Character guide

Ulysses

major

Also known as Odysseus, sage Ulysses, Godlike Ulysses, great Ulysses, King Ulysses, the shrewd Ulysses, wise Ulysses, the Ithacan Ulysses

Ulysses is the resourceful hero whose cunning took Troy but whose longing for Ithaca keeps him pinned on Calypso's isle while suitors devour his house. He is a man of stratagems and grief, blamed by no god but Neptune, who hates him for blinding the Cyclops. His slow, contested return is the engine of the poem: every ruse, storm, and reunion tests whether wit and endurance can outlast fate.

Telemachus

major

Also known as Telemachus the godlike, discreet Telemachus, young Telemachus

Telemachus sits among the suitors who waste his inheritance, too young to command them and too proud to accept his mother's endless delay. When Athene arrives disguised as Mentor, she prods him toward Pylos and Sparta to seek news of his father. His journey is the poem's coming-of-age thread: a son learning to speak, sail, and act as the man whose name he bears.

Penelope

major

Also known as discreet Penelope, sage Penelope, the chaste Penelope, sorrowful Penelope

Penelope rules Ithaca in her husband's absence while a crowd of arrogant suitors eats her stores and demands her hand. Her famous weaving trick buys time, but her real weapon is a wary heart that refuses to be deceived by hope. When Eurycleia announces Ulysses has returned, Penelope's disbelief shows how deeply she has armored herself against false comfort—and how much is at stake in recognizing the truth.

Pallas Athene

major

Also known as Pallas, Minerva, blue-eyed Pallas, mighty Pallas

Athene is the divine strategist who pleads Ulysses' case before Jove and then descends to Ithaca disguised as Mentor to stir Telemachus into action. She admires cunning because she embodies it, and she guides the mortal plot with a patron's fierce, sometimes partisan care. Without her interventions—omens, disguises, borrowed courage—neither father nor son would find the road home or the nerve to take it.

Jove

major

Also known as Zeus, Father Jove, Saturnian Jove, cloud-compelling Jove, the Thunderer, Olympian Jove

Jove opens the poem brooding on Aegisthus, proof that men blame the gods for sorrows they bring on themselves, yet he pities Ulysses and lets Athene press his case. He is sovereign but not simple: he thunders assent to an unnamed slave woman's prayer, a sign heard by the disguised king. His decrees set the poem's moral weather, balancing Neptune's grudge against the slow machinery of homecoming.

Neptune

supporting

Also known as Poseidon, King Neptune, mighty Neptune, Earthshaking Neptune, monarch Neptune

Neptune hates Ulysses for blinding his son Polyphemus, and his wrath is the wandering's relentless engine: he cannot kill the hero, but he can keep him from home. While the other gods pity Ulysses, Neptune is away among the Ethiopians, and his absence at the council is itself a plot device. His feud gives the poem its sense of vast, impersonal danger beneath the human story.

Eumaeus

supporting

Also known as Swineherd Eumaeus, Noble Eumaeus, the master swineherd

The loyal swineherd who keeps Ulysses' hearth alive in his absence, offering shelter and fierce devotion to a master he believes is lost.

Eurycleia

supporting

Also known as the aged Eurycleia, Dame Eurycleia, the prudent Eurycleia

The aged nurse who raised Ulysses and now serves his household, her sharp eyes and long memory making her both witness and keeper of the family's secrets.

Nestor

supporting

Also known as Gerenian Nestor, the godlike Nestor, the aged Nestor, the knight Gerenian Nestor

The aged king of Pylos, whose memory spans generations of heroes and whose counsel sends Telemachus onward in search of his father.

Menelaus

supporting

Also known as Atrides, fair-haired Menelaus, godlike Menelaus, King Menelaus, the valiant Menelaus

The fair-haired king of Sparta, home at last from Troy but still haunted by the war, who receives Telemachus with lavish hospitality and hard-won news.

