Helen, the Odyssey's Weaver of Wiles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9584-2026v34n1105388Keywords:
Helen, weaving, Homer, Odyssey, hospitalityAbstract
Helen, a woman always stalked but never seized. The paper examines the figure of Helen in the Homeric epics, with particular attention to Book 4 of the Odyssey, exploring the relationship with other female characters and with the the cultural practices of weaving and song in ancient Greece. Within this context, the feminine language emerges under the sign of ambivalence. This ambivalence is also reflected in Helen’s own characterization, as well as in the products of her hands, which simultaneously welcome and repel, celebrate and obliterate. Such tension evokes the inherent ambiguity of weaving in Homeric poetry. Through philological analyses, this paper argues that weaving enables female characters to establish social connections and means of preserving their memory.
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