Some Important Places and Characters in The Odyssey- to help you study and write your travelogue
1st name is Fitzgerald’s spelling, 2nd name is more common spelling
Odysseus’ home in Ithaca
Antiklea/Anticleia- (An ti KLAY a) Odysseus’ mother
Antínoös/Antinous/- (An TIN o us)- Penelope’s leading suitor,
an arrogant noble from Ithaca
Argos (AR gus)- Odysseus’ old dog
Emaios/Eumaeus (You MAY us)- a swineherd, and loyal
servant to Odysseus
Eurykleia/Eurycleia (you ri KLAY uh)- Odysseus’ old nurse
Eurýmachos/Eurymachus- (you RI ma kus) another suitor
Laërtês /Laertes (Lay AIR teez)- Odysseus’ father who lives
out in the country
Melanthios- (me LAN thee os) disloyal servant, the goatherd
Melantho- (me LAN tho) disloyal maid
Penelope- Odysseus’ smart, noble & loyal wife
Philoeteus- (Fi LOY tee us) a cowherd and loyal servant
Telémakhos/Telemachus- (Tuh LE mah kus) Odysseus’ son
who is now 20 or 21
Telemachus’ Journey
Helen- Helen of Troy, the woman who started it all
Meneláos/Menelaus- (Men a LAY us) Helen’s husband and king of Lakadaimon (lak uh DAY mun) or Sparta
Nestor- wise king of Pylos and hero of the Trojan War
Odysseus’ Journey
Aiaia/Aeaea- (EE ee ah) home of Circe
Alkínoös/Alcinous- (al SI no us) Kind king of Phaeacia, father of Nausicaa
Arêtê/Arete- (AIR uh tay) queen in Phaiákia
Demódokos/Demodecus- (de MAH de kus) minstrel in Phaiákia
Elpênor/Elpenor- (EL pe nor) not very smart sailor on the journey
Eurolychos- (you RILL uh kus) trusted sailor on journey with Odysseus
Ino- (EE no) the sea nymph (Nereid) who saves Odysseus from the storm after he leaves Aiaia
Kalypso/Calypso- (ka LIP so) Goddess-nymph who lives on Ogygia and keeps Odysseus for 7 years
Kharybdis/Charybdis- (ka RIB dus) female monster who forms a whirlpool
Kikones/Cicones- (chi KO nees) people of Ismaros
Kirkê/Circe- (SUR see) Witch goddess
Kyklops/Cyclops- one-eyed monsters on Sicily
Lotos Eaters/Lotus Eaters- race of people on the journey
Laestrogonians- (LAS tro go nee ans) race of giants from the journey
Erebus- (ER uh bus) land of the dead
Nausikaa/Nausicaa- (naw sik AY uh) kind and noble daughter of Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia
Ogygia- (o JI jee ah) Calypso’s island
Phaiákia/Phaeacia- (fee AY shah) Island kingdom ruled by Alcinous. Residents are shipbuilders and traders
Polyphemus- (pah lee FEE mus) Cyclops encountered by Odysseus
Skylla/Scylla- (SI lah) female monster with 6 serpent heads with fangs (thought to be dangerous rocks in Straits of
Messina)
Seirênês/Sirens- (SIGH rinz) sea nymphs
Teiresias- (Tie REE see us) famous blind prophet that Odysseus meets in the land of the dead
Theoklymenos- (thee ah kli MEN os) travels back with Telémakhos
The Comparison- These people are often compared to Odysseus & Penelope
Agamemnon- (a ge MEM non) the lead general of the Greek army
Aigísthos/Aegisthus- (a JIS thos) having an affair with Clytemnestra, murders Agamemnon
Klytemnestra/Clytemnestra- (kly tem NES tra) murders her husband Agamemnon with her lover
The Major Gods
Aiolos/Aeolus- god of the winds
Athena
Dawn
Helios
Hermes
Poseidon
Zeus