LIST OF CHARACTERS IN THE CHILDREN’S HOMER
THE ACHAIANS (Greeks)
Achilles (Akhilleus) - The hero of the Iliad and the greatest warrior in the
Achaian army. His main flaw is his excessive pride. He willingly subverts the
good of the whole army and endangers the lives of those who are closest to
him in order to achieve emotional blackmail.
Agamemnon - Brother to Menelaus (Menelaos), he is the arrogant king of
Mycenae. Agamemnon is commander-in-chief of the Greek army, not because
of his great leadership ability or skill in battle-strategy, but because he has
brought the most men to fight.
Aias (Ajax) - Son of Telamon, he is often called Telamonian Aias; his
reputation is due primarily to brute strength and bravery.
Amphinomus - Among the dozens of suitors, the only decent man seeking
Penelope’s hand in marriage. Amphinomus sometimes speaks up for Odysseus
and Telemachus.
Antilochos - The son of Nestor, he is a brave young warrior who takes an
active part in the fighting and the funeral games.
Diomedes - One of the best and bravest of the Achaian warriors, he is
always wise and reasonable and is recognized for his courtesy and gallantry.
Homer presents him as the perfect young nobleman.
Eumaeus - The loyal shepherd who, along with the cowherd Philoetius, helps
Odysseus reclaim his throne after his return to Ithaca. Even though he does
not know that the vagabond who appears at his hut is Odysseus, Eumaeus
gives the man food and shelter.
Eurycleia - The aged and loyal servant who nursed Odysseus and Telemachus
when they were babies. Eurycleia is well informed about palace intrigues and
serves as confidante to her masters. She keeps Telemachus’s journey secret
from Penelope, and she later keeps Odysseus’s identity a secret after she
recognizes a scar on his leg.
Eurymachus - A manipulative, deceitful suitor. Eurymachus’s charisma and
duplicity allow him to exert some influence over the other suitors.
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Helen - She was originally married to Menelaos, but she ran away (or was
kidnapped, depending on point of view) to Troy with Paris and became his
wife. While she is supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world (the
face that launched a thousand ships), she is also self-centered; and although
she constantly claims to regret the war, she seems insincere. She offers
Telemachus assistance in his quest to find his father.
Laertes - Odysseus’s aging father, who resides on a farm in Ithaca. In
despair and physical decline, Laertes regains his spirit when Odysseus
returns.
Menelaus - King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen, he
helped lead the Greeks in the Trojan War. He offers Telemachus assistance
in his quest to find Odysseus when Telemachus visits him.
Melanthius - The brother of Melantho. Melanthius is a treacherous and
opportunistic goatherd who supports the suitors, especially Eurymachus, and
abuses the beggar who appears in Odysseus’s palace, not realizing that the
man is Odysseus himself.
Melantho - Sister of Melanthius and maidservant in Odysseus’s palace. Like
her brother, Melantho abuses the beggar in the palace, not knowing that the
man is Odysseus.
The Myrmidons - Soldiers of Achilles.
Nestor - He is the oldest of the Achaian warriors at Troy. Nestor has all
the wisdom and experience of age and is a valuable asset in the council.
Although he can no longer fight, he remains at the front line at every battle,
commanding his troops.
Odysseus - The protagonist of the Odyssey. Odysseus fought among the
other Greek heroes at Troy and now struggles to return to his kingdom in
Ithaca. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope and the father of Prince
Telemachus. Though a strong and courageous warrior, he is most renowned
for his cunning. He is a favorite of the goddess Athena, who often sends him
divine aid, but a bitter enemy of Poseidon, who frustrates his journey at
every turn.
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Patroklos (Patroclus) - Achilles' best friend and warrior-companion.
Penelope - Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus. Penelope spends
her days in the palace pining for the husband who left for Troy twenty years
earlier and never returned. Homer portrays her as sometimes flighty and
excitable but also clever and steadfastly true to her husband.
Telemachus - Odysseus’s son. An infant when Odysseus left for Troy,
Telemachus is about twenty at the beginning of the story. He is a natural
obstacle to the suitors desperately courting his mother, but despite his
courage and good heart, he initially lacks the poise and confidence to oppose
them. His maturation, especially during his trip to Pylos and Sparta, provides
a subplot to the epic. Athena often assists him.
THE TROJANS AND THEIR ALLIES (Troy is often called Ilia or Ilion)
Andromache - The wife of Hektor who is probably meant to represent
Homer's vision of a good wife and mother; she is loyal, loving, and concerned
for her family, and is willing to accept the decisions of her husband.
Aeneas - Son of Aphrodite; a Trojan nobleman. He is second in command of
the Trojan army and a brave, skillful warrior.
Chryseis (Kryseis) - Daughter of Chryses (Khryse), the priest of Apollo who
is the "war prize" of Agamemnon until Apollo demands that she be returned
to her father.
