TFBT: Odysseus 8.487-491

Demodokos, I admire and pointedly praise you, more than any other human. 488Either the Muse, child of Zeus, taught you, or Apollo. 489 All too well, in accord with its kosmos, do you sing the fate of the Achaeans [490] —all the things the Achaeans did and all the things that were done to them, and they suffered for it— "4. Odyssey 8.487-49-

First I read a paper once on Homeric Reception. The author suggested that in the case of the Iliad, Zeus, Homer and Achilles on occasion all represented the same voice , Zeus as the will of Zeus , Homer singing the Will and Achilles manifesting the will    My analogy is that its a play, achilles is the star, Homer the wrier and director, Zeus the producer with all his extended in the best seats opening night.  Zeus the producer certainly has say in what happens in the production but Achilles as the star on stage that night can turn the plot with a touch to his chin as easily ha mother turned Zeus head. Like wise in the Odysessy; Athena as producer, Odysseus as wrter and director (80% of the story is told by him per McGrath) and the father of Telemachus as start or anyone else he choses to .  So I would suggest that in this case Athena, Odusseus and Demodokos are all the same voice.

Secondly, since Odysseus is the one telling the story (of his odyssey)  80% of the time it is he who in fact is telling the tale of the achaeans 

Finally, if you know Odysseus at all you know that the man he would "admire and pointedly praise...more than any other human. " is himself!  

So on the argument of voice, the fact that Odysseus is the poet supreme poet in this epic and his extreme vavity I am concerned nvinced that the oraise Odysseus give Demodokos is actually self praise.