tect Odysseus, she is also doing it to test the virtue of Penelope. Perhaps there could be more to her motive than merely testing Penelope’s virtue. If Penelope would succumb to the wooing of any of the suitors, it would mean Odysseus was a free man.
The relationship between Athena and Odysseus also is symbolic of another important aspect of Greek culture and life in ancient times—that of the relationship between mortals and gods. Throughout the poem, we see that the gods exhibit a polarity in their feelings and attitudes toward human beings, even great ones like Odysseus. At times, they mete out punishments without regard for the human suffer
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