The Odyssey

Character Guide

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Ulysses (Odysseus)

The 'ingenious hero' who sacked Troy and has spent years trying to return home, detained by the nymph Calypso and persecuted at sea by the god Neptune.

Penelope

Ulysses' wife, who has waited for his return while fending off suitors who wish to marry her and take over her husband's household.

Telemachus

Ulysses and Penelope's son, a young man growing into his own authority who challenges the suitors overrunning his father's house and sets out to seek news of his father.

Minerva (Athene)

A goddess who pities Ulysses and works among gods and mortals to guide Telemachus and prepare the way for Ulysses' return.

Neptune (Poseidon)

A god who holds a grudge against Ulysses (for blinding his son the Cyclops) and continually delays his homecoming.

Jove (Zeus)

King of the gods, who presides over the divine council and ultimately decrees that Ulysses should be allowed to return home.

Menelaus

King of Sparta/Lacedaemon, husband of Helen, who hosts Telemachus and shares news of other Trojan War veterans' fates.

Nestor

An elderly king of Pylos visited by Telemachus, who offers hospitality and recollections of the Trojan War.

Eumaeus

Ulysses' loyal swineherd, who shows great hospitality to strangers and remains devoted to his absent master's household.

Antinous

One of the arrogant suitors pressing Penelope to remarry and consuming Ulysses' household's resources.

Calypso

A nymph/goddess who has kept Ulysses on her island, wishing to marry him and prevent his return home.

The Cyclops (Polyphemus)

A giant one-eyed son of Neptune whom Ulysses encounters and blinds, provoking the god's lasting anger.

Glossary

Hecatomb

A large sacrifice of many animals (traditionally a hundred oxen) offered to the gods.

Suitors

The many men courting Penelope in Ulysses' absence while living off and depleting his household's wealth.

Cyclops

A race of giant, one-eyed beings; specifically here refers to Polyphemus, son of Neptune.

Erinyes

Also called the Furies; vengeful female spirits invoked to punish wrongdoing, especially against family.

Phaeacians

A seafaring people who host Ulysses near the end of his wanderings and convey him home to Ithaca.

Store-room key

A bronze key with an ivory handle used by Penelope to access the treasure room holding Ulysses' bow, symbolizing her guardianship of the household.

Winnowing shovel

A farm tool for separating grain from chaff; referenced in a prophecy about a sign Ulysses will encounter on a future journey inland.

Elysian plain (Elysium)

A paradise-like afterlife destination for favored heroes, located at the ends of the world.

Periplus

A voyage or itinerary following a coastline; used by the translator to describe Ulysses' journey around Sicily in his interpretive theory.

Naiads

Nymphs associated with fresh water, such as springs and caves, mentioned in the description of Ithaca's sacred cavern.

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