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Who recognizes Odysseus when he returns to Ithaca?
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Odyssey: A Reader’s Guide to Homer’s Epic
Engraving of Homer by Hieronymus Wierix, 16th century; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Upon returning to Ithaca, Odysseus is recognized by several individuals and creatures, often while he is still disguised as an elderly beggar by the goddess Athena:
- Eumaeus: The faithful swineherd recognizes Odysseus after the hero reveals his true identity to him.1
- Telemachus: Odysseus reveals himself to his son, who recognizes him as his father.1
- Argos: Odysseus’s faithful dog recognizes him, though the animal dies shortly after this final greeting.1
- Eurycleia: The nurse identifies Odysseus by a distinctive scar on his body while she is washing his feet.1
- Penelope: Although she is initially skeptical, Penelope eventually recognizes her husband after he successfully answers a test regarding the construction of their marriage bed.1