Odysseus
In Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus (/əˈdɪsiəs/ ə-DISS-ee-əs; Greek: Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, translit. Odysseús, Odyseús, IPA: [o.dy(s).sěu̯s]), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses (/juːˈlɪsiːz/ yoo-LISS-eez, UK also /ˈjuːlɪsiːz/ YOO-liss-eez; Latin: Ulysses, Ulixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same epic cycle.
| Odysseus | |
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Head of Odysseus from a Roman period Hellenistic marble group representing Odysseus blinding Polyphemus, found at the villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga, Italy | |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | King of Ithaca |
| Spouse | Penelope |
| Children | Telemachus, Telegonus, Cassiphone, Agrius, Anteias, Ardas, Rhomos, Poliporthes, Latinus, Nausinous, Nausithous |
| Relatives | Laertes (father) Anticlea (mother) Ctimene (sister) |
| Nationality | Greek |
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As the son of Laërtes and Anticlea, husband of Penelope, and father of Telemachus, Acusilaus, and Telegonus, Odysseus is renowned for his intellectual brilliance, guile, and versatility (polytropos), and he is thus known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (Greek: μῆτις, translit. mêtis, lit. "cunning intelligence"). He is most famous for his nostos, or "homecoming", which took him ten eventful years after the decade-long Trojan War.