Odysseus
King of Ithaca, a veteran of Troy whose intelligence, endurance, pride, and capacity for deception drive the epic.
Penelope
Odysseus's wife, who resists the suitors through patience, strategy, and careful tests of identity.
Telemachus
Their son, who grows from an uncertain young man into his father's active political and military partner.
Athena
Odysseus's divine patron and Telemachus's guide, frequently appearing in disguise.
Poseidon
The god who persecutes Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus.
Eumaeus
The loyal swineherd who shelters the disguised Odysseus.
Nausicaa
The Phaeacian princess who discovers the shipwrecked hero and directs him to the palace.
Alcinous and Arete
The Phaeacian king and queen who hear Odysseus's story and arrange his passage home.
Antinous and Eurymachus
The most aggressive leaders of the suitors occupying Odysseus's household.
Eurycleia
The old nurse who recognizes Odysseus by the boar-hunt scar on his thigh.
Circe
The enchantress who transforms Odysseus's men, then becomes an ally and adviser.
Calypso
The nymph who keeps Odysseus on Ogygia until the gods command his release.