Odyssey Book 8 and of reputation and appearance.

If one notices appearance is important to the phaeacians esp in social circles.

Athena had left for Athens after accompanying Odysseus to the palace of Phaeacia. She reappears as Alcinious holds an assemble to get consent for the ship that would return him home, the motion passes and a feast and games are held in Odysseus honour. Athena had returned to her Athens which is a foreshadowing of the wisdom that later helps Athens rise to power. A blind bard Demodocus sings of the conflict between Odysseus and paris while everyone except Odysseus who weeps, laughs. Alcionious ends the feast to start the games because he sees Odysseus distress over the song. The bard is blind as are the others of the court who do not see who Odysseus is. Thus the people of Phaeacia had heard of the exploits of Odysseus and he was somewhat a legend amongst the people. the weeping portrays how sad Odysseus was over the events of troy and not triumphantly happy with his earlier deeds, the memories were painful not pleasurable.

At the games which included boxing racing and discus throwing, Odysseus is goaded into participating by being insulted by Broadsea a phaeacian youth, Odysseus easily wins the discus throw and challenges any phaeacian to any event with the pretense of proving himself superior, Alcinious ends the games by inviting the youth, including the goader, to another feast where the youth would entertain Odysseus. the same bard plays a song about Aries and Aphrodite angst against each other. Odysseus then asks the same bard to sing the song about troy again and once more Odysseus break downs at which point he is taken to the side by alcinious who stopped the singing and asked who he really is and the details of his being and journeys.

Broadsea goads Odysseus into participating in the games and shows that on Phaeacia this is an acceptable way to get one motivated. that the appearance of weakness is considered a motivating factor to prove oneself otherwise. The fact the Alcinious ends the games after realising Odysseus would make every male on the island look bad shows how the reputation and appearance of the inhabitants is important at both the social and personal level. the phaeacians are big on appearance and reputation and not allowing someone to look bad even when weeping without a known reason to a song.