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Melantho (Odyssey)
In Greek mythology, Melantho (; ) is one of the minor characters in the ''Odyssey''. Family Melantho was the sister to Melanthios, a goatherd in Ithaca, and the daughter of Dolios. Mythology Melantho was among Penelope's favorite female slaves; she had "reared and looked after her as tenderly as her own child" and given "all the toys she could desire" growing up. Despite this, Melantho was disloyal and ungrateful to Odysseus and his household. She was one of the slaves who slept with the suitors of Penelope; "she was in love with" Eurymachus and had become his "mistress". She reveals Penelope's deception in unweaving her loom every night to the suitors. Described as having a "sharp tongue", upon Odysseus's arrival in his own home, disguised as a beggar, Melantho treated him harshly and rudely asked why he has not gone to sleep in the smithy, the location where chance visitors in Ithaca tended to go. She is rude to Odysseus again, urging him to leave, for which Odysseus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greek Mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancient Greek religion's view of the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, nature of the world; the lives and activities of List of Greek deities, deities, Greek hero cult, heroes, and List of Greek mythological creatures, mythological creatures; and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks' cult (religious practice), cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars study the myths to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece, and to better understand the nature of mythmaking itself. The Greek myths were initially propagated in an oral tradition, oral-poetic tradition most likely by Minoan civilization, Minoan and Mycenaean Greece, Mycenaean singers starting in the 18th century&n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divided into 24 books. It follows the heroic king of Ithaca, Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, and his homecoming journey after the ten-year long Trojan War. His journey from Troy to Ithaca lasts an additional ten years, during which time he encounters many perils and all of his crewmates are killed. In Odysseus's long absence, he is presumed dead, leaving his wife Penelope and son Telemachus to contend with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope's hand in marriage. The ''Odyssey'' was first written down in Homeric Greek around the 8th or 7th century BC; by the mid-6th century BC, it had become part of the Greek literary canon. In antiquity, Homer's authorship was taken as true, but contemporary sch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melanthius (Odyssey)
Melanthius (; ), the son of Dolius, is a minor character in Homer's ''Odyssey'': Odysseus's enslaved goatherd. In contrast, his fellow slaves, the cowherd Philoetius and swineherd Eumaeus, have both remained loyal to Odysseus during his twenty years of wanderings, as have Melanthius's father and six brothers. Mythology Melanthius provides the best goats of the herd for a feast for the suitors of Penelope. He serves the suitors at the dining table, pouring them wine or lighting a fire in the hall upon their order. He is apparently favored by many of them: Eurymachus is said to like him best of all, and he is allowed to have meals in the same dining hall with the suitors. Odysseus, disguised as a beggar and accompanied by Eumaeus, encounters Melanthius on his way into town, by the fountain dedicated to the nymphs. Melanthius immediately taunts Odysseus and proceeds to kick him on the hip, unaware that he is really dishonoring his master, causing Odysseus to consider attacking h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homer's Ithaca
Ithaca (; , ) was, in Greek mythology, the island home of the hero Odysseus. The specific location of the island, as it was described in Homer's ''Odyssey'', is a matter for debate. There have been various theories about its location. Modern Ithaca (island), Ithaca has traditionally been accepted to be Homer's island. The central characters of the epic, such as Odysseus, Achilles, Agamemnon and Hector, are traditionally considered fictional figures from folklore, but aspects of the Homeric story may have some basis in actual historical events or people. This, and the extremely detailed geographic descriptions in the epic itself, have invited investigation of the possibility that Homer's heroes might have existed and that the location of the sites described therein might be found. Heinrich Schliemann believed he tracked down several of the more famous traditions surrounding these heroes. Many locations around the Mediterranean were claimed to have been the heroes' "homes", such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dolius
In Greek mythology, more precisely in the epic tradition recounted in Homer's ''Odyssey'', Dolius or Dolios () was a slave of Penelope whom she had received from her father Icarius on occasion of her marriage to Odysseus. He served as a gardener. Family Melanthius, Odysseus's goatherd, is mentioned as a son of Dolius, and Melantho is described as his daughter. His wife was a slave from Sicily, whose name is not given. Mythology After Odysseus's identity had finally been revealed, Dolius heartily welcomed Odysseus in his home, expressing great joy to see his master alive and well. Later, he and his six sons were among the loyal servants who joined Odysseus to stand against the relatives of the slain suitors.. See also * 10989 Dolios, Jupiter trojan asteroid * List of mortals in Greek mythology Notes References * ''Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. Antiquity, Volume 4'', Cyr – Epy, edited by Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider, Brill, 2004. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penelope
Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and Asterodia. Penelope is known for her fidelity to her husband Odysseus, despite the attention of more than a hundred Suitors of Penelope, suitors during his absence. In one source, Penelope's original name was Arnacia or Arnaea. Etymology gloss (annotation), Glossed by Hesychius of Alexandria, Hesychius as "some kind of bird" (today arbitrarily identified with the Eurasian wigeon, to which Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus gave the binomial ''Anas penelope''), where () is a common Pre-Greek suffix for predatory animals; however, the semantic relation between the proper name and the gloss is not clear. In folk etymology, () is usually understood to combine the Greek word (), "weft", and (), "face", which is considered the most appropriate for a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odysseus
In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's ''Iliad'' and other works in that same epic cycle. As the son of Laertes (father of Odysseus), Laërtes and Anticlea, husband of Penelope, and father of Telemachus, Acusilaus, and Telegonus (son of Odysseus), Telegonus, Odysseus is renowned for his intellectual brilliance, guile, and versatility (''polytropos''), and he is thus known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (). He is most famous for his ''nostos'', or "homecoming", which took him ten eventful years after the decade-long Trojan War. Name, etymology, and epithets The form ''Odys(s)eus'' is used starting in the epic period and through the classical period, but various other forms are also found. In vase inscriptions, there are the varian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suitors Of Penelope
In Greek mythology, the suitors of Penelope (also known in Latin as the ) are one of the main subjects of Homer's ''Odyssey''. Role in the ''Odyssey'' In the ''Odyssey,'' Homer describes Odysseus' journey home from Troy. Prior to the Trojan War, Odysseus was King of Ithaca, a Greek island known for its isolation and rugged terrain. When he departs from Ithaca to fight for the Greeks in the war, he leaves behind a newborn child, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. Although most surviving Greek soldiers return shortly after the end of the fighting, Odysseus does not return to Ithaca until ten years after the end of the Trojan War. During Odysseus' long absence, unmarried young men start to suspect that Odysseus died in Troy or on the journey home. Under the pretense of courting Penelope, these youths, called "the suitors", take up residence in Odysseus' home and vie for her hand in marriage. Rather than simply rejecting the suitors, Penelope devises a plan to delay their courts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurymachus (Odyssey)
In Greek mythology, Eurymachus ( /jʊˈrɪməkəs/; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύμαχος ''Eurúmakhos'') was an Ithacan nobleman and one of the two leading suitors of Penelope, the other being Antinous. Family Eurymachus was the son of Polybus, also a suitor of Penelope. Mythology In Homer’s ''Odyssey'', Eurymachus, along with the majority of his fellow suitors, shows no regard for the Greek custom of ''xenia'' or guest-friend hospitality; he is arrogant, disrespectful, and consumes food and drink without the slightest reciprocation. Eurymachus is noteworthy for being manipulative and deceitful, at one point even fooling Penelope into thinking him without ill-intent. Although he arranges for the death of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, his plan fails and he is later killed by Odysseus. He claims in his childhood Odysseus befriended him often, and tells Penelope that makes Telemachus 'my dearest friend on Earth' and he will protect him, though 'death for Telemachus was in his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias ( ; ; ) was a Greek traveler and geographer of the second century AD. He is famous for his '' Description of Greece'' (, ), a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from his firsthand observations. ''Description of Greece'' provides crucial information for making links between classical literature and modern archaeology, which is providing evidence of the sites and cultural details he mentions although knowledge of their existence may have become lost or relegated to myth or legend. Biography Nothing is known about Pausanias apart from what historians can piece together from his own writing. However, it is probable that he was born into a Greek family and was probably a native of Lydia in Asia Minor. From until his death around 180, Pausanias travelled throughout the mainland of Greece, writing about various monuments, sacred spaces, and significant geographical sites along the way. In writing his '' Description of Greece'', Pausanias sought to put together ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telemachus
In Greek mythology, Telemachus ( ; ) is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who are central characters in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in search of his wandering father. On his return to Ithaca, he found that Odysseus had reached home before him. Then father and son slew the suitors who had gathered around Penelope. According to later tradition, Telemachus married Circe after Odysseus's death. The first four books of the ''Odyssey'' focus on Telemachus's journeys in search of news about his father, who has yet to return home from the Trojan War, and are traditionally given the title '' Telemachy''. Etymology Telemachus's name in Greek means "far from battle", or perhaps "fighting from afar", as a bowman does. ''Odyssey'' In Homer's ''Odyssey'', Telemachus, under the instructions of Athena (who accompanies him during the quest), spends the first four books trying to gain knowledge of his father, Odysseus, who left for Troy w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his authorship, Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history. The ''Iliad'' centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The ''Odyssey'' chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The epics depict man's struggle, the ''Odyssey'' especially so, as Odysseus perseveres through the punishment of the gods. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language that shows a mixture of features of the Ionic Greek, Ionic and Aeolic Greek, Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
