The Odyssey

The Odyssey Glossary

Agamemnon

King of Mycenae; Greek leader at Troy, murdered by his wife Klytaimnestra and her lover Aigisthos on his return home; brother of Menelaos.

Agelaos

One of the suitors of Penelope.

Aiaia

Circe's island.

Aias

Greek hero at Troy, drowned on the return trip after defying the gods. Name also spelled 'Ajax'.

Aigisthos

Klytaimnestra's lover; usurper of Agamemnon's throne at Mycenae.

Aiolos

King of the winds; gives Odysseus a bag of winds.

Achaeans

Homer's name for the Greeks (as opposed to the Trojans).

Achilles

The greatest Greek warrior at Troy.

Alcinous

King of the Phaeacians, host to Odysseus; father of Nausicaa, husband of Arete.

Amphinomes

A suitor of Penelope.

Antinous

Hotheaded ringleader of Penelope's suitors.

Arete

Queen of the Phaeacians.

Elpenor

One of Odysseus' crew; falls off Circe's roof and dies.

Erebos

The dark land of the dead.

Eumaeus

Faithful swineherd of Odysseus.

Eupeithes

Father of Antinous; killed by Laertes.

Eurykleia

Old and faithful nurse to Odysseus.

Eurylokhos

Second-in-command to Odysseus during his travels.

Eurymakhos

Rational suitor to Penelope.

Eurynome

Housekeeper to Penelope.

Hades

God of the underworld.

Halitherses

Old friend of Odysseus in Ithaca.

Helen

Wife of Menelaos; carried off to Troy by Paris, causing the Trojan War.

Helios

Sun god whose sacred cattle are eaten by Odysseus' crew.

Hera

Queen of the gods, wife of Zeus.

Hermes

Messenger of the gods.

Ilium

Another name for Troy.

Iros

Beggar to Penelope's suitors; stirs up a fight with Odysseus.

Ithaca

Island home of Odysseus.

Calypso

Beautiful nymph who detains Odysseus eight years at island of Ogygia.

Charybdis

A dangerous whirlpool by which Odysseus must sail.

Kikones

People at Ismaros, raided by Odysseus after the Trojan War.

Circe

Enchantress who turns men into swine; Odysseus and his men stay on her island for a year.

Klytaimnestra

Murderous wife of Agamemnon, lover of Aigisthos.

Ktesippos

One of Penelope's suitors; killed by the cowherd.

Cyclopes

One-eyed race of giants; Odysseus encounters the Cyclops named Polyphemus on his journey.

Laertes

Father of Odysseus.

Laistrygonians

Hostile giants who attack Odysseus and eat his men.

Medon

The crier, spared during the slaughter.

Melanthios

Disloyal goatherd to Odysseus.

Melantho

Disloyal maidservant to Odysseus.

Menelaos

Brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen, host to Telemachus.

Mentes

Old friend of Odysseus; one of Athena's disguises.

Mentor

Old friend of Odysseus; adviser to Telemachus; frequent disguise of Athena.

Muses

The nine goddesses who inspire the arts.

Mycenae

Principal city of the Achaeans, home of Agamemnon.

Nausikaa

Phaeacian princess, daughter of Alcinous; she rescues Odysseus and has a crush on him.

Neleus

Father of Nestor.

Nestor

Elderly king of Pylos, chief adviser of the Greeks at Troy.

Ogygia

Island home of Calypso.

Oedipus

King of Thebes who killed his father and married his mother.

Olympus

Mountain home of the gods.

Orestes

Killed Klytaimnestra and Aigisthos to avenge the murder of his father, Agamemnon; foil character to Telemachus.

Patroklos

Achilles' best friend at Troy; his death inspired Achilles to fight.

Peiraios

Telemachus' trusted crewman.

Peisistratos

Nestor's youngest son; he accompanies Telemachus on part of his journey.

Phaeacians

Inhabitants of the island of Skheria.

Phemios

Bard at the palace of Odysseus; spared in the slaughter.

Philoitios

Faithful cowherd to Odysseus.

Polyphemus

Cyclops son of Poseidon; blinded by Odysseus.

Proteus

"The Ancient of the Sea," he has the gift of prophecy and can change his shape.

Sirens

Enchantresses who lure sailors to their deaths with their beautiful voices.

Skheria

Island home of Alcinous, Arete, and Nausicaa.

Styx

River boundary between the land of the living and the land of the dead.

Tiresias

Blind prophet met by Odysseus in the land of the dead; he foretells Odysseus' future.

Theoklymenos

Fugitive who accompanies Telemachus home and interprets omens.

Zeus

King of the gods, brother of Poseidon, father of Athena; ruler on Mount Olympos.