What Is Athena's Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey

Dylan Madden Word Count: 539
Odyssey: Books V, VI, X and XXIII Response
4 September 2017

Athena continues to show her care giving side after pleading with her father Zeus to free Odysseus which he does after he sent Hermes to tell Calypso to free him and she does which shows that she has a sense of decency despite her sexual ambitions to keep him on her island. After building a raft and sailing out to sea, he continues to receive bad treatment from Poseidon after he conjured up a storm that knocked him down into the water. Watching him being tossed like a rag doll around in the sea, a goddess named Ino, like Athena, showed a caring side for protecting Odysseus by providing him a scarf and with it he abandoned his raft and belongings and “dove headfirst into the sea, stretched his arms and stroked for life itself” (Book V, 411-412). While swimming toward the shore, he also had assistance from Athena who calmed Poseidon’s storm and stopped the winds by “commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep” (Book V, 423) and eventually he would make it toward land.
Athena also continued her devious side after appearing before Nausicca, daughter of King Alcinous, in disguised and told her to wash her clothes in the river and Nausicca would do so the next day.
In Book VI, I see more of a feminine side to mortal women with Nausicca and her maids traveling down to the river to wash clothes by themselves. Nausicca showed a lack of fear after she and her maids come across Odysseus who successfully swam to shore and onto land owned by Nausicca and her father. She also showed a caring side like Athena after aiding Odysseus with food and drinks. The closer she got to him though, the more she felt in love with him. With her hospitality though, Odysseus realized he may still need her help if he would ever get
home. Book X was full of danger toward Odysseus and his men and most of the gods still refuse to help them especially Odysseus being tricked with Aeolus’ bag of wind. He and his men go from island to island and encounter Laestrygonia, home of giants and then toward Aeaean island, home of the nymph Circe. She showed strength, beauty and sexual ambitions much like Calypso and her power over men especially turning Odysseus’ men into pigs. Book XXIII marked the reunion of Odysseus and Penelope after he and his son Telemachus defeated the suitors. Penelope, however, had her doubts about the man before her. Throughout the story, Penelope has been known to have loyalty to her husband even with the suitors invading her home. She wanted to make sure the gods weren’t impersonating Odysseus. So she provided a test with whether or not he would know the tale behind their olive tree carved bed. In response, he replied by saying “Who could move my bed? Impossible task, …” (Book XXIII ,205). He went on and explained to her the story behind their bed and his words led her to jump into his arms, knowing that he was Odysseus. The bed served in the story as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness they both shared in their marriage which is why is wanted to use it as a test to know if he was in fact Odysseus, especially after everything he went through to get back home.