Odysseus' bow

Odysseus' bow is the decisive object around which the final movement of the epic turns. It is not merely a weapon but a token of heroic identity, a test of worth, and the instrument of justice. Its history, its concealment, and its eventual use in the slaughter of the suitors make it the physical proof that Odysseus alone is the rightful king of Ithaca.

Origin and History

The bow was a gift from Iphitus, son of Eurytus, whom Odysseus met in Messene while both were on errands to recover stolen livestock. Iphitus gave Odysseus the bow that his father Eurytus had carried, and Odysseus gave him a sword and spear in return, beginning a fast friendship that was cut short when Hercules killed Iphitus. Because of this, the bow was a keepsake from a valued friend and was never taken to Troy; Odysseus left it at home, where it remained untouched for twenty years.

The Contest and Its Rules

Penelope, prompted by Athena, brought out the bow and the twelve axes to set a contest for the suitors: whoever could string the bow most easily and shoot an arrow through all twelve axe-heads would win her hand. The axes were set in a row in a long groove dug in the earth, and the archer had to send his arrow through every handle-hole from the first onward. The suitors tried in turn, warming and greasing the bow, but none could string it. Leiodes, the sacrificial priest, failed and declared the bow would take the life of many chiefs. Antinous and Eurymachus, the ringleaders, also failed.

Odysseus Strings the Bow

When the suitors had all failed, Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, asked to try. Antinous rebuked him fiercely, threatening to send him to King Echetus, but Penelope and Telemachus overruled the objection. Eumaeus brought the bow to Odysseus, and the suitors mocked him as he examined it for wormholes. Then, with ease, he strung it as a skilled bard strings a lyre, and the string sang sweetly under his touch like the twittering of a swallow. At that moment Zeus thundered as a sign. Still seated, Odysseus laid an arrow on the center-piece, drew the notch and string, took aim, and let fly. The arrow pierced every handle-hole from the first onward and went into the outer courtyard.

The Slaughter

Having proved his identity through the bow, Odysseus tore off his rags, sprang onto the pavement, and shed the arrows at his feet. He declared the contest at an end and shot Antinous through the throat as the suitor was about to drink wine. The arrow went clean through his neck, and he fell, spilling the cup and overturning the table. The suitors initially thought the killing was a mistake, but Odysseus revealed himself and condemned them for wasting his substance, forcing his women servants, and wooing his wife while he still lived. He shot Eurymachus next, then Amphinomus, and continued shooting until his arrows gave out, after which he armed himself with shield and spears. The bow thus served as the instrument of the suitors' destruction, fulfilling the prophecy of Teiresias and the justice of the house.

Symbolic Significance

The bow is more than a weapon; it is a symbol of Odysseus' identity and rightful authority. Only he can string it, proving that he alone possesses the strength and skill of the true king. The contest of the bow is the anagnorisis, or recognition, that leads to the peripeteia, or reversal, of the suitors' fortunes. The bow also connects Odysseus to his past, to Iphitus and the heroic world of gift-exchange, and to the values of xenia and justice that the suitors have violated. Its stringing is the moment when the disguised beggar reclaims his name and his house.