He is one of the bravest heroic soldiers of the Trojan War, if he had not been so strong and courageous, he would not have been able to enjoy such respect among his men. For starters, when Odysseus approaches his next obstacle, he chooses between Skylla, a hungry six-headed monster, or Charybdis, a whirlwind. Odysseus chose Skylla because, as he explains, "Better to mourn six men than to lose them all, including the ship." (12.129-130). As previously stated, Skylla takes six of her best men. This represents his courage by showing how brave he was as he approached Skylla, and how he was ready to take her with six men. Later, after Zeus kills all of Odysseus' men, he must face the monsters once again, but this time he chooses Charybdis. He jumps up and holds on to the hanging branch to avoid being sucked into the vortex. He reports, “But I clung glumly, thinking that my mast and keel would rise to the surface when she spouted.” (12.540-541). Odysseus made it out of this mess alive and rowed away on what remained of his destroyed ship. This shows courage because he had to overcome Charybdis alone with the help of no one but himself. Last but not least, Odysseus does everything just so he can be with his wife Penelope. To be reunited with his wife, Odysseus draws a bow that no man but himself could bend, followed by him, slaughtering all the suitors who want her, ending with him fighting and surviving a battle against the relatives of the men he killed. “In the blood and dust he saw that crowd all fallen, many killed.” (22.430-431). This is crucial because it shows his great amount of courage for him