| Epithet or an Homeric epithet | One of the most noticeable features of Homer’s Odyssey. It is a tag or nickname that can be used on its own or together with the real name. |
| Achilles | swift-footed ; godlike ; shepherd of the people ; son of Peleus ; leader of men |
| Aeolus | God of winds |
| Agamemnon | King of Mycenae; wide-ruling; lord of men ; godlike ; glorious son of Atreus |
| Alcinous | king of phaeacia |
| Antinous | …, a leader among the suitors |
| Athena | Goddess of the flashing eyes, grey-eyed goddess; daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom and warfare; queen of tactics, bright-eyed, the grey-eyed goddess, tireless child of Zeus, dim phantom |
| Calypso | sea nymph |
| Charybdis | Whirlpool |
| Circe | witch-goddess; daughter of Helios the sun-god; |
| Elpenor | youngest companion or crew member |
| Eumaeus | A swineherd, an old and loyal servant |
| Eurycleia | Loyal servant and nurse |
| Eurylochus | rebel and crew member, convinced to eat cattle |
| Eurymachus | manipulative, deceitful suitor |
| Helen | long-dressed ; lovely-haired ; Argive ; daughter of a noble house ; daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis |
| Helios | Sun god |
| Hermes | god of the golden wand, giant killer; messenger ; son of Zeus ; Giant-killer ; kindly ; greatest of gods in his mind’s subtlety ; the strong one |
| Laertes | aging father, week and in despair |
| Menelaus | master of the war-cry ; glorious ; excellent ; fair-haired ; warrior ; red-haired ; son of Atreus; red-haired king, red-haired captain, king with flaming hair, Atreus’ royal son, , lord marshal, |
| Mentor | a wise and loyal friend and adviser, in disguise |
| Nausicaa | Princess of the Phaeacians, daughter of Alcinous |
| Nestor | breaker of horses; godlike ; Gerenian horseman ; huge ; son of Neleus Pylos-born King sweet spoken; Nestor of Gerenia, Prince of charioteer, Pride of Akhains, Neleus’s son, Master Charioteer |
| Odysseus | the foreman of men, master of many exploits, man of twists and turns, raider of cities, hotheaded, master improviser, great seasoned old campaigner, man for all occasions;noble, man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer; Zeus’ equal in his mind’s resource ; son of Laertes ; resourceful ; nimble-witted ; famous spearman ; godlike ; sacker of cities ; much-enduring ; gallant ; stalwart ; loved of Zeus ; famed ; hardy ; royal ; great glory of the Achaians |
| Penelope | wise ; queen ; flawless ; richly-dowered ; prudent ; Ikarius’ daughter ; constant . |
| Polyphemus | Cyclops, son of Poseidon, one-eyed giant |
| Poseidon | – earth-shaker ; – dark-haired god powerful lord ; – encircler of the earth; – Blue-maned god who makes the islands tremble, – earthshaker, – the god who laps the land in water |
| Scylla | six-headed sea monster |
| Teiresias | Theban Prince; Seer of Thebes |
| Telemachus | clear-headed, Odysseus’ true son |
| Zeus | son of Kronos ; wide-seeing ; the father ; the cloud – gatherer ; who holds the aegis ; father of gods and men ; master of the bright lightening ; the father of men and gods; summoner of the clouds, he who views the wide world; he who marshals the storm clouds |
Epithets in the Odyssey
April 17, 2020