g as in good
i as in sit
j as in joke
k as in kite
o as in pot
oh as in no
oo as in boot
or as in bore
ow as in now
oy as in toy
s as in mess
ts as in ants
u as in us
ur as in sir
you as in you
zh as in vision
´ marks a stressed syllable.
Each entry ends with a reference to the book and line number of the name’s first appearance in the poem.
Acastus (a-kas´-tus): king of Dulichium. 14.340.
Achaean (a-kee´-an): the collective name for inhabitants of Achaea, as mainland Greece was called. 1.272.
Acheron (a´-ker-on): a mythical river in the land of the dead; also a real river in Thesprotia. 10.516.
Achilles (a-kil´-eez): important Greek warrior, central character in The Iliad. Son of Peleus and the Sea Goddess Thetis. Leader of a band of fighters known as the Myrmidons. 3.106.
Acroneüs (ak-ro´-nee-us): Phaeacian nobleman; the name suggests “Topship.” 8.108.
Actoris (ak´-to-ris): slave woman owned by Penelope. 23.230.
Adraste (ad-ra´-stee): slave girl of Helen. 4.122.
Aeaea (ee-ee´-a): the mythical island of Circe. 10.135.
Aeetes (ee-ee´-teez): brother of Circe. 10.138.
Aegae (ee´-jee): a city in northern Peloponnese, sacred to Poseidon. 5.381.
Aegisthus (ee-jis´-thus): son of Thyestes; onetime ruler of Mycenae. Aegisthus killed his uncle Atreus to restore his father to the throne, exiling Menelaus and Agamemnon to Sparta. Menelaus later drove Atreus and Aegisthus out of Sparta, and put his brother Agamemnon on the throne. When Agamemnon and Menelaus were gone to Troy, Aegisthus seduced Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra and took the throne of Mycenae back. When Agamemnon returned, Aegisthus and Clytemnestra killed him, but Agamemnon’s son Orestes eventually returned from exile and killed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, his own mother. 1.29.
Aegyptius (ee-jipt´-ee-us): nobleman of Ithaca; father of Eurynomus. 2.15.
Aeolus (ee-oh´-lus): the guardian of the winds, sometimes said to be the son of Poseidon (although this is not mentioned in The Odyssey). The Aeolus mentioned at 11.236 as the father of Cretheus may be a different character. 10.1
Aeson (ee´-son): son of Tyro and Cretheus, and father of Jason. 11.260.
Aethon (ee´-thon): an assumed name used by Odysseus in disguise; suggests “Burning,” “Blazing,” or “Reddish Brown.” 19.184.
Agamemnon (ag´-a-mem´-non): king of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus. The leader of the Greek forces against Troy, he was killed by his wife’s lover, Aegisthus, on his return home from the war. 1.30.
Agelaus (a-je-lay´-us): one of Penelope’s suitors; he speaks up for Telemachus and later tries to spread the word to the Ithacans about the massacre, but is killed by Odysseus. 20.322.
Ajax (ay´-jax): (1) Greek (Achaean) warrior in the Trojan War, son of Telamon, known for his sturdy shield and physical strength; in myth, he hoped to win the armor of Achilles after that hero’s death. When the armor was instead won by Odysseus, Ajax killed himself. Odysseus meets the spirit of the dead Ajax in Book 11, and he refuses to speak to him. 3.109. (2) Greek warrior, son of Oileus, known as Locrian or Lesser Ajax. 4.499.
Alcandre (al-kand´-ree): wife of Polybus; queen of Egyptian Thebes. 4.125.
Alcimus (al´-sim-us): father of Mentor. 22.234.
Alcinous (al-sin´-oh-wus): king of the Phaeacians. 6.11.
Alcippe (al-sip´-ee): slave woman owned by Helen. 4.123.
Alcmaeon (alk-mai´-on): son of Amphiarus. 15.250.
Alcmene (alk-mee´-nee): mother of Heracles. 2.120.
Alector (al-ek´-tor): a Spartan man whose daughter marries Menelaus’ son, Megapenthes. 4.11.
Aloeus (al-oh´-us): husband of Iphimedeia, mentioned in the parade of heroines. 11.306.
Alpheus (al´-fee-us): god associated with a river of the same name, in the western Peloponnese. 3.490.
Amnisus (am-nee´-sus): a port city of Knossos in northern Crete. 19.190.
Amphialus (am-fee´-al-us): Phaeacian nobleman whose name means “Sea-Girt.” 8.112.
Amphiaraus (am-fai´-a-rus): king of Argos, one of the seven warriors who fought against Thebes—all were killed. 15.245.
Amphilochus (am-fi´-lo-kus): son of Amphiaraus. 15.250.
Amphimedon (am-fi´-me-don): one of Penelope’s suitors; killed by Telemachus. He is a guest-friend of Agamemnon, and after death, his spirit explains to the spirit of Agamemnon what happened to the suitors. 22.242.
Amphinomus (am-fin´-o-mus): one of Penelope’s suitors, said to be intelligent and liked by Penelope. He is kind to Odysseus in his guise as beggar. Odysseus warns him to leave the palace before the slaughter, but Athena prompts him to stay. He is killed by Telemachus. 16.350.
Amphion (am-fee´-yon): (1) son of Zeus and Antiope; co-founder of Thebes. 11.263. (2) king of Orchomenos. 11.283.
Amphithea (amf-i-thee´-ya): wife of Autolycus; grandmother of Odysseus. 19.416.
Amphitrite (amf-i-tree´-tee): sea goddess. 3.91.
Amphitryon (amf-i´-tree-yon): husband of Alcmene. 11.268.
Amythaeon (am-ee´-thee-yon): son of Tyro and Cretheus; mentioned in the parade of heroines. 11.260.
Anchialus (an-keye´-a-lus): (1) father of Mentes. 1.180. (2) young Phaeacian nobleman; his name suggests “Seaside.” 8.110.
Andraimon (an-drai´-mohn): father of Thoas. 14.500.
Anticleia (an-ti-klay´-a): daughter of Autolycus; wife of Laertes; mother of Odysseus. 11.85.
Anticlus (an´-ti-klus): Greek warrior, one of those hiding inside the Trojan Horse. Helen imitated the voice of his wife, Laodameia, to persuade him to come out; Odysseus clamped his hands over his mouth to stop him from talking. According to some versions, not The Odyssey, Odysseus killed him by strangling him. 4.286.