I had never noticed the similarities between Elric of Melniboné and Odysseus, so I thought it would be a fun idea to share.
This impression came when I was watching Epic: The Musical (E:TM), a reimagining of Homer’s Odyssey that became popular on TikTok (!) and seems to be even more similar to Elric than the original Odyssey.
As far as I can tell, Moorcock hasn’t made any widely known or direct comments specifically about Odysseus, nor did I find anyone else pointing to the similarities. Likewise, Jorge Rivera-Herrans (The author of Epic) apparently has not publicly mentioned Elric of Melniboné or Michael Moorcock.
It is likely that some of the similarities I see are common to many different myths/stories, but I find them meaningful enough to mention. Of course, other works such as The Broken Sword might be even more influential on Moorcock.
Both Elric and Odysseus are reluctant heroes (and kings of their respective islands) that leave their thrones (for different reasons) and go on adventure, bound by fate, defying the gods but also summoning them for help.
Odysseus is a warrior of Athena and Elric a protégée of Arioch (at first), but both relationships become complicated during the stories. Both heroes seem to be pawn of the gods at times, and divine beings shape their fate as much as their own choices do.
Both spend a long time dreaming of coming back to their loved ones. Both carry the guilty for the loss of their men in the sea and in battle.
While these themes are widespread in mythology, certain Elric scenes specifically evoke the Odyssey for me.
For example, Odysseus wounds Polyphemus, which angers Poseidon. Elric faces the Sad Giant and decides to spare him... but his companion decides to slay him, to avoid upsetting the lawful gods / thwarting their prophecies. In E:TM, the fact that Odysseus spares Polyphemus angers Athena.
Both Odysseus and Elric sleep with sorceresses and other women despite their great love for their beloved (Penelope and Cymoril; in defense of Elric this happens after the demise of Cymoril).
Is it a stretch to say both travel to the Underworld, be it in Hades or the Realm of Chaos where Elric finds Stormbringer? Maybe.
Both Odysseus and Elric cause a bloodbath on their respective kingdoms when they do manage to come back.
After the Raid on Imrryr (from The Dreaming City), the Dragon Masters of Melniboné awaken the ancient dragons that will obliterate Elric's entire fleet. Knowing he cannot save everyone, Elric summons wind elementals to carry his own ship away from the carnage. Afterwards, he swims away alone.
Odysseus's fleet gets destroyed by Poseidon - especially the Laestrygonians giants, with the last ship being destroyed by a storm and leaving Odysseus alone on as island. In E:TM, Odysseus uses a bag of wind given by the wind god Aeolus to save his ship.
[Elric also has to deal with beings such as Straasha, Lord of the Sea, reminiscent of Poseidon, and Grome, Lord of Earth].
Finally in Elric of Melniboné, the first novel in the saga, during Elric’s assault on the Mirror of Memory (a magical trap that steals the minds of those who look into it), Elric recruits blind warriors to fight by his side, but nearly goes mad himself.
Odysseus has a similar predicament when passing near sirens: he orders his crew to plug their ears with beeswax so they won’t hear the song, but he almost succumbs to their enticing songs, as he chooses to be tied to the ship's mast instead of covering his ears.
[BTW, Elric also gets tied to a ship's mast in different circumstances, suffering hallucinations due to his albinism].
In short...
The Odyssey is so important to western culture that its influence is everywhere, and some of it might as well be unintended, subtle nods or subversions (as Elric is often more tragic dark fantasy than epic).
Elric seems to owe a lot to Greek tragedy - or, in this case, one of the most popular Greek epics ever. As we've said, some themes are nearly universal, being present since the Epic of Gilgamesh and other works. But some similarities are remarkable enough that I felt like sharing them here.
What do you say? Could Odysseus be a direct inspiration to Elric's stories?
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