Question

Odysseus and Penelope's bed is made of what type of animal hide?

Answer 1

The bed, carved from a tree that has its roots in the foundation of the house itself, is immovable, much like Odysseus and Penelope's loyalty to each other.

Answer 2

To assure herself of Odysseus' identity, Penelope tests him. As he listens, she asks Eurycleia to move the bedstead out of the couple's chamber and spread it with blankets. The king himself had carved the bed as a young man, shaping it out of a living olive tree that grew in the courtyard of the palace.