Hekuba (Hecuba) - Wife of Priam. Hektor is the most prominent of her
sons.
Hektor (Hector) - Prince of Troy and son of Priam and Hekuba. Hektor is
commander of all the Trojan and allied forces. He is the greatest warrior of
the Trojans and one of the noblest characters in the Iliad. Always conscious
of his responsibilities to the Trojans, he never lets his personal interests
interfere. He is a devoted and loving husband and father. His only serious
weakness is a tendency to brag about his exploits and an over-concern for
his reputation.
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Cassandra - The daughter of Priam and Hekuba; Hektor and Paris' sister.
Paris (Alexandros) - A prince of Troy; son of Priam and Hekuba; also
husband of Helen. He is chastised by Hektor more than once for seeming
content to allow the Trojans to fight for him. His reputation is that of a
"pretty boy." His smoothness and glibness are not admired by the warriors
of either side, and they often accuse him of cowardice.
Priam - King of Troy. He is very old and no longer able to command his army
in the field, but his great courage is seen when he travels to the Achaian
camp one night to ransom Hektor's body. He is a noble and generous man,
one of the few Trojans besides Hektor who treats Helen with respect and
courtesy, despite her infidelity to her husband and the war caused by her
actions.
THE GODS
Aphrodite - Daughter of Zeus; goddess of love. She is the mother of
Aeneas and is the patron of Paris, so she fights on the Trojan side.
Apollo - Son of Zeus; god of prophecy, light, poetry, and music. He fights on
the Trojan side.
Ares - Son of Zeus and Hera, and the god of war. He fights on the Trojan
side, despite an earlier promise to Hera and Athena that he would support
the Achaians.
Artemis - Daughter of Zeus; sister of Apollo; goddess of chastity, hunting,
and wild animals. She fights on the Trojan side, but with little effect.
Athena - Daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, purposeful battle, and
the womanly arts. Athena assists Odysseus and Telemachus with divine
powers throughout the epic, and she speaks up for them in the councils of
the gods on Mount Olympus. She often appears in disguise as Mentor, an old
friend of Odysseus.
Hades - God of the dead and ruler of the underworld.
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Hera - Sister and wife of Zeus. She is the most fanatical of all the
Olympian supporters of the Achaians and is willing to go any lengths,
including the deception of her husband, to achieve the defeat of Troy.
Hermes - Messenger of the gods; he is on the Achaians' side, but he does
little to aid them. He escorts Priam on his visit to Achilles.
Poseidon - Younger brother of Zeus; god of the sea. He is a strong
supporter of the Achaian cause, having an old grudge against Troy. He is also
somewhat resentful of Zeus' claim to authority over him.
Thetis - Mother of Achilles, a sea nymph. She is a staunch advocate of her
son in his quarrel with Agamemnon and does all she can to help him, but she
is not otherwise involved in the war.
Zeus - The supreme god and king of Olympus. His duty is to carry out the
will of Destiny, so he is officially neutral in the war, but he is sympathetic
toward the Trojans, particularly Hektor and Priam, and he supports Achilles
against Agamemnon. He sometimes helps Odysseus or permits Athena to do
the same.
Other Humans
Alcinous - King of the Phaeacians, who offers Odysseus hospitality in his
island kingdom of Scheria. Alcinous hears the story of Odysseus’s
wanderings and provides him with safe passage back to Ithaca.
Arete - Queen of the Phaeacians, wife of Alcinous, and mother of Nausicaa.
Arete is intelligent and influential. Nausicaa tells Odysseus to make his
appeal for assistance to Arete.
Nausicaa - The beautiful daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of the
Phaeacians. Nausicaa discovers Odysseus on the beach at Scheria and, out of
budding affection for him, ensures his warm reception at her parents’
palace.
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Other Non-Humans
Calypso - The beautiful nymph who falls in love with Odysseus when he lands
on her island-home of Ogygia. Calypso holds him prisoner there for seven
years until Hermes, the messenger god, persuades her to let him go.
Circe - The beautiful witch-goddess who transforms Odysseus’s crew into
swine when he lands on her island. With Hermes’ help, Odysseus resists
Circe’s powers and then lives in luxury at her side for a year.
Polyphemus - One of the Cyclopes (uncivilized one-eyed giants) whose island
Odysseus comes to soon after leaving Troy. Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus
and his crew and tries to eat them, but Odysseus blinds him through a clever
ruse and manages to escape. In doing so, however, Odysseus angers
Polyphemus’s father, Poseidon.
Tiresias - A Theban prophet who inhabits the underworld. Tiresias meets
Odysseus when Odysseus journeys to the underworld. He shows Odysseus
how to get back to Ithaca and allows Odysseus to communicate with the
other souls in Hades.
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