Which goddess originally inspires Penelope to hold the bow contest, as hinted in earlier books?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks which goddess originally inspires Penelope to hold the bow contest, as hinted in earlier books.
First, we acknowledge that the prompt provides no answer options to analyze, which means we must rely on the known motif from the text and the given answer field.
Option clarity: The available answer indicates Athena as the chosen goddess. Since no competing choices are listed, we cannot compare alternatives, but we can justify Athena as the source based on the story’s development.
Explanation for Athena being the inspirer: In the Odyssey, the gods frequently influence Penelope’s decisions and Odysseus’ return, with Athena as a central divine helper for Odysseus and his household. The bow contest is framed as Penelope’s clever test to prove Odysseus’s identity and to preserve order in Ithaca, a plan that aligns with Athena’s pattern of orchestrating events to restore rightful rule and to support Odysseus indirectly by guiding Penelope’s actions.
Why other potential interpretations would be incorrect (in a hypothetical multiple-choice setting): if there were options naming other deities (e.g., Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis), those would not fit the narrative purpose of Penelope’s contest as a strategic device to test suitors and recognize Odysseus, a role more closely associated with Athena’s wisdom and involvement in Ithaca’s justice. Hera is less connected to the specific plot device of the bow contest; Aphrodite and Artemis do not play a central coordinating role in Penelope’s plan for the suitors.
Note on the missing options: since the provided data lacks the full list of answer choices, we cannot evaluate incorrect alternatives directly, but the framing of the bow contest as Athena-inspired fits the established pattern of Athena guiding Odysseus’s household and supporting Penelope’s measured approach to reclaiming the throne.
In sum, with Athena identified as the inspirer in the given material, the reasoning aligns with the broader mythic pattern of divine influence over Penelope’s strategic decision to hold the bow contest as a test for the suitors and for Odysseus’s return.

6(A) - Exploring Novels and Literature The Odyssey XXI

Which goddess originally inspires Penelope to hold the bow contest, as hinted in earlier books?

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