Helen

supporting

Also known as the Argive Helen, Argive Helen, fair-haired Helen, Rosy Helen

In Menelaus's golden hall, Helen presides over her daughter's wedding feast as if the Trojan decade were a story she might tell or withhold. She reads the room with unnerving poise, naming the Trojan horse and her own return to her husband in the same breath, while young Telemachus listens for news of his father. Her presence turns Sparta into a hall of mirrors: every guest measures what beauty costs, and what it forgives.

Calypso

supporting

Also known as fair Calypso, the nymph Calypso, Calypso of the radiant hair

Calypso rules Ogygia as both paradise and prison, her affection for Ulysses indistinguishable from possession. She offers him deathless youth and a goddess's bed, yet he weeps on her shore each day for a mortal wife and a rocky island he may never see again. Her grief when the gods finally order his release exposes how deeply the story's heroes are also its captors.

Nausicaä

supporting

Also known as Nausicaä

Nausicaä stands at the threshold of marriage, her wedding robes unwashed and her future undecided, when Athena plants the errand that leads her to the river mouth. She faces the naked, salt-crusted Ulysses without flinching, clothes him, and calculates how to bring him into her father's court without inviting gossip. Her brief, bright presence gives the wanderer his first taste of civilized kindness in years.

Alcinoüs

supporting

Also known as King Alcinoüs, wise Alcinoüs, Alcinoüs the mighty

Alcinoüs governs the Phaeacians with a hospitality so generous it borders on the reckless, hosting Ulysses with games, songs, and gifts of gold. His court is a last oasis of order before Ithaca's chaos, and his decision to escort the stranger home defies a prophecy that such kindness will one day cost his people dear. He embodies the poem's question of whether generosity is wisdom or folly.

Cyclops

supporting

Also known as Polyphemus, the cannibal Cyclops, O Cyclops

Polyphemus lives outside every law of guests and gods, tending his flocks in a cave that becomes a slaughterhouse the moment Ulysses accepts his own curiosity as an invitation. He is strength without craft, and his howl of pain when blinded carries a father's curse across the sea. His encounter with Ulysses sets the terms of the hero's long suffering: every later storm has Polyphemus's prayer behind it.

Circè

supporting

Also known as mighty Circè, Circe

Circè welcomes strangers with a drugged cup and a wand, transforming Ulysses' men into grunting beasts before he forces her to undo the spell. Once disarmed, she becomes a lavish hostess, advising him on the routes to the dead and the dangers beyond. Her island is where the poem's appetite for transformation turns literal, and where Ulysses learns that some monsters keep their promises.

Tiresias

supporting

Also known as King Tiresias

Tiresias belongs to the underworld, a seer who keeps his prophetic power even after death and whose counsel carries the weight of fate itself. Ulysses descends to the land of the dead precisely because no living source can tell him what lies ahead, and the prophet's warnings about the journey's cost give the wanderer knowledge he cannot afford to ignore. His presence turns the poem's middle movement into a meditation on what the living owe the dead, and on whether foreknowledge ever truly saves anyone.

Laertes

supporting

Also known as Son of Laertes, old Laertes, the sage Laertes, Old Laertes

Once a king, Laertes now lives in seclusion, tending his land while his son is presumed lost and his household is overrun by suitors. His slow withdrawal is a quiet indictment of the years Ulysses has spent wandering, and the reunion the poem withholds for so long gains its emotional force from how far this old man has fallen. He matters less as an actor than as a mirror: what Ithaca becomes without its king.

Medon

minor

Also known as the herald Medon, sagacious Medon

A herald in Ulysses' palace who is spared during the slaughter of the suitors.

Hermes

supporting

Also known as Cyllenian Hermes

Hermes moves between Olympus and the mortal world as the god who carries decrees and, when needed, practical aid to heroes in trouble. His intervention with Calypso is the hinge on which Ulysses' release turns, and his later gift of a protective herb shows that divine help in the poem is often cunning rather than heroic. He embodies the idea that survival sometimes depends on knowing which god to listen to and which plant to hold.

