She found Odysseus in the thick of slaughtered corpses,
splattered with bloody filth like a lion that’s devoured
some ox of the field and lopes home, covered with blood,
his chest streaked, both jaws glistening, dripping red –
a sight to strike terror. So Odysseus looked now,
splattered with gore, his thighs, his fighting hands.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 22, lines 426-430. Odysseus’ old nurse Eurycleia finds him covered in blood and surrounded by the corpses of the suitors. A vivid epic simile helps convey a clear picture of what has happened. Odysseus is compared to a lion that has devoured an ox, it strides home, covered in blood and looks a terrifying sight. The lion is a symbol of Odysseus’ power and strength.