"Hear me, men of Ithaca. Not without the hand
of the deathless gods did Odysseus do these things!
Myself, I saw an immortal fighting at his side –
like Mentor to the life. I saw the same god,
now in front of Odysseus, spurring him on,
now stampeding the suitors through the hall,
crazed with fear, and down they went in droves."
Terror gripped them all, their faces ashen white.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 24, lines 490-497. Odysseus’ herald Medon addresses the angry families and supporters of the dead suitors. He tells them that he saw a god fighting on the side of Odysseus – it was actually goddess Athena. The crowd stands frozen in terror when they hear this.