[Wombat101]

Correct, but I'm not talking about the mystical origins of the Illiad and Odysee. I'm thinking that the story hides a lot of historical truth with metaphor and allusions to actions of the gods.

Odysseus would not have been a very welcome guest back in Greece, even if he did come up with the wining strategy -- his solution (trickery) would have run counter to the basic tenets of Greek warfare. The victory, although probably very welcome, would have been tainted because it was not gained through force of arms.

In that situation, it would be easy to see why Odysseus would have wandered for so long: he was persona non grata back in Greece. Exile as punishment was not unknown in the Greek world.

[fqued]

Odysseus would not have been a very welcome guest back in Greece, even if he did come up with the wining strategy -- his solution (trickery) would have run counter to the basic tenets of Greek warfare

I think I will have to disagree. In the very first lines of the Odessey, Odysseus is described as "polytropon" - many turning, generally translated as "resourceful". It is precisely this resourcefulness (trickery) that much is made of in the Odessey. I believe that the Big O was greatly esteemed precisely because of his "polytropon".