the wife of Ulysses, and mother of Telemachus, was famous for her conjugal constancy. During the long absence of her husband, numerous suitors sought in vain to win her hand. She constantly put them off by declaring that she must finish the shroud which she was then weaving before she could listen to their proposals. At the same time, she continued to undo during the night that part of the woof which she had done during the day. This stratagem kept them at bay until the arrival of Ulysses.