User blog comment:Cfp3157/The Muses Sing of the Gods' Champion: Jason vs. Odysseus/@comment-5232784-20141224024144

Beware Greeks bearing gifts...

1. Short range

The Gladius was made far into the future, from the point of ancient bronze age Greece. The Gadius comes from a more technologically advanced age, and is longer. However, the Xiphos is made of bronze, and despite common thought, bronze was often stronger than iron (i.e. wrought iron. Carbonized iron is stronger. Until I am told diffeently, I will assume the former is meant). Iron superceded bronze because the materials required to make it were not as scarce as those tht were used to make bronze, and later iron could be made stronger as well. However, this is a one on one fight.

EDGE: Odysseus!

2. Mid range

The brooch vs axe is really a long range vs short range weapon. The brooch has more range but once its gone, its gone. And even if Jason keeps it for a short range battle, it will doo poorly against the sturdier, heavier axe. Javelins are not spears: they are not tough and stout enough for short range battle. Then again, the brooch is said to be very large. Still, I douvbt it is big enough to make a difference.

Edge: Odysseus

3. Long range

Odysseus' bow is probably not as powerful as assumed: It could be that the only reason Odysseus can bend it and no one else is because it is enchanted by the gods (though it could also mean that Odysseus is simply the strongest person on Ithaca: even when desquised as an elderly man, the Nobles of Ithaca marvled at his muscular physique). Indeed, since Hercules and Achilles were stronger than Odysseus, then that means they had the strength to bend it to. It was probably enchanted, or rwquired the strongest person in Ithaca to bend it. Still, from depictions that Cfp uses, it looks more like an ordinary bow and arrow, not an advanced composite bow. Though Odysseus is highly skilled at archery (capable of firing an arrow through numerous axe handle holes), the composite bow is better tehcnologically, and more accurate, with longer range.

EDGE: Jason

4. armor and shield

The bronze musculata armor of Odysseus looks better than the bronze lamenellar armor of Jason, but his crescent shaped shield looks like it might offe less protection than Jason's apsis shield. Hard desicion, I have to call this a draw.

EDGE: DEAD EVEN!!!!

5. Divine aid

Hera is more powerful han Athena: she smacked her good in the Iliad, during a battle in which both gods and mortals fought on opposite sides. However, Athena, not Hera, is the goddess of war as well as wisdom; this is her field of expertise. She is smarter than Hera, and mastered the art of war due to her nature. She will no doubt give Odysseus the methods and means to vanquish Jason, forever.

EDGE: Odysseus

6. X factors

First thing: Neither Odysseus, or Jason, are demigods. They are pure mortals.

Exprience goes to odysseus: while both have vast experience fighting monsters and such, King Odysseus is a vetean of the Trojan war, a ten year long period of Hell on earth. Jason has not experience such a daily bloodbath; he is green.

Odysseus has the far better intellect; he thinks his way out of situations and to victory. He is credited with the idea or the trojan horse. That is someone who thinks outside the box. He wins the intelligence and tactics factors.

Oddyseus was not superman, but he was powerfully built, perhaps like a modern day bodybuilder (the Greeks were shocked at his physique, and that was when he was disguised by Athena as an old man). Jason is not noted to have had such a build.

Both men were great leaders, but Odysseus did not have as good a control over his men as Jason did: they at times disobeyed Odysseus, bringing misery upon themselves. They opened the bag of Iolaus after Odysseus told them not to (this resulted in them being blown back away from ithaca, just when they were about to reach it), and they slaughtered te cattle of Helios, despite Odysseus' warning that it would be their doom, and surpise, it was! Jason did not have the headaches that Odysseus had (though it must be remembered that he did not serve as long with them as Odysseus did with his men: perhaps there was not enough time for Jason's men to commit such blunders). Still, Odysseus did show some weakness over his men, and unlike Jason, Odysseus' people didn't make it to Ithaca, to home.

EDGE: Oddyseus

Odysseus wins this: he has better weapons, better strategy, intellect, strength, experience, and divine aid. No contest,

ODDYSEUS OUTWITS JASON!!!!!!