Demodocus

• he is blind
• his description in bk 8 led to the conclusion that Homer must be blind - depicted like this in many statues
• introduced by Alcinous as having a special gift from the gods through his ability to delight with his song
• he sings 3 songs in bk 8, as a prelude to Odysseus' 4 books
• all his stories resonate in some special way with Odysseus' struggles
• the first story reflects a quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles
• there is no reference to this episode outside the Odyssey
• perhaps it is included to match Odysseus with the greatest Greek warrior and enhance his reputation
• the second story is of Ares and Aphrodites
• adulterous lovers reflects Odysseus' thoughts of Penelope
• the gods are caught out by Hephaestus' trickery of a net
• it is another link to Ithaca, where Penelope has been weaving to deceive the Suitors
• Odysseus will also get caught in a bed-related trap in bk 23 with the immoveable bed
• the parallel between Odysseus and Hephaestus is clear when Odysseus makes much of the fact that his legs have lost their power
• the moral of the story is that wrong will be punished
• the final song is about the stratagem of the Wooden Horse
• the last song was at Odysseus' request
• this is an act of cleverness in reminding the audience of one of his own heroic acts
• the links between Odysseus and the bard brought to a climax when he picks up the bow
• it allowed him to reveal his identity and punish the Suitors
• as he picks it up, Homer makes the connection explicit with a parallel image of the stringing of the bow mirrored with the stringing of a lyre bk 21
• it is as though the stringing of the bow has been transformed into a lyre
• it isn't the arrows from a bow that will destroy the Suitors but the final note of a perfectly performed song