While it is true that Odysseus's defining traits are his cleverness and cunning intelligence, he does exhibit physical strength. To be a proper Homeric Hero, it is necessary that one is extremely strong. Odysseus usually uses his physical power to supplement his mind, not as his first approach. It is always a given that he is a strong man, because of the fact that he is a war hero and a king.
Here are some other places in Odysseus's journey in which his physical strength helped him:
-He drives a stake through the eye of the Cyclops Polyphemus, blinding the giant, and thus allowing his men to escape.
-While his entire ship and his entire crew are drowned by the whirlpool monster Charybdis, he clings on to a fig tree above the water and is the only one who survives.
-He takes part of a pentathlon while under Alcinous and Arete's care in Phaeacia.
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