# Epops — The Birds character guide

> Epops in The Birds by Aristophanes.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Epops The wise, Epops By Zeus, Epops The Greeks

**First appearance:** 0002-the-birds

## Snapshot

The Hoopoe, once the human king Tereus, now a moulting bird who hosts the Athenians and brokers their plan to the flock.

## Who they are

Epops opens his forest to two lost mortals and admits, with some embarrassment, that he was once a man—Tereus, no less, whom Sophocles had already made a spectacle of. He lives between species and between griefs, still calling on his dear Procne, still explaining his fallen feathers. When Pisthetaerus proposes a bird-city, Epops is the one who must translate the scheme to the suspicious, ignorant flock he has taught to speak. His hybrid authority—human memory, avian body—makes the whole premise of the comedy possible.

## Relationships

### [Pisthetaerus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_birds_se/characters/pisthetaerus)

_friendship_

Epops, the hoopoe, is an early ally who helps Pisthetaerus and his companion establish their bird city, acting as a guide and supporter.

## In the story

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_birds_se/chapters/endnotes)

Discussed in endnotes, including his mythological background and transformation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_birds_se/characters/epops
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_birds_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_birds_se/characters