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Why can none of the suitors string Odysseus’s bow?
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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.
In Homer’s Odyssey, the suitors are unable to string Odysseus’s bow because they lack the necessary strength and skill to bend it. The bow is a powerful weapon that only its rightful owner, Odysseus, can manipulate with ease.12
When the suitors attempt the challenge, they fail to bend the bow to attach the string. Their struggle is so significant that they even resort to oiling the bow with warmed lard in a desperate attempt to make it more pliable, yet they remain unsuccessful. This inability highlights their inferiority to Odysseus, as they are unable to perform a feat that he accomplishes effortlessly once he is permitted to try.2