The contest

And now for the fourth time, when he tried, he would have string it, but Odysseus nodded his head and held back in his eagerness.

First Telemachos is to string the bow, after trying 3 times he would have stringed the bow but:

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The stringing of the bow, N C Wyeth

Then all of the young man tried their hand at the bow, but they were to weak.

Antinoös and godlike Eurymachos remained to try to string the bow,

Meanwhile the herders Philoitios and Eumaios went out of the hall.

The good Odysseus himself went forth from the house after them.

Odysseus spoke to them about what would happen if Odysseus would now return.

Would you help the suitors or Odysseus? Speak how your heart and spirit commands.

They prayed to all gods that Odysseus would return. And he revealed himself to them saying:

I am here at home then! After suffering much I have returned in the twintieth year to the land of my fathers.

Before they went into the house Odysseus orders them to do things for him.

I'll go in first, and you after. And let this be a sign: All the noble suitors will not allow that the bow or the quiver be given to me, but you Eumaios, when you are carrying the bow through the house, place it in my hands, and tell the women to close the tightly fitting doors of their hall. ...
... And you, good Philoitios, I'm asking you to shut up the doors of the court with a bolt and swiftly throw a cord upon it.

And they went into the house.

Eurymachos was holding the bow in his hands, warming it to this side and that in front of the flame of the fire. But even so he was unable to string it,...

Eurymachos, it will not be so, and yourself know it. For to day is a festival throughout the land of the god, the sacret feast. Who would bend a bow? So put it down quietly, in peace.

Antinoös who didn't try to string it yet, said: