conflict with Turnus, the king of the Rutuli tribe. The Trojans were victorious in the subsequent war, and Aeneas's people finally had peace. Two of Aeneas's descendants, Romulus and Remus, would become the founders of the city of Rome.

Mycenaean Sword
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Aeneas wields a Mycenaean sword as a sidearm. It is a pointed, double-edged sword about sixty centimeters in length. It was a gift from his mother, forged by the smith god Hephaestus at her request. Because of its divine origin, the sword is indestructible by human means.

Dory

Aeneas's main weapon is his dory spear. A two and a half meter long ashwood spear with a bronze head and a counterbalance point on the rear, it was also a gift from Aphrodite.

Javelins

For skirmishes and long range battle, Aeneas carries three bronze-tipped javelins. Each javelin is equipped with a throwing strap, which allows a javelin to be thrown further and makes it more stable in flight.

Divine Trojan Armor
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As Aeneas prepared to make war against the Rutuli, Aphrodite asked Hephaestus, the god of smithing, to forge Aeneas a set of divine armor. Aphrodite returned to her son with a plate cuirass, a piece of torso and shoulder armor made of bronze plates, a Trojan helmet, a three-plumed bronze helm with cheek guards, a pair of greaves, armor for the shins, and an aspis, a large shield, about a meter in diamter. These items are crafted of divine bronze, and cannot be broken or destroyed by any human means. The shield is especially unique, as it is decorated with elaborate carvings depicting the triumphs of the Romans, Aeneas's descendants.

Aphrodite
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Aeneas is aided in his battles by his goddess mother, Aphrodite. She always keeps a watchful eye on her son, ensuring that he does not come to harm. If she sees that Aeneas is in danger, she is more than willing to enter the battle herself, in which she will block the blows of Aeneas's opponents, heal him of his wounds, and shroud him in mist to keep him hidden.

Odysseus


Odysseus was the king of Ithaca, and one of the major leaders of the Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was renowned for being extraordinarily clever, and was the mastermind behind the Trojan Horse scheme that finally ended the war. When Troy was conquered and Helen was rescued, Odysseus and his men set off for home, but it would be ten long year before he would ever see Ithaca again. When stopping on an island to search for food and supplies, Odysseus found himself take captive by the cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus and his men blinded Polyphemus in his sleep, and successfully escaped. However, Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon, and Poseidon did everything in his power to make Odysseus suffer for wounding his son. Odysseus braved each of the dangers that he faced, and finally reached Ithaca, where he would live out the rest of his life in peace.

Xiphos
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Odysseus carries a xiphos, a leaf-shaped shortsword, as his sidearm. It is made of bronze and is about sixty centimeters in length.

Dory

Like Aeneas, Odysseus also carries the primary weapon of any Mycenaean infantryman: a dory spear, albeit a mundane one. It is about two and a half meters long, with a shaft made of ashwood, a head of bronze, and a counterbalance point on the rear of the shaft.

Composite Bow

When he was without his signature Bow of Eurytus, Odysseus used an ordinary Mycenaean composite bow, a recurve bow made of multiple pieces of wood and reinforced with horn and sinew.

Mycenaean Noble Armor
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As an Achaean noble, Odysseus defends himself with the finest armor to be found in Greece. His armor is composed of a set of bronze panoply, which protects the torso, thighs, shoulders, neck, and shins, while still remaining flexible. He also wears a boar tusk helmet, which is made of a simple leather helm lined with the tusks of boars. Odysseus received it from his comrade Meriones, when he was inadequately equipped before a covert mission alongside Diomedes. Lastly, he has a figure-eight shield, named for its shape, which is made from a series of layers of wood, bronze, and toughened animal hide.

Athena
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Odysseus is aided by Athena, the goddess of war and battle strategy, who favors Odysseus for his cleverness. Athena will aid her champion by redirecting incoming blows, guiding Odysseus's own attacks, and warning him of incoming danger.

Statistics
Brutality

Despite usually appearing calm and collected, Odysseus can be frighteningly brutal at times. He took vengeance on Palamedes, the Achaean who tricked him into joining the war, by tricking Agamemnon into believing that he was a traitor, who ordered him to be stoned to death. He executed sleeping Trojan soldiers without a thought during his night raids with Diomedes, and brutally put out the eye of Polyphemus with a stake. Aeneas is less so, but he can still be violent when angered. When his friend Pallas was slain by Turnus, Aeneas went into a vengeance-seeking battle rage, in which he was described as fighting with the fury of fifty men.

Experience

Both warriors fought in the Trojan War, an incredibly large-scale and bloody conflict that lasted for ten years. They also survived their brutally long journeys that followed; Odysseus's lasted ten years more, Aeneas's isn't as clear, but it was certainly for multiple years. They also had to deal with conflicts at home; Odysseus had to lead his small group of loyalists against the suitors who had occupied his home, and Aeneas had to lead his people in a war against the Rutuli tribe, which was a similar scale to the Trojan War, albeit much shorter. Lastly, they both have seen and fought against all kinds of warriors, monsters, and demigods.

Intelligence

Odysseus was renowned throughout the Greek world for being incredibly clever. He could outsmart opponents in creative ways, and come up with clever plans in the blink of an eye. Even Zeus commended his mental prowess. However, Odysseus also suffered from bouts of rage and hubris, which often endangered the lives of his men. Aeneas certainly isn't a fool, but he's never displayed any impressive feats of cleverness, and he also has an unhelpful tendency to get distracted, especially when alluring Carthaginian queens are involved.

Physicality

As the son of Aphrodite, Aeneas has the strength, speed, and stamina of a demigod. He is a particularly impressive example, as he once proved strong enough to force his spear through the first two layers of the divine shield of Achilles. Even when armed with an equally divine spear, this is no small feat. Odysseus has some divine blood in his veins, but he is not a full demigod. However, he still is much stronger than an ordinary man, having wrestled the superstrong Ajax to a draw. He also has impressive stamina, for he has survived being battered by powerful ocean waves for long periods of time.

Tenacity

Neither warrior would allow anything to stop them on their quests. Aeneas knew that it was his destiny to complete his quest to Italy, and he sailed into the unknown knowing that the gods were always with him. Odysseus was determined to return home to his family, and continued to fight even when his fleet was destroyed and his entire crew had been slain, and his efforts were not in vain.

Training

Both warriors likely received all the basic training of a warrior, considering their noble births. However, the constant states of conflict they found themselves in left little time for any significant amount of training later in their lives, but being around experienced comrades certainly didn't hurt. Odysseus possibly has a small advantage here, as the Achaeans on average had more distinguished warriors for him to learn from than the Trojans did.