"They gaze on her as a god,
saluting her warmly on her walks through town.
She lacks nothing in good sense and judgment –
she can dissolve quarrels, even among men,
whoever wins her sympathies.
If only our queen will take you to her heart,
then there’s hope that you will see your loved ones,
reach your high-roofed house, your native land at last."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 7, lines 82-89. Athena gives Odysseus some important advice about Arete, queen of the Phaeacians. Arete has the loyalty of all the people, she reveals, as she uses a simile to compare her to a god. If Odysseus can win the queen to his side, then he has hopes of reaching his homeland and family, she tells him.