Odyssey--Homer Blog 1

Epithets -
Sunlit Sea: Page 160.
Radiant goddess: Page 160.
Wine-dark Sea: Page 159.

Epic Similes -
1. "That wand in his grip, the powerful giant-killer, swooping down from Pieria, down the high clear air, plunged to the sea and skimmed the waves like a tern that down the deadly gulfs of the barren salt swells glides and dives for fish, dipping its beating wings in bursts of spray- so Hermes skimmed the crests on the endless crests." Page 154.
-This works because he is skimming like a tern across the sea to go somewhere else.  Like a bird- a tern - he can fly very fast and get places quickly, even over the water.

2. "She pitied Odysseus, tossed, tormented so- she broke from the waves like a shearwater on the wing, lit on the wreck and asked him kindly, "Ah poor man, why is the god of earthquakes so dead set against you?" Page 162-163.
-This works because Homer is comparing the girl coming out of the water with "a shearwater on the wing".  This is a good simile because it describes how the girl rises out of the water to help Odysseus.