Just before retiring Penelope describes a dream she had to Ulysses: An eagle swoops down and kills the 20 pet geese she has and flies up perches on the roofing saying in a human voice “I am your husband. She pretends not to know what the dream means and replies to Ulysses attempt to explain it by saying “no I will take a new husband and it will be the one who can shoot an arrow through so many axe blade holes"
Here one sees the wisdom of Penelope who adds angst to Ulysses by taunting him by the idea that she will take a new husband. This portrays her love for him and the necessity she has to goad him up to swoop down and kill the geese or suitors. Her dream is the third omen concerning birds of pray and like the living site of the eagle with the goose in it, which we interpreted correctly earlier in this discourse concerning the odyssey that Telemachus saw as he left Helen of Greece. Recall that many have told Penelope that her husband has returned and is probably in Greece. Her son knows it and he was the one who saw the swooping eagle with goose in its talons. Her faithful servant washing Ulysses feet is aware that Ulysses is back. Thus Penelope shows that she secretly knows Ulysses has returned as she is faithful and only chose the strategy to gather the suitors under the auspicious of a peaceful gathering to win her hand in marriage, and in this manner have they penned up as geese to be slaughtered by the eagle and the falcon who is her son. She knows the task of shooting the arrow is something Ulysses and not the suitors can accomplish and feels secure telling this goading lie directly to Ulysses without portraying that she knows the beggar is in fact Ulysses. The dream is her divine wisdom Athena appearing as both a confirmation of knowing what Telemachus does and a divine wisdom be it sent from the God(s) above or the god(s) represented in her as her wisdom.
Till next week.
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