Who helps Odysseus fight the suitors?

In The Odyssey, Odysseus fights the suitors with help from Telemachus, Athena, Eumaeus the swineherd, and Philoetius the cowherd.

Telemachus is his main human ally. After Odysseus reveals himself to his son, they plan the revenge together, and Telemachus helps remove weapons from the hall before the battle. When the fighting begins, Telemachus kills Amphinomus and then brings weapons for Odysseus, Eumaeus, Philoetius, and himself.

Eumaeus and Philoetius also join the fight after Odysseus reveals his identity to them and proves it with his scar. Odysseus gives each of them a task: Eumaeus is to bring him the bow after the suitors fail to string it, and Philoetius is to lock the courtyard so the suitors cannot escape. During the battle, Eumaeus guards a side-door, and he and Philoetius catch the disloyal goatherd Melanthius when he tries to arm the suitors.

Athena helps from the divine side. She has guided Odysseus and Telemachus toward this moment, and in the battle she appears in the guise of Mentor, then watches from the rafters in bird form. She makes the suitors’ arrows miss Odysseus and his allies, helping ensure their victory while still letting them fight the battle themselves.

Odysseus wins through a mixture of force, loyalty, cunning, and divine favor. The loyal servants stand with the rightful king, while the suitors’ abuse of Odysseus’s house finally meets the punishment that has been building throughout The Odyssey.