The will of God and divinity is a major theme of Homer’s Odyssey. The ancient Greek epic makes heavy references to the Olympian gods like Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, and more. In fact, Athena is a key figure in Odysseus’ journey home. So, it was only natural that Christopher Nolan would also have to include them in his version of the adaptation. But as we know, Nolan did not want The Odyssey to be an exact copy of Homer’s epic. Therefore, he took his own approach with characters and themes of the source material, and the parts with the gods were no exception.

In a recent interview, Nolan has shed light on how he approached gods and deities in The Odyssey.

Christopher Nolan on bringing the gods to life in The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan took part in what some online users refer to as his “best” and most thought-provoking interview. When Chinese political philosophy instructor and podcaster Zhong Shu interviewed Nolan in Beijing, promoting his most recent movie, The Odyssey, Nolan got into a very philosophical conversation. One of the points of discussion in the conversation was the director’s approach to gods and deities in the movie.

“For people who would have lived in that time, for whom in a pre-scientific era, evidence of divinity is everywhere. And so, the existence of gods is not an article of faith; it’s simple reality,” explained Nolan.

“So, thunder & lightning is God speaking to them, or the state of the ocean is moved by the gods. They have no other explanation for it,” he added.

It appears that Nolan was attempting to portray an ancient people’s attempt to comprehend natural events through the creation of gods. This understanding of god is not a choice of faith but the reality of the times. Indeed, Zendaya’s Athena makes a clear statement along the lines of, “What are the gods if not the waves crashing in?” 

Additionally, although the film does put the audience in the shoes of the men and women who inhabit this world, Nolan’s decision to portray the gods in a manner that depicts their will in everything that is happening in the world is not only evocative of a bygone era; it is crucial to the film’s overall success.

Shu also asked Nolan if he had “Christianized” The Odyssey, pointing out that the idea of atonement is absent from both Homer’s original work and ancient Greek civilization.

Christopher Nolan on the concept of atonement in The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan explained that “atonement is what audiences bring as viewers to the story” and clarified that he did not purposefully approach it from a particular philosophical perspective. Nolan mentioned that the story’s structural damage and catastrophe are caused by the suitors’ violation of the Greek concept of xenia, which the film refers to as “Zeus’s law” for simplicity. 

Xenia is the idea of treating others with respect and respecting them because they may be a god in disguise. In practical storytelling terms, the Christian religion does not prevent the coming collapse of the surrounding world, even while it encourages repentance and emotional catharsis. The interview helped a lot with propagating Nolan’s approach on some of the core concepts and themes of The Odyssey, like gods, hubris, and repentance.  

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