MAJOR CHARACTERS OF THE ODYSSEY
Achilles (Akhilleus)- greatest warrior of the Greeks
Aegisthus (Aigisthos)- cousin and killer of Agamemnon, lover of Clytemnestra
Aeolus (Aiolos)- king of the winds
Agamemnon- son of Atreus and leader of Greek forces, husband of Clytemnestra
Alcinous (Alkinoos)- king of Phaeacia, husband of Arete, father of Nausicaa
Antinous (Antinoos)- a leader of the suitors
Aphrodite- goddess of love and beauty
Apollo- god of the sun and of medicine, son of Zeus, twin brother of Artemis
Ares- god of war and lover of Aphrodite
Arete- queen of Phaecia, mother of Nausicaa, wife of Alcinous
Argos- (1) a section Greece; (2) old dog of Odysseus
Artemis- huntress goddess
Athena, Pallas Athena, Athene- goddess of wisdom, daughter of Zeus, protector of Odysseus
Atreidae- sons of Artreus: Agamemnon and Menelaus
Demodocus (Demodokos)- blind poet and minstrel of Phaeacia
Eumaeus (Eumaios)- faithful swineherd of Odysseus
Eurymachus - an
Ithacan nobleman and one of the leaders of the suitors
Eurycleia (Eurykleia)- Odysseys' nurse
Harpies- foul birds with the heads of women
Helen- wife of Menelaus and Paris, daughter of Zeus, cause of the Trojan War
Hellas- Greece
Hephaestus (Hephaistos)- craftsman of the gods, once the husband of Aphrodite
Hera- wife and sister of Zeus
Hermes- messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to Hades
Irus - a beggar who boxes with Odysseus on Ithaca
Calypso (Kalypso)- nymph who lived with Odysseus on the island of Ogygia
Charybdis (Karybdis)- a monster whirlpool
Circe (Kirke)- a goddess and witch living on the island of Aenea; turned men into animals
Clytemnestra (Kyltaimnestra)- wife of Agamemnon, mistress of Aegisthus, sister of Helen, killed by her son Orestes
Cyclops (Kyklops)- giants with one eye in the middle of their foreheads
Cytherea (Kytherea)- another name for Aphrodite, from the island of her birth
Ithaca- home of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus
Laertes- father of Odysseus
Laistrygonians- race of giant cannibals
Lotus-eaters- people who ate an unknown flower, perhaps the poppy (opium)
Melanthius (Melanthios)- disloyal man-servant of Odysseus
Melantho- sister of Melanthius, disloyal maid of Odysseus
Menelaus (Menelaos)- king of Sparta, husband of Helen
Mentor- wise counselor whose appearance Athene took
Nausicaa (Nausikaa)- princess of Phaeacia who helped Odysseus
Nestor- oldest fighter in Greek forces, renowned for wisdom, king of Pylos
Orestes- son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother to avenge his father
Penelope- faithful wife of Odysseus
Phaeacians (Phaiakians)- sea-faring people who aided Odysseus
Polyphemus (Polyphemos)- leader of the Cyclops, blinded by Odysseus
Poseidon- god of the sea, brother of Zeus, father of Polyphemus, enemy of Odysseus
Priam- king of Troy
Scylla (Skylla)- six-headed monster who preyed on passing ships
Sirens- nymphs whose beautiful singing lured men to their death
Sparta- home of Helen and Menelaus
Teiresias- blind prophet consulted by Odysseus
Telemachus (Telemakhos)- son of Penelope and Odysseus
Zeus- king of gods and men
This document was placed on the web by Professor Thomas J. Sienkewicz
for his students at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois. If you have any questions, you
may contact him at toms@monm.edu.