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Examples Of Epic Similes In The Odyssey

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The Odyssey by Homer is an epic tale about the Greek hero Odysseus and his adventures back home to Ithaca. With the assumption that he had died, Odysseus’ wife Penelope and son Telemachus face off a group of suitors looking to court Penelope. A major theme found in The Odyssey is the notion of revenge. Additionally, a recurrent literary device—the epic simile—appears throughout the story, wherein comparisons are made in the form of similes, except on a grander scale. Homer utilizes a couple of epic similes in Book XXII to fully substantiate the formidability of Odysseus’ thirst for revenge against the suitors and his traitorous servants through the use of violent imagery.
The first epic simile is: “Like vultures with crooked talons and hooked

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