Greek Mythology (Penelope)
She was also the wife of Odysseus who is the king of Ithaca they had one son who is Telemachus. He was born just before Odysseus had to go fight in a war. She had to wait 20 years for her husband to return home. Durning that time she had devised a plan to delay her having to marry one of the 108 suitors. She did this by pretending to weave a burial shroud for Odysseus elderly father and she would claim she would choose a suitor when she was finished. For 3 years every-night she would undo part of the shroud, until a serving women found out about this and revels it to the suitors. Then she had to choose but she had mixed feelings whether to have someone kill her or choose one of them. Then Odysseus returns disguised, she decides that whoever can string Odysseus rigid bow and shoot through twelve axe heads may have her hand. There is a debate whether she knew it was him or if she was just delaying picking one of the suitors. When the contest began none of the suitors could string the bow besides Odysseus and he wins the contest. He then proceeds to slaughter the other suitors. Penelope could not believe her husband had finally returned and she feared that it was some god in disguise. So she test him by asking him to move the bed in their bridal chamber. He then protested that he cant do it because he made the bed himself and knows one of the legs is a living olive tree, and she accepts that its actually her husband. They would then live the rest of their life with their son running his kingdom.
What gave Penelope so much power was her loyalty to her husband. She showed to be very patient, faithful and have feminine virtue. For this she is very popular in poetry and books, an examples is “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood.
