"he was wearing a heavy woolen cape, sea-purple
in double folds, with a golden brooch to clasp it,
twin sheaths for the pins, on the face a work of art:
a hound clenching a dappled fawn in its front paws,
slashing it as it writhed. All marveled to see it,
solid gold as it was, the hound slashing, throttling
the fawn in its death-throes, hoofs flailing to break free.
I noticed his glossy tunic too, clinging to his skin
like the thin glistening skin of a dried onion,
silky, soft, the glint of the sun itself."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 19, lines 267-269. Penelope tests the beggar who has told her that he met Odysseus years ago in Crete when the hero sailed to Troy. Querying the story, she demands to know what kind of clothing her husband wore. In this passage the beggar (Odysseus in disguise) cleverly provides an accurate and detailed description that backs up his story. In a simile the hero’s glossy tight tunic is compared to the shiny skin of an onion. Penelope is pleased with the stranger’s answer and confirms that she gave her husband those very clothes.