Odyssey Quotes

Odyssey Quiz Erin Brzusek

1) Book I, page 7-8, lines 236-254

“’As for my sailing here-/the tale was that your father had come home,/ therefore I… he can do anything’”(Mentês).

1 Athena, disguised as Mentês, is speaking to Odyssey’s son, Telemakhos. Mentês

enters Odysseus’ home in search for Telemakhos. Once Telemakhos sees Mentês he

brings him to a more secluded area away from the suitors in order to speak with

him. Curiously, Telemakhos asked Mentês “’What kind of ship is yours, and what

course brought you here? Who are your sailors? I don’t suppose you walked here on

the sea’” (Homer 6). With his questioning, Telemakhos is hinting at the fact that

Mentês is a god or goddess. However, Mentês tells Telemakhos “’Mentês I’m called,

I came by ship, with a ship’s

company’” (Homer 7). Mentês proceeds to tell Telemakhos that Odysseus is still

alive and he must seek word of his father’s whereabouts by traveling.

2 Telemakhos, Odysseus’s son, and Athena, disguised as Mentês, are having a

conversation. It is important because Athena reveals information to the reader

about Odysseus including his whereabouts and his well-being. It is also crucial to

Telemakhos’s actions because Athena persuades Telemakhos to seek knowledge of

his father. He gathers a ship and a crew and then proceeds to leave without telling

his mother of his journey.

3 It reflects a passage I annotated, “’But never in this world is Odysseus dead’”

(Homer 7) which is spoken by Athena. It is extremely important because it