The characters of Homer's Odyssey are forever at the mercy of the gods, these immortals who live on the heights of Mount Olympus and who, on occasion , roam the lands of Earth. Throughout the epic poem, the main characters are visited quite often at pivotal moments in the storyline. No god visits these characters more than Pallas Athena, the goddess daughter of Zeus, and no character is visited by the gods more than the protagonist, King Odysseus. In book XIII, during the long-awaited and unofficial arrival of Odysseus on the shores of Ithaca, Athena appears before him as a young shepherd. Careful analysis of the linked scenes throughout the book and this passage will show that Odysseus knew he was in the presence of the goddess before she revealed herself to him and, in doing so, will shed light on an aspect of their relationship that could have been neglected. by the casual reader. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The gods appear before and manipulate the minds of many characters in The Odyssey, and most of the time the person is unaware of the god's presence. Athena's presence, however, is detected on more than one occasion by the book's characters. The first time the goddess is detected occurs in Book I, when Athena visits Telemachus disguised as an old family friend of Taphos named Mentes. She is there to encourage the prince to go on a journey in search of news of his father. Asked by the suitors of Odysseus's household about the visitor, Telemachus replies: "...This man is an old friend of the family, of Taphos, the son of the wise Anchialus. He says his name is Mentes , the lord of the Taphian men who love their oars." So he says. But deep in his mind, he knew the immortal goddess. (I, 476-480) Although Athena has disguised herself, she is still detected by Telemachus. It is unclear if he is able to detect her in this case because she wants him to, or if he simply possesses an ability inherited from Odysseus. It doesn't really matter, because the point is that Athena can be sensed whether she is in her female form or disguised as something else. Although Athena often appears in disguise at first, she is not shy. She is generally not reluctant to have her presence known, and she often appears at the end of the encounter as herself. Although several examples are available, including that in Book XIII between her and Odysseus, the particular passage below showing Athena presenting herself before a group of people seems appropriate: With that, the bright-eyed goddess flew away in a la shape and flight of the eagle. Astonishment fell on all the Achaeans. The old king, astonished by what he had seen, grabbed Telemachus' hand and cried to the prince: "Dear child, do not fear that you are a coward or helpless, although at your young age the gods will protect you so..." (III, 415-421)Not only does Athena have no problem showing herself in front of the person she is visiting, but she is also not opposed to appearing in front of groups. King Nestor's words are also appropriate here because they demonstrate that to be the target of a visitation from the gods is to be blessed. Likewise, Odysseus knows he is blessed because the gods told him he was. on his final journey home He is convinced that the gods, especially Athena, are watching over him to guide him on this final leg of his journey. When Athena appears before him on the shore, she is disguised as a young shepherd. immediately knows that it is her The pronouns used by the narrator are proof of this: But then Athena appeared and advanced towards him... Ulysses, delighted by this sight, stood up to meet her.now joins with flying greetings: (XIII, 251-259) Although the narrator tells us that Athena is disguised as him, we still see the pronoun "she" in place of "he" as Odysseus approaches the character . This is a pretty clear contextual clue that supports the idea that Odysseus sees that the shepherd is Athena in disguise. As he approaches the disguised Athena, his words give clues that he knows it's her. He said: "I have arrived in this port, treat me with kindness, not cruelty, please. Save these treasures, save me too. I pray to you like a god, I fall before your knees and ask your mercy!” (XIII, 260-263). He uses the word god. He tells a random shepherd that he will fall down and pray to him. It seems rather strange that an Odysseus whom the reader knows as normally, frankly "arrogant", would use such flowery speech towards a young shepherd. For these reasons, it seems that he is simply pleasing the great Pallas Athena who preceded him in disguise. In the story preceding The Odyssey, The Iliad, Odysseus uses his human ingenuity and ingenuity, traits that Athena is said to have inspired in men. , to conceive the plot which completed the sack of Troy. The similarity in the characters of man and goddess explains one of the main reasons why Odysseus favors Athena. Not only does Athena pity 20-year-old Odysseus, but she also sees a little piece of herself in him. She expresses this feeling of kinship in a passage that appears when she reveals her shepherd disguise in Book XIII: "Any man – any god who meets you – should be a champion of lying and cheating to definitely surpass yourself. - craftsmanship and trickery! Terrible man, cunning, ingenious, never tired of twists and tricks - so, even here, on native soil, you would not abandon those cunning stories that warm the cockles of your heart! Now we are both experts in the art of intrigue. Here, among mortal men, you are by far the best in tactics, and I am equally famous among the gods for your wisdom and cunning. (XIII, 329-339) The idea that Athena loves Odysseus is essential to establishing the context of their conversation. Athena appears before him, disguised, but he knows it must be her. He finds himself at a pivotal point in his journey and it seems clear that some sort of immortal direction is required. So he concocts a witty story in which he himself is a foreign fugitive to please her. It's a kind of game, and when it was over, Athena "smiled and stroked him with her hand" (XIII, 326-7), as if to say "silly boy", you can't fool me. More evidence of their playful, laid-back relationship is seen in the way they speak to each other. Athena said to Odysseus "Ah, but you never recognized me, did you? Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus - who always stands by your side, protects you in every exploit" (XIII, 340-342 ). The first sentence is the one to focus on here. The “Ah, but you never recognized me” seems to represent the playful element again. She knows he knew who she was. Odysseus's response reciprocates this sentiment and further demonstrates the ironic way in which they speak: "'Ah, goddess,' replied the cool tactician, 'it is so difficult for a mortal to recognize you on sight, however cunning be it - the forms you take are infinite" (XIII, 354-356). They both joke, as if they were old friends. The funny thing is that they are in some way. so Odysseus is famous for his twenty-year journey, wandering aimlessly, helplessly at the mercy of the gods, she played a key role in his life. A,.