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   troutmiller Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   Athena appears several times in this epic as Mentor, who is an old family friend.  She chose someone who could be trusted by Telemachus.  She appeared to him this way so that she could put it into his mind that he needed to be a man and go out and find his father.  He should at least search for news about him if he can't find him.  She is successful in doing this.

   Athena then disguises herself as a young man when Odysseus finally makes it back to his home land in Book 13.  She then appears to him in her original/goddess-like form.  She helps to disguise him before he meets up with Eumaeus, and she helps him to regain his kingdom.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/odyssey/book-1-summary-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/odyssey/book-13-summary-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/odyssey/characters

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   Posted by troutmiller on Thursday February 5, 2009 at 2:44 PM