“Her immortal loom, her enchanted web” (237). Here, Homer talks about weaving life and weaving tapestry all in one sentence. He distinctly points out the beauty and “enchantment” of weaving. Additionally, Homer emphasizes the importance of weaving throughout his epic. In The Odyssey, Homer relates the key motif of weaving to it’s importance in Greek culture and life, to wisdom and planning, and to kleos and reputation.
Homer makes the value of weaving in Greek culture very clear. On page 183, Homer describes Phaeacia as a place where the women are skilled at weaving and the men are master sailors. For these reasons, their people are highly regarded. Additionally, this skill puts them in close regard with Athena, making their status even more elevated because they are close to a goddess herself. Arete is even compared to Athena and seen as being very similar. On page 432, Odysseus tells his serving women to go back to their quarters and weave. Weaving was clearly a usual thing for women to do and was a everyday activity. …show more content…
On page 296, Athena discusses “weaving a scheme” to get back at the suitors. Athena is the goddess of both weaving and wisdom. Here, Homer emphasizes that the characters must have wisdom to put, or “weave," together an intricate plan. On page 111, Nestor tells Telemachus how for “nine years we wove a web of disaster for those Trojans.” Nestor illustrates smart military tactics by comparing it to weaving and fine details of a well woven piece to a strong plan in war. On page 96, Penelope deceived the suitors with her weaving trick. She told the suitors that she would select one to marry when she finished weaving Laertes’ shroud. To avoid having to make a decision Penelope unraveled her progress each night so she would never finish the shroud. Here, Penelope used her trickery and wisdom to deceive the suitors using something she knew how to do best,