In came the herald now,
leading along the faithful bard the Muse adored
above all others, true, but her gifts were mixed
with good and evil both: she stripped him of sight
but gave the man the power of stirring, rapturous song.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 8, lines 71-75. The bard Demodocus is said to have the gift of "rapturous song" and is favored by both the Muse and King Alcinous. The favorable terms which Homer uses to describe the blind poet and minstrel has led many people to believe that Demodocus is a representation of Homer himself, and that Homer was blind.