Odyssey 6.227 · Book 6, lines 227–231

Athena makes him taller, his hair like hyacinth

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα λοέσσατο καὶ λίπʼ ἄλειψεν, ἀμφὶ δὲ εἵματα ἕσσαθʼ ἅ οἱ πόρε παρθένος ἀδμής, τὸν μὲν Ἀθηναίη θῆκεν Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα μείζονά τʼ εἰσιδέειν καὶ πάσσονα, κὰδ δὲ κάρητος οὔλας ἧκε κόμας, ὑακινθίνῳ ἄνθει ὁμοίας.

But when he had bathed all over and anointed richly, and put on the garments the unwed maiden had given him, then Athena, born of Zeus, made him taller to behold and sturdier, and from his head let fall curling locks, like the hyacinth flower.

Word by word

αὐτὰρautàrButἐπεὶepeìwhenδὴdḕ(at last)πάνταpántaall overλοέσσατοloéssatohe had bathedκαὶkaìandλίπʼlíp’richlyἄλειψενáleipsenanointed himself,ἀμφὶamphìaround [him]δὲdè(and)εἵματαheímatathe garmentsἕσσαθʼhéssath’he put onἅháwhichοἱhoifor himπόρεpórehad givenπαρθένοςparthénosthe maidenἀδμήςadmḗsunwed,τὸνtònhimμὲνmèn(indeed)ἈθηναίηAthēnaíēAthenaθῆκενthêkenmadeΔιὸςDiòsof Zeusἐκγεγαυῖαekgegauîasprungμείζονάmeízonátallerτʼt’(and)εἰσιδέεινeisidéeinto beholdκαὶkaìandπάσσοναpássonasturdier,κὰδkàd(down)δὲdè(and)κάρητοςkárētosfrom his headοὔλαςoúlascurlingἧκεhêkelet fallκόμαςkómaslocks,ὑακινθίνῳhyakinthínōi[like] the hyacinthἄνθειántheiflowerὁμοίαςhomoíaslike.

The setting

Bathed, oiled, and dressed in the clothes Nausicaa's maids provided, Odysseus is transfigured by his patron goddess, who enlarges his stature and sets dark curls on his head.

A note on this passage

Once the washing, oiling, and dressing are done, the goddess takes over. Athena enlarges Odysseus — taller to look at, broader in build — and crowns him with thick, curling hair, dark and clustered like the bloom of the hyacinth. The plain man cleaned up becomes, for a moment, something more than plain.

This is Athena's signature intervention: she 'sheds grace' on her favorites just when they must make an impression — she does the same for Telemachus early in the poem. The change is real but pointed. Beauty here is diplomatic equipment, readying Odysseus to win the goodwill of the girl before him and, behind her, of her mother the queen. The hyacinth simile fixes the image: not fair ringlets, but dark curls close and full.

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Odyssey 6.227 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/odyssey/6.227/