Phaeacians

supporting

Also known as the Phaeacians

The Phaeacians occupy a blessed island outside the ordinary world, generous hosts whose court becomes the stage for Ulysses' own account of his wanderings. Their hospitality is genuine but fragile, shadowed by a prophecy that helping strangers by sea may bring divine punishment on their city. They matter because they give the hero both an audience and a passage home, and because their fate raises the poem's uneasy question of whether kindness to a guest can ever be cost-free.

Clytemnestra

minor

Also known as the noble Clytemnestra, treacherous Clytemnestra

The wife of Agamemnon who conspired in his murder, mentioned in the underworld.

Antinoüs

supporting

Also known as Antinous

The most brazen of Penelope's suitors, whose contempt for hospitality and open cruelty make him the face of the household's corruption.

Eurymachus

supporting

Also known as O Eurymachus

A smooth-tongued suitor whose charm masks ambition, second only to Antinoüs in sway over the pack that besieges Penelope.

Aretè

minor

Also known as White-armed Aretè

The queen of the Phaeacians, wife of Alcinoüs, who respects Ulysses' plea for aid.

Demodocus

minor

Also known as renowned Demodocus

The blind bard of the Phaeacians who sings of the Trojan War and Ulysses' deeds.

Eurylochus

minor

Also known as brave Eurylochus

A cautious officer among Ulysses' crew who survives Circe's trap and warns the others.

Elpenor

minor

A young crewman of Ulysses who dies in a fall at Circe's palace and is buried later.

Scylla

minor

A six-headed sea monster who devours six of Ulysses' men as they pass her strait.

Charybdis

minor

A dangerous whirlpool opposite Scylla that threatens Ulysses' ship on his voyage.

Melanthius

minor

A treacherous goatherd who sides with the suitors and insults Ulysses in his own hall.

Melantho

minor

A disloyal maidservant in Ulysses' palace who mocks him and consorts with the suitors.

Irus

minor

A beggar in Ithaca who challenges Ulysses to a fight and is easily defeated.

Philoetius

minor

A loyal cowherd of Ulysses who helps him in the battle against the suitors.

Theoclymenus

minor

Also known as the godlike Theoclymenus

A prophet who travels with Telemachus and foresees doom for the suitors.

Piraeus

minor

A loyal Ithacan who hosts Theoclymenus and later returns Telemachus' gifts.

Phemius

minor

A bard in Ithaca forced to entertain the suitors, later spared by Ulysses.

Amphinomus

minor

A relatively decent suitor who is killed despite Ulysses' warning to leave.

Ctesippus

minor

A rude suitor who throws a cow's hoof at Ulysses during the feast.

Leiodes

minor

A suitor who serves as a priest and is killed despite pleading for mercy.

Agelaüs

minor

Also known as noble Agelaüs

A suitor who speaks for the group and is slain by Ulysses during the battle.

Eupeithes

minor

Father of Antinoüs who leads an uprising against Ulysses after the suitors' deaths.

Dolius

minor

Also known as old Dolius

An old servant of Laertes who rejoices at Ulysses' return and helps in the final battle.

Aeolus

minor

The keeper of the winds who gives Ulysses a bag of winds to help him sail home.

Antiphates

minor

Also known as King Antiphates

The king of the man-eating Laestrygonians who destroys all but one of Ulysses' ships.

Achilles

minor

Also known as great Achilles

The fallen Greek hero whom Ulysses meets in the underworld, lamenting his fate.

Agamemnon

minor

Also known as Corrupted Agamemnon, King Agamemnon

The slain Greek king whom Ulysses encounters in the underworld, recounting his murder.

Ajax

minor

Also known as the valiant Ajax

A Greek hero who refuses to speak to Ulysses in the underworld due to past enmity.

