It's All Geek to Me:
tales of the Greek Gods by Leah Samul
Penelope, or "Stand By Your Man, Greek Style"
Loretta Lynn had nothing on this ancient Greek wife who waited somewhere between 13 and 20 years (the texts are confusing on the exact time) for her husband to return to her.
While Odysseus was occupied with the Trojan War and subsequently with the adventures that would comprise Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, Penelope and their young son Telemachus waited patiently at home in Ithaca. When Odysseus didn't return from the war, suitors swarmed to her household to vie for her attention.
Unfortunately, although all the suitors arrogantly thought themselves to be the equal of Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus thought they were weak imitations at best. Because of the Greek concept of hospitality, Penelope had to entertain them, which also meant feeding them and letting them stay at the manor. They demanded that she choose one of them to marry, since no one in Greece expected that Odysseus had survived the Trojan War.
By this time Telemachus was almost an adult, and he knew enough to realize that his mother was in a tough spot. He went off to discover whether anyone had seen his Dad since the end of the war. In the meantime, Penelope used her wiles to hold off the lusting and greedy suitors. One ploy she used was to tell them that she would choose one of them as soon as she finished weaving the funeral shroud she was working on. Each day she wove a little more, and each night she took apart what she had woven during the day.
Eventually, the suitors got wise. Just when she was about to be forced to chose one to marry, Odysseus came back and killed all of them for their arrogance and for the rude way they acted towards Penelope. (That'll teach'em!)
Penelope is often seen as the model of the faithful wife, held up to all married women as the example they should follow. Personally, I don't think it had anything to do with faithfulness. I think that Penelope had been so happily married to Odysseus that she simply didn't want anyone else. She and Odysseus were so well matched that no one else would do. It wasn't blind loyalty that made her wait so long; it was (sigh) True Love. Even in Greek mythology, it did happen. And when Penelope was finally reunited with Odysseus, they stayed up all night long, talking and getting aquainted all over again, and their happy relationship resumed as if nothing had ever come between them. (Homer, Odyssey)