The Odyssey Characters
Every major character in The Odyssey by Homer, with a portrait, who they are and the chapters they appear in.
OdysseusProtagonist · 21 chaptersThe long-absent king of Ithaca, famed for his cunning and endurance, struggling to return home and reclaim his household.
TelemachusMajor character · 18 chaptersTelemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope, a young prince who seeks news of his father and asserts authority in his household.
AthenaMajor character · 16 chaptersClear‑headed goddess who champions Odysseus and actively guides mortals, especially Telemachus and Odysseus, toward homecoming.
PenelopeMajor character · 15 chaptersQueen of Ithaca, faithful wife of Odysseus who guards home and son against suitors with patience and cunning.
ZeusMajor character · 14 chaptersKing of the gods who adjudicates divine disputes and issues the decrees that make Odysseus’s homecoming possible.
LaertesMinor character · 12 chaptersOdysseus’s aging father who lives quietly on his farm, a worn reminder of the household and lineage Odysseus seeks to reclaim.
The SuitorsAntagonist · 11 chaptersA group of wealthy, rowdy Ithacan nobles who overrun Odysseus’s hall, courting Penelope and consuming his goods.
AntinousAntagonist · 10 chaptersThe leading suitor in Odysseus’s hall: arrogant, violent, and the instigator of plots against Telemachus and the household.
EumaeusMajor character · 10 chaptersThe loyal swineherd of Ithaca who cares for his master's pigs and shows steadfast hospitality to a disguised Odysseus.
EurymachusAntagonist · 10 chaptersA smooth, high-ranking suitor in Odysseus’s hall who uses charm and pressure to maintain the feast and press Penelope to choose a husband.
AgamemnonMajor character · 8 chaptersFormer high king of Mycenae, famed Achaean commander at Troy, murdered on his return and remembered as a cautionary example.
MenelausMajor character · 8 chaptersKing of Sparta, Helen’s husband and a war‑tested host who aids Telemachus with news and hospitality.
PoseidonAntagonist · 8 chaptersGod of the sea whose grudge against Odysseus makes every voyage a fresh trial and punishes those who aid him.
HermesMajor character · 6 chaptersThe swift divine messenger who carries Zeus’s commands, aids travelers, and moves key plot points across mortal and divine realms.- JJoveMajor character · 6 chaptersKing of the gods who enforces divine law by punishing mortals after Helios appeals for vengeance.
- MMinervaMajor character · 6 chaptersThe goddess who guides and protects Odysseus and Telemachus, often appearing in disguise to influence events toward homecoming.
- AAegisthusAntagonist · 5 chaptersAegisthus is the lover and co-conspirator who murders Agamemnon to seize power in Mycenae.
AlcinousMajor character · 5 chaptersThoughtful, hospitable king of the Phaeacians who receives Odysseus and arranges his safe passage home.
CalypsoMajor character · 5 chaptersAn immortal nymph who detains Odysseus on her island Ogygia with comforts and offers of immortality, pausing his return home.
CirceMajor character · 5 chaptersEnchantress-goddess of Aeaea who turns sailors into swine, then entertains and guides Odysseus and his crew.- EEurycleaMajor character · 5 chaptersFaithful old nurse of Odysseus’ household who cares for Telemachus and recognizes Odysseus by his scar.
- EEurynomeMinor character · 5 chaptersA loyal household maid in Odysseus’ house who helps maintain the domestic routine and serve Penelope.
- MMedonMinor character · 5 chaptersThe faithful town crier/herald who learns of the suitors' ambush and survives the slaughter in Odysseus’s hall.
NestorMajor character · 5 chaptersKing of Pylos, an experienced elder who hosts Telemachus and recounts the aftermath of Troy.- PPhemiusMinor character · 5 chaptersThe resident bard/minstrel in Odysseus’ house who sings at the suitors’ feasts and is later spared after the slaughter.
PhiloetiusMajor character · 5 chaptersOdysseus’s faithful cowherd on Ithaca who helps bar the gates and stands by his lord in the slaughter of the suitors.- AAmphinomusMinor character · 4 chaptersA relatively moderate suitor who sometimes counsels restraint and shows small acts of kindness within the arrogant group.
- AApolloMinor character · 4 chaptersA deity who does not appear or act in the provided chapter notes of the text.
EurycleiaMajor character · 4 chaptersThe aging, trusted household nurse of Odysseus, fiercely loyal to his family and keeper of household secrets.
HeliosMajor character · 4 chaptersThe sun god who keeps the sacred cattle on Thrinacia and whose anger dooms Odysseus' crew.
MelanthiusMinor character · 4 chaptersThe palace goatherd on Ithaca, insolent and partisan toward the suitors, who mocks the disguised Odysseus and pays for it.
NausicaaMinor character · 4 chaptersPhaeacian princess who finds shipwrecked Odysseus, offers practical help, and guides him to her parents' palace.- OOrestesMajor character · 4 chaptersSon of Agamemnon who avenges his father’s murder by killing Aegisthus and regaining his family’s honor.
AreteMajor character · 3 chaptersQueen of Phaeacia, wife of Alcinous and mother of Nausicaa, respected for her judgment and central to Odysseus’s reception.- PPisistratusMinor character · 3 chaptersNestor’s son who escorts Telemachus from Pylos to Sparta and accompanies him partway back toward Ithaca.
PolyphemusAntagonist · 3 chaptersa solitary, one-eyed Cyclops shepherd whose lawless strength threatens Odysseus and his men- UUlyssesProtagonist · 3 chaptersThe wily Greek king trying to return to Ithaca after Troy, tested by monsters, gods, and the failures of his crew.
CharybdisAntagonist · 2 chaptersA living whirlpool opposite Scylla, capable of swallowing an entire ship and forcing deadly choices on sailors.
DemodocusMinor character · 2 chaptersThe celebrated blind Phaeacian bard whose songs about Troy move Odysseus to tears and entertain Alcinous' court.
MelanthoMinor character · 2 chaptersOne of Penelope’s maidservants who flatters the suitors and insults the beggar, showing disloyalty within the household.- SScyllaAntagonist · 2 chaptersA six‑headed sea monster in a cliffside cave who snatches sailors from passing ships.
TiresiasMajor character · 2 chaptersThe blind Theban prophet Odysseus consults in the underworld, whose clear prophecy directs Odysseus' final fate.
ArgosMinor character · 1 chapterOdysseus’s elderly hunting dog on Ithaca who recognizes his master and dies after that recognition.
The LaestrygoniansAntagonist · 1 chapterA hidden harbor people who reveal themselves as man-eating giants and violently attack visiting strangers.
The Lotus-EatersMinor character · 1 chapterA hospitable island people who offer a forgetful, sweet lotus that makes sailors abandon thoughts of home.
The SirensAntagonist · 1 chapterEerie singers on a lonely shore whose irresistible song tempts sailors to abandon course and safety.
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