Poseidon
Judith Maitland says the passage from Book XIII about Poseidon bears a similarity to another appearance of Poseidon in the Iliad -- 7.442ff. In both instances, Zeus persuaded Poseidon to curb his anger and to compromise. She also mentions that in Odyssey Book XIII, Zeus refers to Poseidon as his elder brother although in the Iliad Poseidon is younger. Others have mentioned that since the children of Cronus and Rhea were born and then regurgitated in reverse order, those who were older became younger in their rebirth.Phaeacian Economy
John Rundin mentions that the Phaeacians are so expert at feasting that even the gods attend their feasts. Because of the their thriving economy that seems to be all they do all day. When Alcinous tells the nobles that they should each give a cauldron and tripod to Odysseus he tells them that those gifts are too costly for individuals, so they should recoup them by taxing their people.Cretan Lies
The topos of the Cretan Lies comes up three times in the second half of the Odyssey. The first time is in Book XIII. It will come up again with the swineherd and with Odysseus' wife. Odysseus tells a story (actually, three different stories) instead of the truth about who he is.When Odysseus tells the first Cretan lie to Athena, she is not at all upset with his duplicity, although she may be slightly irritated that he failed to recognize her in her disguise as a shepherd. Athena aids Odysseus' duplicity by changing his appearance to that of a poor old man. The change in Odysseus' chronology may have necessitated the changes he makes to his Cretan stories.
Adele J. Haft explains the connection Odysseus has to Crete. Idomeneus and Meriones fought alongside Odysseus in the Iliad. Their skill sets are equivalent. Odysseus knows all about them from his long contact, so it is convenient for him to make himself over verbally in their image. Haft also says there may be an earlier version of Odysseus in which he actually was a Cretan, so the lies may be a blending of two traditions.
References:
"Odysseus, Idomeneus and Meriones: The Cretan Lies of 'Odyssey' 13-19," by Adele J. Haft.
The Classical Journal, Vol. 79, No. 4. (Apr. - May, 1984), pp. 289-306.
"Poseidon, Walls, and Narrative Complexity in the Homeric Iliad, by Judith Maitland. The Classical Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 1. (1999), pp. 1-13.
"A Politics of Eating: Feasting in Early Greek Society," by John Rundin. The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 117, No. 2. (Summer, 1996), pp. 179-215.
