I know her as Ulysses' long suffering and stay-at-home wife, delineated in the Odyssey. He was fallaling around for a LONG time and at home, presumed dead. Penelope had many suitors and promised to choose one as soon as her weaving was done. All day, she sat at the loom and at night, ripped out her work, thereby stalling everyone (who must have had brains the size of peas) until Ulysses (or Odysseus to his Greek friends) finally decided to come home. Penelope has become synonymous w. the ideal of the faithful wife.