Athena the bright-eyed goddess flew
like a bird in soaring flight
but left his spirit filled with nerve and courage,
charged with his father’s memory more than ever now.
He felt his senses quicken, overwhelmed with wonder –
this was a god, he knew it well and made at once
for the suitors, a man like a god himself.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 1, lines 367-373. Having completed her mission to inspire confidence and courage in young Telemachus, we are told in a simile how Athena flies away like a bird. While Athena appears to Telemachus in human disguise, he knows that she is some kind of god. As he heads off towards the suitors, another simile likens Telemachus to a god. This is a reference to the courage Athena has instilled in him. Athena’s interaction with the prince is a good example of how the gods meddle in the affairs and fates of humans, a recurring theme in The Odyssey.