Athena made Penelope go down into the treasure vault and pick out the huge bow that Odysseus had won from Iphitos and used many times in the hunt. She sobbed and brought it up to the hall, with maids carrying a basketfull of axeheads behind her. She told the suitors that whoever strung the bow and sent an arrow through a line a 12 axe-helve sockets would get to marry her. She asked Eumaios to bring the bow and axes forward, and as he lay them at the suitors' feet, he and the cowherd sobbed. Antinoos made them go outside to cry, and I followed them outside. Within the hall, every suitor tried to string the bow, but all failed. And outside, I asked how loyal the herders would be to Odysseus if he jst happened to come home. They told me that they'd be completely loyal and fight with him, and their loyalty drove me to tell them who I was. We all fell about crying and hugging, but we stopped because someone would wonder what was up if they saw us. I told them my plan to kill the suitors, and they agreed to help by locking all the women away, locking the house perimeter, and fighting with me. We went back inside as Eurymakhos picked up the bow to string it, but, like all the other suitors, he failed too. Antinoos didn't go (he probably didn't want to look like a fool with not being able to string the bow) and instead he called for feasting again. When all the suitors sat down, I asked if I could try my hand at the bow, and all the suitors refused, thinking about the possible embarrassment if I actually managed to string the bow. But Telemakhos, my son and master of the household, told Eumaios to hand me the bow and string, and as the suitors shouted insults at him, he brought me the bow and string. With master craftsmanship and strength, I looked the whole bow down, checking for decay in the many years I had been abroad. Finally deciding that there were no imperfections, I strung the bow with ease, to the gasps of the suitors. I then chose from the arrows near me and shot the arrow straight through the axes. While I was doing this, Eumaios had called Eurykleia to his side and told her to lock all the women away, and no matter how many shouts and clashes of arms they heard, no one should unlock the doors. She ran away to close up the women while the swineherd and cowherd locked up the gates, windows, and doors surrounding the palace. And when I had shot the arrow through the axe-heads, I turned to Telemakhos and told him that it was time to cook the lordship's mutton and Telemakhos, my son, dropped his head, stood up, belted his sword on, picked up his spear, and stood next to his chair a few feet behind me, ready to murder the suitors...
Picure from: http://www.navajosandpainting.net/Bows_spears.php
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