The goddess Athena with her blazing eyes
inspired Penelope, Icarius’ daughter, wary, poised,
to set the bow and the gleaming iron axes out
before her suitors waiting in Odysseus’ hall –
to test their skill and bring their slaughter on.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 21, lines 1-5. The contest of the bow and axes is an example of Penelope’s cunning nature and intelligence. She will be the wife of the person who wins. But she knows that only a man like Odysseus can string his own bow and pull off this feat. In this passage we learn that Athena inspires Penelope to set the bow and gleaming axes before the waiting suitors, another example of divine intervention.