ODYSSEY

Athena and Odysseus share a common character trait in the Odyssey they are liars. There are some similarities and differences in the way that they use lies. The reasons that these characters use lies are also different. They also use the lies on different occasions. Odysseus lies to Polyphemus and uses Cretan lies on Athena, Eumaeus and Penelope. Athena uses disguise to lie. She disguises herself as Mentor, a herdsman in Ithaca, Mentes and as a young girl in Phaecia. Even though Odysseus and Athena are presented as liars in the text, Athena proves to be a better liar than Odysseus.

Discussion
Odysseus as a liar
Odysseus has been portrayed a liar in the Odyssey. Odysseus lies to Athena, Eumaeus and Penelope his wife. The lies that he tells vary according to the circumstances that he is faced with as well as the person that he lies to. Odysseus does not lie deliberately instead he lies for a certain purpose. Odysseus lies are well crafted and he executes them with high skills. This shows his ability to lie and not his moral failure. Even though he lies, he does not expect people to believe in his lies at face value.

In the thirteenth book of the odyssey, Odysseus lies to Athena. Odysseus is taken back to Ithaca by the Phaenicians and he is left on shore fast asleep. When he wakes up he does not recognize where he is since Athena has covered everything with mist. At this point Athena is disguised as a young herdsman. When Athena reveals he is in Ithaca, Odysseus starts his lying tales. The story that he uses at this point serves several purposes. The first purpose is to explain his presence in Ithaca as well as his accompanying treasures. The second purpose is to show that he is a man worth of getting assistance and support. It is at this point that Athena reveals herself and calls Odysseus the mortal equivalent of her in subtleties and deceit.

Odysseus lies to Eumaeus using a disguise that he gets through Athena. Athena changes Odysseus into a beggar and he uses the guise to present himself to Eumaeus. When Odysseus tells his story to Eumaeus, he is more interested in creating a particular impression of himself rather than actually deceiving Eumaeus. The purpose of using the disguise of a beggar at this point is to discover the character of the suitors who have invaded his house. He is interested in finding out which of the suitors would defend a beggar. This disguise also serves a very important purpose for Odysseus. Through this disguise he is able to speak to Penelope in order to test how much she really loves him. He is also able to participate in the bow contest where he emerges the winner.

The Cretan lies that Odysseus uses are a combination of fact and fiction. The lies can be seen as factual, in the sense that he draws upon his own experiences of how he got back to Ithaca in order to create his lie. He lies to Eumaeus that he is from Crete and that he fled his home after he killed the son of Idomeneus.
Odysseus also lies to Polyphemus. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus whether he is a merchant or a pirate, Odysseus boasts that he is from the Agamemnon army and claims to have the backing of Zeus. At this point, Polyphemus does not buy Odysseus lies since he does not answer his question directly. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus where he moored his ship, Odysseus lies. He does this because he realizes that Polyphemus is testing him. Instead of replying to Odysseus lies, Polyphemus eats two people in his crew. He is then able to trick Polyphemus. This lie enables Odysseus and his men to escape by poking out his eye. Odysseus uses disguise to lie. In Book 4, Odysseus beats himself up so that he can look like a slave he also dresses up like a slave so that he can have easy entrance in troy.

Athena as a liar
Athenas uses disguise to lie. This is one of the similarities of that Odysseus and Athena share as liars. She uses disguise so that she can conceal her identity. Some of the disguises that she uses are Mentor, a herdsman in Ithaca, Mentes and as a young girl in Phaecia. Athena extends her lies to Odysseus as she disguises him on several occasions. At one time she disguises him as a beggar so that he can deceive the suitors that want to marry his wife. When Odysseus is speaking to Athena who is disguised as a herdsman, the similarity in the nature of their deceit is revealed. Athena lies with disguise while Odysseus lies about his identity. In book 13 (p.295300), Athena is impressed by Odysseus ability to lie and she admires his lies. In book 16 (p. 343344), Athena behaves differently when she is talking with Odysseus, she wants him to stop using lies and to reveal himself to his son.

Athena is a better liar than Odysseus. The difference between Odysseus lies and Athenas lies is that Athena is able to disguise herself so well when she is lying such that no one ever notices. Even though Odysseus uses disguise when lying, some people are able to see beyond the disguise. One of the people that recognize Odysseus lies is Helen. She realizes that Odysseus is lying about his identity. She then swears using an oath that she will not disclose his real identity. When he is disguised as a beggar the nurse that bathes him notices a mark on Odysseus foot and she recognizes him. She also swears not to reveal his identity and she helps him to identify the hand maidens that are loyal.

Athena uses disguise to lie to Telemachus. Disguised as Mentes, Athena enters Odysseus hall in order to encourage Odysseus son (Telemachus) to leave. In this disguise Athena lies about her identity as well as where she is from. One of the stories told disguised as Mentes is that he is on a voyage of trade he states that his father was a friend of Odysseus father. He says that Odysseus is been delayed by the gods. He tells Telamachus that Odysseus would take revenge if he was present. Using another disguise as Mentor, Athena orchestrates every part of the journey while Telemachus deals with household affairs. The story she tells using this disguise is that she is an old friend of Odysseus. This disguise enables her to achieve her purpose which is to secure a ship and crewmen for the upcoming journey. She also uses this disguise to guide and manipulate Telamachus. Towards the end of the Odyssey, Athena uses this disguise to fight alongside Odysseus and they are able to kill many men.

Athena also uses disguise to present herself as a friend of Nausicaa. The purpose of this disguise is to manipulate Nausicaa. She tells Nausicaa to go to the river so that she can meet Odysseus. Athena uses the disguise of a little girl in order to help Odysseus. In order to make sure that no one disrupts Odysseus on the way to the castle, Athena uses a cloud to disguise Odysseus.

Athena uses disguise to lie to Odysseus. When Athena wakes Odysseus after he is taken back to Ithaca by the Phaenicians, she uses the disguise of a herdsman to convince Odysseus that he is home. Athena disguises Odysseus several times so that he may appear credible. One good example of this is when Odysseus speaks to his son and reveals his identity and then when Eumaeus returns she changes him back into a beggar.

Conclusion
Athena and Odysseus use lies in the Odyssey on different occasions and for different purposes. One of the similarities in their lies is that they both use disguise to lie. The major difference between their lies is that Athenas lies are never discovered. Other differences emerge in the purpose of their lies. In most occasions, Athena uses lies to help Odysseus as well as to motivate and to change people.