Antilochus (an-ti´-lo-kus): (1) dead son of Nestor. 3.112; (2) son of Amphiaraeus. 11.469.
Antinous (an-ti´-no-us): a leading suitor whose father, Eupeithes, was protected by Odysseus and whom Odysseus held on his lap when he was a little boy. Antinous jeers at Telemachus and is an instigator in the plan to kill the prince. He is cruel to Eumaeus and to Odysseus in his guise as a beggar, hurling a stool at him. Antinous instigates the fight between Odysseus and the real beggar, Irus. He is the first suitor killed by Odysseus, with an arrow through the neck. In Book 24, Antinous’ father speaks in grief of his murdered boy, and calls for revenge. 1.383.
Antiope (an-ti´-oh-pee): mother of Amphion and Zethus by Zeus; mentioned in the parade of heroines. 11.262.
Antiphates (an-ti´-fa-teez): (1) king of the Laestrygonians. 10.108. (2) son of Melampus and the father of Oïcles. 15.244.
Antiphus (an´-ti-fus): (1) son of Aegyptius, who goes as a crew member with Odysseus and is killed by the Cyclops. 2.17. (2) Ithacan elder. 17.68.
Apeire (a´-pay-ree): mythical home of Eurymedusa, the slave of Nausicaa; location unknown. 7.9.
Apheidas (a-fay´-das): fictional father of Odysseus. 24.307.
Aphrodite (a-fro-dai´-tee): goddess associated with sexual desire, and the daughter of Zeus. Born from the sea with no other mother, she is traditionally accompanied by the Graces (lowlier female divinities representing three aspects of attractiveness). She is married to Hephaestus, the metal-working god, but has a long-standing affair with Ares. 4.15.
Apollo (a-pol´-oh): son of Zeus and Leto, and a god associated with the sun and with music, poetry, and archery; he typically carries a bow and a lyre. He is also referred to by the epithet Phoebus. It is a festival day to Apollo at the end of The Odyssey, when Odysseus uses his bow to kill the suitors. 3.279.
Arcesius (ar-kes´-ee-us): son of Zeus (or, according to other sources, son of a she-bear and a human named Cephalus). Father of Laertes and grandfather of Odysseus. Zeus doomed Arcesius to have a single line, of only sons. 14.182.
Ares (air´-eez): the god of war; son of Zeus and Hera. He has an affair with Aphrodite. 8.115.
Arete (a-ree´-tee): queen of Phaeacia. When Odysseus visits Phaeacia, he is first told that the queen is the most important person in the court, although later, Alcinous, the king, seems to be more powerful. 7.54.
Arethusa (a-re-thoo´-sa): a spring in Ithaca. 13.409.
Aretias (a-ree´-tee-as): grandfather of Amphinomus. 18.414.
Aretus (a-ree´-tus): son of Nestor. 3.413.
Argives (ar´-gaivs): inhabitants of Argos, in the Peloponnese; used as a general name for Greeks. 2.173.
Argo (ar´-go): mythical ship, imagined in Greek legend to be the first large-scale ship in the world, used by Jason and the Argonauts to travel in search of the Golden Fleece. 12.70.
Argos (ar´-gos): (1) a city in the northeast Peloponnese and the area surrounding it, or, more vaguely, mainland Greece. 1.211. (2) giant with a hundred eyes. 5.75. (3) old dog owned by Odysseus. 17.291.
Ariadne (ar-ee-ad´-nee): daughter of Minos. She helped the Greek hero Theseus kill the Minotaur (her bull-headed brother), and went away with him, only to be abandoned on an island; the god Dionysus then took her as a bride. In the Odyssey version, she was denounced by Dionysus and killed by Artemis, for reasons that are not explained. 11.323.
Arnaeus (ar-nai´-us): the real name of the beggar Irus (q.v.). 18.6.
Artaky (ar´-ta-kee): a spring on the island of the Laestrygonians. 10.107.
Artemis (ar´-te-mis): virgin goddess associated with hunting, wild places, the moon, childbirth, and diseases of women. Daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo. 4.121.
Arybas (a´-ri-bas): nobleman in Sidon and the father of Eumaeus’ nurse. 15.426.
Asphalion (as-fa´-lee-on): a slave of Menelaus. 4.216.
Asteris (as´-ter-is): island near Ithaca. 4.846.
Athena (ath-ee´-na): the goddess associated with technical and strategic skill, warfare, weaving, and other kinds of expertise. Her plant is the olive tree; she is associated with birds of prey and has particularly quick sight. She is the daughter of Zeus by Metis (a Titan representing cleverness): Zeus, afraid of a prophecy that said Metis’ son would overthrow him, turned her into a fly and swallowed her, but Athena, who was already conceived in Metis, grew inside Zeus’ head and sprang out, already fully armed. She is also referred to by the epithet Pallas. 1.44.
Athens (ath´-ens): a city in Attica, a region of mainland Greece. 3.306.
Atlas (at´-las): the Titan who holds up the sky. 1.52.
Atreus (ai´-tree-us): father of Agamemnon and Menelaus; king of Mycenae. Along with his brother Thyestes, he was exiled for killing their half brother; later, suspecting Thyestes of having an affair with his wife, Atreus killed Thyestes’ children and made him eat them. This myth is not mentioned in Homer. 3.136.
Autolycus (aw-to´-li-kus): father of Anticleia and maternal grandfather of Odysseus. His name means “The Wolf Himself” or “Real Wolf.” He gives Odysseus his name. 11.85.
Autonoe (aw-to´-noh-ee): slave of Penelope. 18.184.
Boethoedes (boh-ee´-thoy-deez): slave in Menelaus’ household. 15.138.
Boreas (bor´-ee-as): the North Wind. 5.296.
Cadmus (kad´-mus): the founder of Thebes; hence “Cadmeans” (kad´-mee-ans) = Thebans. 5.334.
Calypso (kal-ip´-so): a goddess (or nymph) who lives on the island of Ogygia and hopes to keep Odysseus there as her husband. Daughter of Atlas, the Titan who holds up the world. 1.14.
Cassandra (kas-ahn´-dra): one of the daughters of Priam, king of Troy; she was raped by Apollo and rewarded with the gift of true prophecy—but with the inability to make anybody believe her words. She was taken as a slave concubine by Agamemnon, brought back to his home in Greece, and then murdered by Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. 11.422.
Castor (kas´-tor): (1) son of Zeus and Leda, and the brother of Helen, Clytemnestra, and Polydeuces. 11.301. (2) son of Hylax (“Castor Hylacides”) and fictional father of Odysseus. 14.200.
Cauconians (kaw-koh´-nee-yanz): a tribe of southwest Pylos. 3.367.
Cetians (see´-tee-yanz): a people led by Eurypylus. 11.521.
Chalcis (kal´-sis): a town in western Greece, not the Chalcis in Euboea. 15.294
Charybdis (ka-rib´-dis): a monstrous goddess in the form of a giant whirlpool. 12.104.