What are some epic similes in Books 1-3 of the Odyssey?

An epic simile will take place over several lines. It contains the same measure of a simile in that there must be a comparison that begins it, often using like or as. In Book 1, here is a simile about Athena:

So saying she bound on her glittering golden sandals, imperishable, with which she can fly like the wind over land or sea; she grasped the redoubtable bronze-shod spear, so stout and sturdy and strong, wherewith she quells the ranks of heroes who have displeased her, and down she darted from the topmost summits of Olympus, whereon forthwith she was in Ithaca, at the gateway of Odysseus' house.

Over several lines the simile grows its power. It began simply by comparing Athena's speed to the wind. This is further developed by the words darted and later whereon forthwith. Each of these words suggest the speed that the original simile cited.

In Book 2, the first paragraph contains an epic simile:

NOW WHEN THE child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared Telemachus rose and dressed himself. He bound his sandals on to his comely feet, girded his sword about his shoulder, and left his room looking like an immortal god. He at once sent the criers round to call the people in assembly, so they called them and the people gathered thereon; then, when they were got together, he went to the place of assembly spear in hand—not alone, for his two hounds went with him. Athena endowed him with a presence of such divine comeliness that all marveled at him as he went by, and when he took his place in his father's seat even the oldest councillors made way for him.

In this simile, Telemachus is compared to a god. His appearance in dressing developed this. It is further developed by the words presence of such divine comeliness and all marveled at him and even the oldest councillors made way for him.

The only simile I find in Book 3 is a stretch for an epic simile because it does not develop as much as the others, but it performs the function of comparing Telemachus once again to a god:

Meanwhile lovely Polycaste, Nestor's youngest daughter, washed Telemachus. When she had washed him and anointed him with oil, she brought him a fair mantle and shirt, and he looked like a god as he came from the bath and took his seat by the side of Nestor. When the outer meats were done they drew them off the spits and sat down to dinner where they were waited upon by some worthy henchmen, who kept pouring them out their wine in cups of gold. As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink Nestor said, “Sons, put Telemachus' horses to the chariot that he may start at once.”

What are three epic similes in Part 1 of The Odyssey?

The first place to begin with trying to construct a simile is to consider the quality or behavior you are attempting to figuratively represent and figure out something else that has that quality or engages in that behavior.  Also, since we are supposed to support Odysseus, Telemachus, and Penelope in their loyalty and steadfastness and bravery, you'll want to form comparisons that are relatively positive in connotation.  

So, if your first simile should address Odysseus's skills in planning schemes, you might consider some other creature that is really skillful at planning.  One that comes to mind for me is a spider.  A spider seems to plan and create an intricate web with such ease; further, webs are incredibly strong and enable the spider's survival, just as his schemes are.  A spider seems like an excellent creature to serve as a comparison for Odysseus's skill in planning schemes.

Next, Penelope is patient and resourceful, so try to consider a creature that also has these qualities.  Perhaps a bird?  Birds make their homes from found items, and mother birds sit on their eggs, patiently waiting for them to hatch.  Penelope is likewise resourceful when protecting her home and family and is quite patient while waiting for her husband to return.

Likewise, think of a creature that is considered to be brave, as Telemachus is, and begin there.  Because Odysseus is compared to a lion via an epic simile in the text already, you might entertain the idea of comparing Telemachus to a lion cub, a younger animal who is nonetheless brave enough to take on other, full-grown animals (who would be the suitors in this simile).  

Is there an epic simile in Book 4 of Homer's Odyssey?

There is an epic simile toward the end of Book IV of The Odyssey, on lines 790–794. It describes Penelope lamenting the fate of her son after she hears about the suitors' plan to ambush Telemachus on his return:

And even as a lion is seized with fear and broods amid a throng of men, when they draw their crafty ring about him, so was she pondering when sweet sleep came upon him.

Homer is comparing Penelope's fears for her son's well-being to a lion being chased by hunters, and the fear it has when it knows it could be captured and killed at any moment. Her emotions are so riled up that she feels like something bad is closing in on her and her son, like a hunter stalking its prey. This could also directly reference the fact that Telemachus is about to head into the suitors' trap—if we compare Telemachus to the lion and the suitors to the hunters.

It's also worth noting that Penelope calls her husband, Odysseus, "lion-hearted"—another tie-in to this simile and the rest of the epic.

First, let's get clear on what an epic simile is. A simile, as you probably know, is simply an explicit comparison using words such as "like" or "as" (e.g., "His words beat down on Patroclus like dark wings"). An epic simile (also known as a "Homeric simile") involves a lengthy comparison between two complex entities or actions. The epic simile brings out major themes and symbols and also provides added poetic depth. It also provide a digression or a suspension of immediate action.

An example of this in Book IV of the Odyssey can be found in lines 335 and following. In these lines the (anticipated) rage of Odysseus is compared to the courage of a lion. In the words of Menelaus (talking about Penelope's suitors):

Rogues, men without courage, they are, who wish to creep into a brave man’s bed. Odysseus will bring them to a cruel end, just as if a doe had left twin newborn fawns asleep in some great lion’s lair in the bush, and gone for food on the mountain slopes, and in the grassy valleys, and the lion returned to its den and brought them to a cruel end.

Penelope's description of her husband as lion-hearted in line 723 reminds us of this comparison.

This epic simile also introduces an extremely important theme that is found in three other epic similes in the Odyssey: the role of family. The other locations are V.393 ff., VIII.525 ff., and X.410 ff. In addition, it uses the symbol of the lion, a symbol which predominates in Book IV and elsewhere.

What are some similes in Book 5 of Homer's Odyssey?

There are several similes in Book 5 of The Odyssey. In line 14 of Book 5, Athena says that Odysseus was "as kindly as a father to his children" as a leader of Ithaca. Later, as Odysseus is in a storm, his craft is tossed about in the following way: "Pell-mell the rollers tossed her along down-current/wild as the north wind tossing thistle along the fields/at high harvest" (lines 360-362). In this simile, the way in which the waves are tossing Odysseus's boat is compared to the way in which grain is tossed in the wind. When Ino spies Odysseus in the waves, "she broke from the waves like a shearwater on the wing" (line 371), or like a bird in flight. Poseidon sends a wave towards Odysseus that is "hard as a windstorm blasting piles of dry parched chaff" (line 405). In this simile, the waves that toss Odysseus are again compared to a windstorm blowing about grain. The waves are so powerful that they make Odysseus seem as light as a handful of grain.

Early in Odyssey 5, Hermes, as he flies off to Calypso's island, is compared to a bird skimming the ocean in search of fish.

Later in the same book, after Odysseus builds his raft and sets out from Calypso's island, he floats along for over two weeks before he finally sees the land of Phaeacia, which is compared to a shield resting on top of the sea.

After Poseidon raises the storm and knocks Odysseus from his raft, the sea goddess Leukothea emerges from the sea "like a sea mew" (A.S. Kline's translation), gives Odysseus her veil to help keep him afloat, and then she dives into the sea "like a sea mew." Note: a sea mew is another name for a sea gull.

Several lines later, Poseidon sends a massive wave that smashes Odysseus' raft "Like a strong wind catching a pile of dry straw, scattering the stalks here and there". Odysseus still manages to straddle one of the remaining timbers "like a horseman".

What are three epic similes in Book 20 of The Odyssey?

The answer above aptly identifies a number of similes within this book of The Odyssey, but it might be useful to explain further what constitutes an "epic" simile. A simile in any type of literature is a figurative device that describes one thing by comparing it to another, but an epic simile refers specifically to a form originating in classical literature where the simile is developed over a number of lines of verse—similar to an extended metaphor.

In this book of The Odyssey, the epic similes serve to help the reader (or, in the original context, the listener) appreciate Odysseus's state of mind. The imagery is compelling: "as a bitch stands over her tender whelps growling, when she sees a man she does not know," so does Odysseus's heart "growl within him" in wrath. The epic simile suggests, without explicitly saying, that there is an element of protectiveness in Odysseus's anger: like the canine mother in the epic simile, his anger is born out of a desire to preserve the well-being of those who are his responsibility.

Later, we see a similarly vivid epic simile where Odysseus's tossing and turning is compared to that of "a man before a great blazing fire [who] turns swiftly this way and that a paunch full of fat and blood, and is very eager to have it roasted quickly." To the listener, it is evident that the man's tossing and turning is not advancing his cause: in order to quickly roast the paunch, he would be better served by allowing it to rest in one place for a time. In this way, the simile alerts the reader to the fact that Odysseus's tossing and turning is futile, born of his urgency and restless mind, but serving him not at all.

In line 50, we see another extended metaphor wherein the doors of a hall are compared to a bull—"as a bull bellows, when grazing in a meadow, even so bellowed the fair doors, smitten by the key." Again, the key to this simile is appreciating the motives of the hypothetical situation: the bull in the meadow does not bellow angrily while grazing, but rather expresses noise in appreciation: likewise, the doors open noisily, but with some triumph as they yield to the key.

First, let us define a simile. A simile is a comparison using the words like or as. There are three noteworthy similes in Chapter 20 of The Odyssey by Homer.

The first simile we can look at compares Odysseus looking at what the suitors had done to his home upon his return to a female dog guarding her pups. Odysseus is compared to the mother dog and the people he cares about-his wife and son-are like the pups that the mother dog cares about.

Simile 1:

"Just as a bitch stands snarling
above her tender pups when she sees anyone
she does not recognize and is prepared to fight,
that how in his anger the heart within him growled
at their disgraceful acts."

In the second simile, Homer compares Odysseus and his tossing and turning as he tries to sleep to meat roasting on a spit over a fire that must be turned constantly so that it cooks evenly.

Simile 2:

"Just as a man
turns quickly to and fro on a blazing fire a stomach
stuffed with fat and blood when he’s keen to roast it fast,
that how Odysseus tossed around, wondering                          how he might get the shameless suitors in his grip,
one man against so many."

The first two similes use the word as to compare. In the third simile, Homer uses like to make the comparison. Homer compares Odysseus to a poor man unaccustomed to having comforts, when Odysseus refuses to lie down on the bed but rather chooses to sleep on a portico.

Simile 3:

 "When he thought of going to bed                                               to get some sleep, she told the women slaves                           to spread out bedding, but like a wretched man                           familiar with hard times, he had no wish                                     to lie down under blankets on a bed."

Homer is a master at creating inventive and descriptive similes. These are three epic similes that can be found in Chapter 20 of The Odyssey.