However, its journey is not yet over. This final stage of Odysseus' journey is perhaps the most important and crucial. Odysseus' nurse and servant, Euryclea is the first woman in Ithaca to know that Odysseus has returned after recognizing the scar on his leg as she washes him. Eurycleia swears to keep her identity secret. Odysseus' wife, Penelope, remained faithful to Odysseus throughout the years of his absence. Penelope constantly untied her web to delay the suitors. The reader even develops sympathy for Penelope because "we see her struggle to make the virtuous choice regarding her marriage, despite pressure from her suitors, her son's endangered situation, and her own uncertainty about Odysseus' survival." (Foley). Eventually, Odysseus reveals his identity and Penelope is perplexed, but quickly kisses her husband after he tells her the secret of their unmoving bed. It is the fidelity of Penelope and the nurse Eurycleia that ensures Odysseus' survival until the end. Both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey are a balance of masculine and feminine principles. It is the prostitute who brings humanity to Enkidu and it is Athena who protects Odysseus from all harm and returns him safely to Ithaca. The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey take place in a rigid patriarchal society, but both epics reveal the hidden workings of the female figure throughout the journey. Perfectly said: “. . . the hero's journey of initiation,