Poor Guy... Dressed in Rags

Yes.. after years of wandering, poor Odysseus was reduced to rags.

Before he could confront the suitors who were trying to steal his wife and his property, Odysseus had to assume a disguise. After all, he was one against many and he had to see the situation for himself before he revealed his true identity. Athene, in an effort to protect Odysseus, made him look like an old man... a vagabond dressed in rags. He entered his house as a beggar and slew the arrogant suitors AND their henchmen.

The immortals often assume the guise of scruffy vagabonds and interact with us mere mortals. You should always treat strangers with great care, they might be scruffy vagabonds or they might be immortals in disguise. Hermes took a humble form when he appeared to Odysseus outside Circes’ palace. Demeter traveled as an old woman when her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades. When Odysseus dressed in rags, he was in good company.

This Fun Fact was taken from The Odyssey and the Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

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