Odysseus Probably Had ADHD

Ever since I was diagnosed with ADHD, I’ve been looking for role models I can learn from. There are many celebrities, athletes, and influencers who speak out about their experiences and I find it inspiring to hear their stories. Simone Biles, Emma Watson, and Scott Kelly are just a few of the famous people I admire and hearing about their struggles and their achievements helps me remember that I can achieve a lot of things myself.

I also like to observe other people and see if any ADHD-like characteristics emerge, or any other neurodivergent traits. I do this with the intention of better understanding someone and possibly granting more patience and grace towards someone who is doing their best with the brain that they’ve got. This extends to characters in movies, television, and stories, which adds an extra layer to the complexity of the character and their development. One fantastic character I’ve been loving to examine through this lens is Homer’s Odysseus.

Odysseus has a few strong characteristics of ADHD: impulsiveness, restlessness, and hyper-focus.

In Book 9 of the Odyssey, Odysseus acts impulsively with the cyclops Polyphemus. After seeing the giant eat some of his men for a snack, Odysseus devises a cunning plan to get him and his remaining men out of Polyphemus’ cave and to safety. He uses his observational skills to examine his environment and devise a plan that works perfectly. Once he and his men are out of harm’s reach, Odysseus acts impulsively and reveals his name to Polyphemus, who just happens to be Poseidon’s son who sees to it that Odysseus’ arrival home will take as long as possible as a punishment.

From the ADHD perspective, we are witnessing Odysseus’ thalamus malfunctioning in his brain and he does not seem to have the ability to stop and think about the consequences of his actions. Revealing his name felt right in the moment because he was receiving a dopamine hit after the escape and his brain wanted to keep chasing those wonderful brain chemicals to feel more pleasure and satisfaction from his endeavor.

Odysseus also exhibits some restless behavior. Even though Poseidon has made it so it will take 20 years for him to get home, Odysseus does not seem too terribly sad to find himself in adventure after adventure. There are times when he is exhausted, frustrated, and homesick, but it really seems that he loves and desires all the challenges that are thrown his way. He makes situations more difficult for himself and never takes the easy way out. He refused to put beeswax in his ears so he could hear the Sirens. The temptation of a new experience is too much for him to resist. And when that feeling dissipates, he knows it’s time to move on as in the case with Calypso when it takes a few years to regain his desire to return home to his family.

Finally, Odysseus demonstrated a great ability to hyper-focus on difficult tasks. His ability to pour a seemingly endless amount of energy to get something complicated accomplished is likely because he gets a great deal of pleasure by working on the task at hand. Odysseus works tirelessly to build a raft to leave Ogygia and when he finally returns to Ithaca, he spends days dressed as a beggar to ensure the suitors buy into his ruse and deftly demonstrates his ability to focus and aim when he wins the contest with the suitors by shooting an arrow through many axe heads. When Odysseus is determined to do something, there is nothing that can stop him.

While I’ll probably never have to ask someone to tie me to a boat’s mast so I can listen to the Siren’s song, I do see Odysseus as a character I can learn from. Despite being a decorated hero, he makes plenty of mistakes that he must learn from, Odysseus handles each one in stride and always rises to each challenge that is presented to him. And even though his desires may occasionally change, he is always clear on what it is he truly wants. His drive is inspiring to me and there’s much we all can learn from this hero!

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About the Author:

Montine is an astrologer, tarot reader, and occultist living on unceded Duwamish land that some call Seattle. A forever student, journalist, and queer gender-nonconforming femme, she spends her time listening to the stories people tell with the hope of understanding many more perspectives than her own. Recently diagnosed with ADHD and self-diagnosed as autistic, she is rediscovering the world through a neurodivergent lens and transforming her life to work smarter and not harder. She writes an annual called Book of My Shadows which explores different ways to use the energy of New and Full Moons for personal growth and exploration and one of her current hyperfixations is studying the Greek Magical Papyri.