Achilles
son of Peleus and Thetis, grandson of Aeacus, and commander of the Myrmidons, Achaean allies, at troy
Aeaea
island, home of circe
Aegisthus
seducer of Clytemnestra, murderer of Agamemnon, killed by Orestes
Aeolus
father of master of the winds, father of Cretheus
Agamemnon
Kind of Mycenae, son of Atreus, husband of Clytemnestra, murdered by her and Aegisthus, brother of Menelaus, supreme commander of all Achae’s armies
Ajax
Achaean, son of Telamon, Telamonian or Great Ajax, defeated by Odysseys in the content for Achilles’ armor
Alcinuos
King of the Phaeacians, husband of Arete, father of Nausicaa
Amphinomus
suitor killed by Telemachus, favorite of Penelope
Anticleia
wife of Laertes, other of Odysseys, daughter of Autolycus
Antinous
son of Eupithes, one of the two leading suitors
Apollo
son of Zeus, patron of the arts (music and poetry), god of archery, lord of the silver bow, arrows are metaphor for the onset of a plague whos festival day in Ithaca is the day the suitors are killed
Ares
son of Zeus and Hera, god of war lover of Aphrodite
Arete
queen of Phaeacia, wife of Alcinuous, mother of Nausicaa
Argos
city or district in the northeastern Peloponnese, or the general region of the Achaeans, mainland Greece
Artemis
daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo, goddess of childbirth and hunting
Athena
goddess, daughter of Zeus, defender of the Achaeans. Patron of human ingenuity and resourcefulness, Odysseus being her fav greek
Atreus
Father of Agamemnon and Menelaus
Calypso
goddess-nymph, daughter of Atlas, home is Ogygia, held Odysseus captive
Charybdis
monster in the form of a whirlpool, across from Sckylla
Circe
goddess and enchantress of Aeaea, changes men to pigs
Clytemnestra
daughter of Leda and Tyndareus, queen of Argos, wife of Agamemnon, lover of Aegisthus, mother of Orestes
Dawn
goddess of morning, wife of Tithonus
Demeter
goddess of grain crops, sister of Zeus and mother of Persephone
Demodocus
blind singer of the Phaecians
Eidothea
sea-nymph, daughter of Proteus
Elpenor
companion of Odysseus, died by falling off a roof
Eumaeus
swineherd of Odysseus, loyal fr
Eurycleia
old nurse of Odysseus and Telemachus, attendant of Penelope
Eurylochus
Kin of Odysseus, and his second in command
Eurymachus
one of the two leading suitors, son of Polybus, killed by Odysseus
Furies
spirits whose task it is to exact blood for blood when no human avenger is left alive. Punish Oedipus for marrying his mother and driving her to suicide
Halitherses
Ithacan elder with prophetic powers, the bird guy
Helen
daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus, consort of Paris, her abduction by him from Sparta caused the Trojan War
Helios
the sun god, all-seeing god, kills crew for eating his cattle
Hermes
son of Zeus and Maia, messenger of the gods, giant killer, guide of dead souls to the underworld
Hermione
daughter of Menelaus and Helen
Ino
sea-goddess who offered Odysseus the scarf to not drown
Irus
beggar in house of Ithaca, Odysseus beat him up
Ithaca
Ionian island off the western coast of Greece, Odysseus’ home
Laertes
Son of Arcesius, husband of Anticleia, father of Odysseus
Laestrygonians
clan of giant cannibals, threw rocks and boulders at crew
Lotus-eaters
, visited by Odysseus, people who live on plant whose fruit induces stupor and forgetfulness of home
Melanthius
son of Dolius, goatherd
Melantho
daughter of Dolius, maid of Penelope
Menelaus
king of Lacedaemon, son of Atreus, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen
Mentes
son of Alcimus, Ithacan friend of Odysseus, name assumed by Athena in Ithaca
Mentor
son of Alcimus, Ithacan friend of Odysseus, impersonated by Athena
Muse
daughter of Zeus, one of nine, preside over literature and arts, artistic inspiration
Nausiciaa
daughter of Alcinous and Arete, finds Odysseus
Nestor
kind of Pylians, father of Antilochus, Pisistratusm Thrasymedes and others
Odysseus
king of Ithaca, pretty obvious
Ogygia
Calypso’s island
Olympus
home of the gods, mountain
Orestes
son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, avenger of his father
Penelope
Odysseus’ wife, daughter of Icarius
Phaecia
last destination of Odysseus, kingdom of Alcinous
Pisistratus
son of Nestor, accompanies Telemachus to Sparta
Polyphemus
cyclops, blinded by Odysseus, son of Poseidon
Pylos
nestors capital city, where Telemachus went first
Sirens
tempts sailors to his ruin
Scylla
man eating monster that lives in a cliffside cavern opposite of charybdis
Sparta
home of Menelaus and Helen
Telemachus
son of Odysseus
Tiresias
prophetic powers in underworld
Zeus
King of the gods, son of cronus and rhea, brother and husband of harra, father of the Olympians and many mortals too. His fears include the sky and weather, hospitality and the rights of guests and suppliants, the punishment of injustice, the sending of omens, and the governance of the universe, controlled to some extent by fate as well