Women, Weird and Wonderful: Penelope, Patient Wife of Odysseus-Ulysses

In ancient Greece, all brides to be dreamed of becoming the next Penelope, mythical wife of Odysseus, who had – reluctantly – participated in the ten-year campaign to Troy. Since he had managed to enrage almost all of his comrades, gods, heroes, demigods, nymphs, monsters and witches, it took him another ten years to get home. All this time, Penelope rejected other proposals, under the pretext of finishing some weaving, which she would undo at night. When exposed, she promised to marry the one that could cock Odysseus’ bow. He returned just in time to do it himself. Next, he not only unalived all the suitors, but also the girls that had been forced to entertain them. He thought that all this unaliving would impress his wife, but she struggled to recognise him. As a test, she asked him to move their bed, which was a fixed construction from a living tree. His answer revealed this intimate knowledge and thus, Penelope knew he was indeed her husband. Now she just had to convince herself he had been worth waiting for.

Penelope, statue, Franklin Simmons, De Young Museum, San Francisco, USA

Odysseus and Penelope, Terracotta Plaque, Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York, USA

Did you know...

• According to some, Penelope’s name would mean “duckling”, because as a young child, she would have been thrown into the sea by her father. Ducks saved her and brought her back to shore, after which her father took her back.

• In most tradtitions, Odysseus is the son of king Laertes of Ithaka, but some mention Sisyphos as his father and Antikleia as his mother. As she was the daughter of Autolykos (and thus the granddaughter of Hermes), both of his parents would have been exceptionally clever and sly, which explains Oysseus’ cunningness.