Tags: The goddess uses this disguise in order to approach and advise Telemachus, son of Odysseus who sets out in search of his father: “So saying she bound on her glittering golden sandals, imperishable, with which she can fly like the wind over land or sea; she grasped the redoubtable bronze-shod spear, so stout and sturdy and strong, wherewith she quells the ranks of heroes who have displeased her, and down she darted from the topmost summits of Olympus, whereon forthwith she was in Ithaca, at the gateway of Ulysses' house, disguised as a visitor, Mentes, chief of the Taphians, and she held a bronze spear in her hand.”. We are told that Poseidon, god of the sea, will make Odysseus' journey home to Ithaca even more difficult (he is angry that Odysseus has blinded his son, th… When Odysseus reaches the city of Phaecians – “a people who used to live in the fair town of Hypereia, near the lawless Cyclops” – “she took the form of the famous sea captain Dymas's daughter . He sometimes helps Odysseus or permits Athena to do the same. Who does Odysseus encounter in the Land Of The Dead in Homer's. Athena repeated does 2 things. Athena uses the cunning of disguise until Hector addresses Achilles to say it's time to end the chase. A young girl carrying a pitcher, telling him how to get to the palace. ... Athena disguises herself as Telemachus. . Wash her family's clothes. Odysseus' son, Telemachus, unhappy among the suitors, greets Athena warmly as a stranger and invites her to their feast. Self-anointed guardian of Odysseus as the latter tries desperately to return home to his wife and son, Athena uses disguises to maneuver among humans and to facilitate the great warrior’s eventual success. Click to see full answer. Are you a teacher? She disguises herself as Nausicaa’s friend and tells her to wash her clothes in a certain spot, knowing Odysseus would be there. She usually appears to mortals disguised as another mortal or as a bird; it might be that she is naturally reticent (as Zeus is naturally dramatic and Log in here. Without the full extent of her powers, Athena looks like a cute girl in her early teens with short silver hair and Consequently, what role does the goddess Athena play in this battle? Each disguise is unique, created for a specific purpose. She disguises herself as Telemachus to gather 20 fine young men and procure a ship. The narrator calls upon the Muse to help him tell the story of Odysseus. 1 Athena disguises herself as Deiphobus and tells Hector the two of them should go fight Achilles together. In the Odyssey, different characters use many disguises to hide their true intentions, demonstrating that reactions can change based on the impact of appearance as seen by the disguises of Athena and Circe. Arachne (/ ə ˈ r æ k n iː /; from Ancient Greek: ᾰ̓ρᾰ́χνη, romanized: arákhnē, lit. In the Iliad, Athena disguises herself as Deiphobos, the brother of Hector. It is in the form of Mentor that Athena remains among Telemachus and his crew throughout much of their journey. What are the challenges that Odysseus had to face on his journey home? Their story is a prequel to the Odyssey. Cloudflare Ray ID: 64d2cc729931f3f7 Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. She often appears in disguise as Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus. Among the disguises Athena uses in support of her efforts is that of Mentes, king of the Taphians and the son of Antiloches. Before she talks to Telemachos, Athena disguises herself as a wise old man in order to ensure that her words carry weight and are taken seriously. Athena disguises herself as a young girl so that Odysseus will be more likely to trust her. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Which of Odysseus’ qualities does Zeus cite in order to convince Athena that he is partial to the hero? What significance does Zeus have in The Odyssey by Homer. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. Picture a solemn owl, serenely perched on a branch and staring out at the surrounding world, observing every sound, looking for signs of disturbance, contemplating the precise moment to swoop down and attack a scurrying mouse. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Mentes (King of the Taphians) In Book I, the Goddess Athena disguises herself as Mentes, an old family friend of Odysseus, when she goes to visit his son, Telemachus. answer choices. Never boast about your abilities, or there may be consequences. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Athena disguised herself as a shepherd and approached Odysseus. Athena uses her disguises for good to inform Odysseus about news, events that have occurred, and other things. Disguised as a girl the princess's age, Athena scolds her for the poor condition of her clothes, and … Again, in Book II, Athena uses disguises to interact with humans, in this case in support of Telemachus’ preparations for his voyage in search of his father: “Then Minerva bethought her of another matter. 