Proteus

minor

Also known as Egyptian Proteus

A shape-shifting sea god who Menelaus captures to learn how to return home.

Peisistratus

minor

Also known as brave Peisistratus

The son of Nestor who accompanies Telemachus on his journey to Sparta.

Mentor

minor

Also known as O Mentor, Malicious Mentor

An Ithacan friend of Ulysses whose form Athene often takes to guide Telemachus.

Euryalus

minor

A Phaeacian prince who insults Ulysses and later gives him a gift in apology.

Laodamas

minor

Also known as O Laodamas

A Phaeacian prince who challenges Ulysses to athletic contests.

Vulcan

minor

Also known as Illustrious Vulcan, illustrious Vulcan

The god of fire and craftsmanship, who traps Mars and Venus in a net.

Mars

minor

Also known as Ares

The god of war, caught in an affair with Venus by Vulcan's trap.

Venus

minor

Also known as Venus de Medicis, blessed Venus, Cytherea

The goddess of love, caught in an affair with Mars by Vulcan.

Apollo

minor

Also known as Apollo of the, Phoebus

The god of archery and prophecy, invoked by characters throughout the epic.

Diana

minor

Also known as chaste Diana, Artemis

The goddess of the hunt, occasionally referenced in oaths and prayers.

Juno

minor

Also known as Hera

The queen of the gods, mentioned in the context of the Trojan War.

Pluto

minor

Also known as Hades

The god of the underworld, ruling over the realm of the dead.

Proserpine

minor

Also known as mighty Proserpine, Persephone

The queen of the underworld, wife of Pluto, encountered by Ulysses.

Sirens

minor

Also known as the Sirens, XII The Sirens

Enchanting creatures whose song lures sailors to their deaths, resisted by Ulysses.

Eurynomè

minor

A loyal maidservant in Penelope's household who assists her and Ulysses.

Noëmon

minor

Also known as Noëmon spake

An Ithacan who lends Telemachus a ship for his journey to Pylos.

Antilochus

minor

Also known as excellent Antilochus

A Greek hero and son of Nestor, mentioned in the underworld as a fallen warrior.

Orestes

minor

Also known as Prince Orestes, the divine Orestes

Son of Agamemnon who avenges his father's murder, cited as a model for Telemachus.

Idomeneus

minor

Also known as the great Idomeneus, King Idomeneus

A Cretan Greek hero who fought at Troy, mentioned in Nestor's tales.

Lotus Eaters

minor

A peaceful people whose lotus fruit causes Ulysses' men to lose desire to return home.

Ciconians

minor

A Thracian tribe attacked by Ulysses after leaving Troy, leading to losses.

Laestrygonians

minor

A race of giant cannibals who destroy all but one of Ulysses' ships.

Hercules

minor

A legendary hero whose shade Ulysses encounters in the underworld.

Tantalus

minor

A figure in the underworld punished with eternal hunger and thirst, seen by Ulysses.

Sisyphus

minor

A figure in the underworld eternally pushing a boulder uphill, observed by Ulysses.

Autolycus

minor

The maternal grandfather of Ulysses, a renowned thief and trickster.

Icarius

minor

Also known as O daughter of Icarius

The father of Penelope, mentioned in addresses to her.

Atreus

minor

The father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, mentioned in genealogical references.

Peleus

minor

The father of Achilles, mentioned in the context of his son's glory.

Echeneüs

minor

Also known as Echeneus

An elder Phaeacian who advises Alcinoüs to honor Ulysses.

Nausithoüs

minor

The former king of the Phaeacians, father of Alcinoüs, mentioned in their history.

Amphiaraüs

minor

A prophet and hero whose shade is seen by Ulysses in the underworld.

Aegisthus

minor

Also known as treacherous Aegisthus

The lover of Clytemnestra who helped murder Agamemnon, later killed by Orestes.