'all men honour and respect bards, for the Muse has taught them songs and she loves the minstrel fraternity' book 8
Odysseus assumes the role of the bard in 4 books
his skill in telling stories will help him get safe passage back to Ithaca, fool his household, and enable him to kill the suitors
Alcinous remarks that he tells his tale with 'all the artistry of a bard' bk 11
Eumaeus says, 'with the tales he can tell, the man would hold you spellbound. It was like fixing one's eyes on a minstrel who has been taught by the gods to sing words that bring delight to mortals' bk 17
when Odysseus approaches his palace, he pauses
he pauses because he has heard the 'notes of a polished lyre' bk 17
the presence of the bard is a key part of his homecoming
