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.
