Philoctetes (fi-lok-tee´-teez): Thessalian hero and companion of Heracles. On the way to fight at Troy, Philoctetes was bitten by a snake. The wound festered and stank, so Philoctetes’ companions abandoned him on the island of Lemnos. It was later prophesied that Troy could be captured only with Philoctetes’ bow, so Odysseus was sent to Lemnos to retrieve him. Philoctetes returned to Troy and was healed. 3.190.
Philoetius (fi-loy´-tee-us): enslaved herdsman loyal to Odysseus. 20.186.
Philomeleides (fi-lo-mee´-lee-dees): mythical king of Lesbos who challenged all vistors to wrestle him; most failed, but Odysseus won. In 17.135, he is known as Philomedes. 4.343.
Phoebus (fee´-bus): an epithet for Apollo meaning “Bright.” 3.279.
Phoenicia (fu-nee´-sha): the region of modern-day Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Syria that was dominated by the loosely organized seafaring civilization known as the Phoenicians. 4.83.
Phorcys (for´-kis): an ancient sea god who presides over a harbor on the island of Ithaca. 1.72.
Phronius (fro´-nee-yus): father of Noëmon. 2.386.
Phrontis (fron´-tis): the pilot of Menelaus’ ship; killed at Sounion by Apollo. 3.280.
Phthia (fthee´-ya): the kingdom of Peleus and Achilles, located in central Greece. 11.497.
Phylace (fee´-la-see): a city in the Greek region of Thessaly. 11.292.
Phylacus (fi´-la-kus): the founder of Phylace; father of Pero. 15.232.
Phylo (fai´-loh): slave of Helen. 4.124.
Pieria (pai-ree´-ya): a region in northern Greece. 5.50.
Piraeus (pai-ray´-yus): one of Telemachus’ companions. 15.541.
Pirithous (pe-ri´-tho-wus): a mythical hero, king of the Lapiths and son of Zeus. According to tradition, Pirithous—together with his friend and companion, the hero Theseus—attempted to kidnap Helen when she was a child; the pair also attempted to kidnap Persephone from the underworld. On the occasion of Pirithous’ wedding to Hippodameia, the Centaurs, the mythological half-horse, half-human race, attempt to kidnap the Lapith women, precipitating a major battle between the Centaurs and Lapiths. 11.631.
Pisander (pai-san´-dur): one of Penelope’s suitors. 18.299.
Pisenor (pai-see´-nor): Telemachus’ herald. 2.36.
Pisistratus (pai-sis´-tra-tus): youngest son of Nestor and companion of Telemachus. 3.37.
Pleiades (play´-a-deez): the seven daughters of Atlas; they were chased by Orion and turned into a constellation. 5.271.
Polites (po-lai´-teez): one of Odysseus’ men. 10.223.
Polybus (po´-li-bus): (1) father of Eurymachus, one of Penelope’s principal suitors. 2.177. (2) king of Thebes. 4.126. (3) a Phaeacian artisan. 8.373. (4) one of Penelope’s suitors. 22.243.
Polycaste (po-li-kas´-tee): Nestor’s eldest daughter. 3.465.
Polyctor (po-lik´-tor): one of the builders of an ornate fountain in Ithaca. 17.207.
Polydamna (po-li-dam´-na): wife of Thon. 4.229.
Polydeuces (po-li-dew´-seez): one of the two twin sons of Leda and Zeus, and thus a brother of Helen and Clytemnestra. With his twin, Castor, famed for abilities as horsemen and called the Dioscuri. On their deaths, they were given immortality to share, spending alternate days in the underworld or the world above. 11.301.
Polynaus (po-li-nay´-us): a Phaeacian; son of Tecton and father of Amphialaus. His name suggests “Many-Shipped.” 8.113.
Polypemon (po-li-pee´-mohn): fictional grandfather of Odysseus; the name suggests “Rich” or “Much Suffering.” 24.307.
Polypheides (po-li-fai´-deez): a prophet, son of Mantius. 15.253.
Polyphemus (po-li-fee´-mus): son of Poseidon and the nymph Thoösa. One of the Cyclopes (so he is a Cyclops), he lives in a cave with his sheep and goats. Odysseus’ mistreatment of Polyphemus is a major component in Poseidon’s rage against Odysseus. 1.70.
Ponteus (pon´-tee-yus): a Phaeacian. His name suggests “Deep-Sea.” 8.111
Pontonous (pon-to´-no-wus): slave of Alcinous. 7.179.
Poseidon (po-sai´-dun): a god; son of Cronus and brother of Zeus. After drawing lots with his brothers Zeus and Hades, Poseidon gained the sphere of the sea and earthquakes. He is often associated with horses. Much of the adversity that Odysseus faces is the result of Poseidon’s anger at Odysseus, caused by the Greek violation of Trojan temples in the sack of Troy (in, for example, the rape of Cassandra in the temple of Athena), and Odysseus’ actions in tricking and blinding Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus. 1.20.
Priam (prai´-yam): son of Laomedon and the last king of Troy. With his wife, Hecuba, and many slave women, he had fifty sons and between twelve and fifty daughters. In The Iliad, after Achilles killed his son, Hector, and deliberately abused the dead body, Priam went by night to the Greek camp to ask his enemy to return the body for proper burial. During the sack of Troy, Priam was murdered by Achilles’ son Neoptolemus on the altar of Zeus. 3.108.
Procris (pro´-kris): daughter of Erechteus and wife of Cephalus. 11.322.
Proteus (proh´-tee-yus): a sea god who shape-shifts and makes prophecies. Menelaus captured Proteus in Egypt, and Proteus gave Menelaus news of his companions, including his brother Agamemnon. 4.349.
Prymneus (prim´-nee-yus): a Phaeacian. His name suggests “Sternman.” 8.111.
Psara (psa´-ra): an island in the Aegean Sea. 3.172.
Pylos (pai´-los): the city and kingdom of Nestor; located in Messenia on the Peloponnese. The inhabitants are Pylians. 1.94.
Pyriphlegethon (pi-ri-fle´-ge-thon): a tributary of the Styx in the underworld. Its name means “Stream of Fire.” 10.514.
Pytho (pai´-tho): another name for Delphi, as well as the oracle of Apollo based there. The name alludes to the earth dragon (the Python) that originally lived in Delphi, and which was killed by Apollo (who is therefore also known as Pythian Apollo). 8.80.
Rhadamanthus (ra-da-manth´-us): son of Zeus and Europa; a Cretan king. 4.563.
Rhexenor (rex-een´-or): son of Nausithous and brother of the Phaeacian king Alcinous. 7.64.
Salmoneus (sal-mohn´-ee-yus): father of Tyro. 11.235.
Same (say´-mee): an island in the eastern Aegean near Ithaca, also known in Homer as Samos. Note that this is not the same as the modern island of Samos. 1.246.
Scheria (ske-ree´-ya): the land of the mythological people, the Phaeacians, which does not seem to correspond to a real geographical place, although scholars have proposed many possible locations. 5.35.