| Achilles | Immortal man, vulnerable only in his heel |
| Aeolus | God of the winds |
| Agamemnon | King and leader of the Greek forces |
| Alcinous | King of Phaeacians to whom Odysseus tells his story |
| Anticlea | Odysseus’s mother |
| Antinous | Leader of the suitors |
| Athena | Daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom; helps both Telemachus and Odysseus |
| Calypso | Sea goddess who imprisons Odysseus for 7 years. |
| Charybdis | Monster in the form of a giant whirlpool |
| Circe | The sorceress who turns Odysseus’s men into pigs |
| Cyclops | Cannibal clan of one-eyed giants |
| Epic | A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or race |
| Eumaeus | The swineherd (pig “shepherd”) who helps Odysseus |
| Eurycleia | Loyal servant to Penelope, helped raise Odysseus and Telemachus |
| Eurylochus | Second in command on the voyage home from Troy; one who told Odysseus that their comrades were turned into pigs (swine) by a witch goddess; also provoked men to eat Helios’ cattle |
| Eurymachus | One of the leaders of the suitors who shows strong influence over other suitors. He forces Penelope to choose a husband. |
| Helen | Wife of Menelaus, Queen of Sparta, her abduction by Paris started the Trojan war |
| Helios | The sun god |
| Hermes | Messenger of the gods |
| Homer | Ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC) |
| Lotus-Eaters | Legendary people who live on a plant who’s fruit induces stupor and forgetfulness of home |
| Menantho | Female servant of Odysseus’ household who is having an affair with Eurymachus. |
| Menelaus | King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen, offers to help Telemachus |
| Mentor | The male disguise that Athena sometimes takes |
| Odysseus | Endures a long journey from Troy to Ithaca; King of Ithaca |
| Paris | The son of Priam, takes Helen which begins the Trojan war; fatally wounds Achilles with an arrow |
| Penelope | Wife of Odysseus and mother of his son |
| Polyphemus | The cyclops who imprisons Odysseus and his men in a cave. |
| Poseidon | God of the sea; tries to get revenge on Odysseus |
| Scylla | Man eating, six-headed monster that lives in a cave across from Charybdis |
| Sirens | Beautiful creatures whose songs lure sailors to their deaths |
| Telemachus | Odysseus and Penelope’s son |
| Tiresias | Theban prophet in the Underworld; he is physically blind, but he has spiritual insight |
| Zeus | Father of all gods and goddesses |
The Odyssey Characters
April 21, 2020