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Athena In The Odyssey Book 7

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Athena In The Odyssey Book 7
In book 7 and 8, Athena alters how Odysseus appears to others. In book 7, Odysseus has arrived in Phaeacia and makes his way to the King’s palace. During his walk, the narrator explains how Athena alters Odysseus’s appearance: “Pallas Athena, harboring kindness for the hero, drifted a heavy mist around him, shielding him from any swaggering islander who’d cross his path… [and] search out who he was” (VII.16-19). Here, Athena tries to help Odysseus by concealing him during his journey by surrounding him with mist. Mist conceals or hides objects that would otherwise be visible. This shows that Odysseus wants to be hidden from other people, and is not ready to be in the public eye yet. The narrator also explains the mist shields him from the islanders.

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