10. They are characters who will play pivotal roles later in the plot. They are characters who will serve as foils to Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus. What reason does Nausicaa give her father to allow her to go to the river to wash their clothes. Athena challenged Arachne to a weaving contest after she boasted about her skills. What example does Athena (disguised as Mentes) use to encourage Telemachus to kill the suitors that plague his home with discourtesy and disrespect? exact_answer none 47279 0 (with margin: 0) 0 ... Book 24, lines 242-252. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. Why did Nausicaa really want to go to the river. In Book VI, she joins with Odysseus in helping him overcome obstacles, acting as spy and scout for the great warrior. Athena is confident, practical, clever, a master of disguises, and a great warrior, characteristics she finds reflected in Telemachus. Athena's Fortune is one of the major Trading Companies in Sea of Thieves that only deals with Pirates of Legendary repute. The story of the weaving contest between Arachne and Athena is one of the most familiar myths about Athena, and its central theme is also popular. Secretively and light-handedly, she guides Telemachus and helps Odysseus when she can. 8. Share Link. She does not want to reveal herself to … They are characters who symbolize important places in the Odyssey. She also often helps Telemachus—as when she sends him off to Pylos and Sparta to earn a name for himself—but she has the most affection for Odysseus. As Odysseus sleeps, Athena flies to a Phaeacian city where the princess Nausicaa, daughter of the king Alcinous, lies sleeping. Disguised, the bright-eyed goddess chided…” (117). Later, Athena adopts the disguise another disguise in response to Telemachus’ pleas for help in his journey: “As he thus prayed, Minerva came close up to him in the likeness and with the voice of Mentor.”  It is uncertain whether this reference to “Mentor” is meant to be the same as “Mentes,” as both disguises are used for the purpose of interacting with Telemachus, and the names are certainly similar. When the shepherd asks him who he is, Odysseus makes up an elaborate story about being a hunted man from Crete who fought in the Trojan War and just escaped a ship of pirates. It is also possible that “Mentor” is a separate person, an Ithican who offers guidance to the son of Odysseus. 7. Who does Athena instruct Telemachus to visit in search of news about his father? T h e G o d d e s s A t h e n a i n H o m e r ' s O d y s s e y. Ulysses and Athena. In the Odyssey by Homer, what is Athena's role? How does Athena recruit men for Telemachus journey to find news of Odysseus from LIB 101 at Ashford University. Glory and Honor. Athena visited Telemachus disguised as Mentes, son of Anchialus, and the leader of the Taphians. In trying to return home, Odysseus and his shipmates had numerous adventures, but now Odysseus has been left alone on the island of Ogygia for the last eight years, captive of the beautiful goddess Calypso. makeovers, Athena’s most memorable trickeries and deceptions in The Odyssey are the disguises she devises for herself and Odysseus. She offers to guide him to the king’s house and shrouds him in a protective mist that keeps the Phaeacians, a kind but somewhat xenophobic people, from harassing him. What does Athena tell Nausicaa to do. Athena also had to pour a sea fog around Odysseus to protect him, and then she assumed the shape of a little girl and showed him the way to the palace (Homer and Johnston 111-112). Greek mythology repeatedly hammers home the danger of comparing oneself with a goddess. Athena brings hope to those who need it the most. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. • If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. What is the importance of Athena in Homer's "The Odyssey?". Athena assists Odysseus and Telemachus with divine powers throughout the epic, and she speaks up for them in the councils of the gods on Mount Olympus. Arachne was an excellent weaver, but not near as good as Athena. She went also to Noemon son of Phronius,and asked him to let her have a ship- which he was very ready to do.”, She again takes the form of Mentor in joining Telemachus as he and his crew prepare their ship and set sail. There is something very trustworthy about small children, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, uses this to her advantage. Your IP: 195.154.57.18 Why did Athena disguise herself as Mentes in The Odyssey, Book 1? In disguise as an old friend of Odysseus', Athena travels to his manor in Ithaca, now overrun with noisy, lustful suitors intent on marrying Odysseus' wife, Penelope. Summary. 