 Odysseus says to the swineherd Eumaeus (possibly giving him a fictive account) that he (Odysseus) was seen among the Thesprotians, having gone to inquire of the oracle at Dodona whether he should return to Ithaca openly or in secret (as the disguised Odysseus is doing).Odysseus later repeats the same tale to Penelope, who may not yet have seen through his disguise.According to some scholars, Dodona was originally an oracle of the Mother Goddess attended by priestesses.