9. Athena assists Odysseus and Telemachus with divine powers throughout the epic, and she speaks up for them in the councils of the gods on Mount Olympus. Athena continues to support Telemachus. Athena again used … 'spider', cognate with Latin araneus) is the protagonist of a tale in Greek mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), which is the earliest extant source for the story. Arachne turned into a small spider after she made a weaving of the gods. Athena, disguised as him, tells Telemachus that he is sailing to the city of Temese with his own crew, claiming that he is in search of copper. .”. Sign up now, Latest answer posted November 16, 2019 at 2:42:43 PM, Latest answer posted October 10, 2013 at 7:04:36 PM, Latest answer posted November 10, 2012 at 12:32:17 AM, Latest answer posted July 01, 2013 at 2:25:48 PM, Latest answer posted February 05, 2020 at 6:59:12 AM. She often appears in disguise as Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus. Athena is "kind of like that". Throughout Odysseus’ journey home, Athena appears in various forms and manipulates images to facilitate the successful conclusion of the former’s decade-long effort at returning to Penelope and Telemachus. ©2021 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, What are 3 examples of times when Odysseus demonstrated epic hero/god like qualities in. The characters' use of disguises in Homer's Odyssey is a crucial element that helps to catalyze the victory of good over evil. She took his shape, and went round the town to each one of the crew, telling them to meetat the ship by sundown. The use of disguises is a common feature throughout Homer’s epic The Odyssey, and their use by Athena, goddess of wisdom, courage and justice, and daughter of Zeus, is no exception. Athena wanted to trick Hector, because she did not want Troy to win the war. Already a member? This wise protector of the forest, this strategic hunter, She inspired the assembly meeting, and she plans his secret departure for Pylos, recognizing that the suitors are becoming dangerous and might attempt to assassinate him. Tags: She claimed that she was on a voyage to Temesa for purposes of trade. We pick up ten years after the fall of Troy in the Trojan War (the subject of The Iliad). Hector is thrilled to see his brother has dared to come out of Troy to help him. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Once they clean him up, Athena also makes Odysseus appear differently. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. She often disguises Herself and She often tests people. Analysis. She changed his appearance making him look better and stronger. She was often “appearing as friend, familiar, guest.” 14 At the beginning of the epic, Athena appears to Telemachus as Mentes, lord of the Taphians, an old On his way to the palace of Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, Odysseus is stopped by a young girl who is Athena in disguise. Formed by the Pirate Lord, Athena's Fortune is only accessible to Player Pirates who have proven themselves as Pirate Legends. While Athena was a friend of Greek heroes, she wasn't so helpful to women. The king should be wearing clean clothes, and his three bachelor sons need to have clean clothes. What does Athena warn Telemachus about in Book 15 of Homer's Odyssey? • After seven years with the nymph, Odysseus is sent away on a raft. Before Telemachus even set sail from his home, Athena disguised herself as the prince and brought crewman to his ship: “Gather beside our ship at nightfall- Be there” (B2:L425). He washes ashore on the island of Phaecia, where Athena disguises herself as a local girl to guide the king’s daughter to Odysseus. Among the disguises Athena uses in support of her efforts is that of Mentes, king of the Taphians and the son of Antiloches. As the first reference occurs in Book I and the second in Book II, and as little is known about Homer and the writing of “The Odyssey,” is probable that “Mentes” and “Mentor” are intended to be the same individual. Athena is Ulysses' special patron.The bond between them arises from the similarities of their natures; as the Goddess herself puts it in Book 13: We both know tricks, since you are by far the best among all men in counsel and tales, but I among all the Gods have renown for wit (metis) and tricks. In book one of the Iliad, she doesn't disguise, but in book one of The Odyssey, she disguises as Mentis. In Book 6 of the Odyssey, Athena makes a surprise visit in the princess of Pheacia, Nausicaa’s, dream. When Poseidon discovers this he sinks the small vessel, but Odysseus is saved by Athena and a helpful sea nymph.