In Greek mythology, Antinous/ænˈtɪnoʊəs/ (Greek: Ἀντίνοος), son of Eupeithes, is most known for his role in Homer’s Odyssey. One of two prominent suitors vying for Penelope’s hand in marriage, the other being Eurymachus, Antinous is presented as a violent, mean-spirited, and over-confident character who willfully defiles Odysseus’ home while the hero is lost at sea.[1] In an attempt to kill Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, Antinous sends out a small band of suitors in the strait between Ithaca and rugged Same where there is a rocky isle called Asteris, to intercept the young prince on his journey back to Ithaca from the hall of Menelaus.[2] The plan, however, fails, as Telemachus avoids the trap with help from the goddess Athena.
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks. These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks' own cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars study the myths in an attempt to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece and its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It has the longest documented history of any living Indo-European language, spanning more than 3000 years of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the major part of its history; other systems, such as Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary, were used previously. The alphabet arose from the Phoenician script and was in turn the basis of the Latin, Cyrillic, Armenian, Coptic, Gothic, and many other writing systems.
In Greek mythology, Eupeithes was the father of Antinous, the leader of the suitors of Penelope. After his son's death at the hands of Odysseus, Eupeithes tried to revolt against his rule. He was killed by Odysseus' father, Laertes. Apparently, he had forgotten the favor Odysseus had done for him years before when he committed a piratical raid on Cephallenia. Odysseus protected him from vengeful Cephallenians who wanted to kill him. Yet he let his son lead the suitors in destroying Odysseus' home.
Antinous is a prime example of disregard for the custom of xenia (guest-friend hospitality); rather than reciprocating food and drink with stories and respect, he and his fellow suitors simply devour Odysseus’ livestock. He also shows no respect for the lower-classed citizenry, as is exemplified when he assaults a beggar, who is actually Odysseus in disguise, with a chair, which even the other suitors disapprove of.[3] Antinous is the first of the suitors to be killed. Drinking in the Great Hall, he is slain by an arrow to the throat shot by Odysseus. Eurymachus then tries to blame Antinous for the suitors' wrongs.
Xenia is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host expressed in both material benefits as well as non-material ones.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Related Research Articles
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other Homeric epic. The Odyssey is fundamental to the modern Western canon; it is the second-oldest extant work of Western literature, while the Iliad is the oldest. Scholars believe the Odyssey was composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia.
Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, 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.
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the wife of Odysseus, who is known for her fidelity to Odysseus while he was absent, despite having many suitors. Her name has therefore been traditionally associated with marital fidelity.
Telemachus is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, and a central character in Homer's Odyssey. 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 the Telemachy.
In Greek mythology, Laertes, also spelled Laërtes, was an Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. His' title was King of the Cephallenians, an ethnic group who lived both on the Ionian islands and on the mainland. which he presumably inherited from his father Arcesius and grandfather Cephalus. His realm included Ithaca and surrounding islands, and perhaps even the neighboring part of the mainland of other Greek city-states.
In Greek mythology and history, there were at least eight men named Medon.
In Greek mythology, Eurycleia, or Euryclea, is the daughter of Ops and granddaughter of Peisenor, as well as the wet-nurse of Odysseus.
In Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, Phemius is an Ithacan poet who performs narrative songs in the house of the absent Odysseus. His audience is made up largely of the suitors (Proci), who live in the house while attempting to persuade Penelope to marry one of them. In Book 1 of the poem, Phemius performs at their request a version of the theme The Return from Troy. The performance is heard by Penelope. The story distresses her, since it is a reminder that her own husband has still not returned, and she emerges from her room to ask Phemius to choose a less painful theme. The proposal is overruled by her son Telemachus, because he thinks that a singer shouldn't be forbidden to sing what his heart tells him to sing, and because it is Telemachus' right as householder to decide, not his mother's.
In Greek mythology, Theoclymenus (Θεοκλύμενος) was a prophet from Argos.
The name Eurymachus is attributed to the following individuals:
The Telemachy is a term traditionally applied to the first four books of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. They are named so because – just as the Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus – they tell the story of Odysseus' son Telemachus as he journeys from home for the first time in search of news about his missing father.
The Telegony is a lost ancient Greek epic poem about Telegonus, son of Odysseus by Circe. His name is indicative of his birth on Aeaea, far from Odysseus' home of Ithaca. It was part of the Epic Cycle of poems that recounted the myths of the Trojan War as well as the events that led up to and followed it. The story of the Telegony comes chronologically after that of the Odyssey and is the final episode in the Epic Cycle. The poem was sometimes attributed in antiquity to Cinaethon of Sparta, but in one source it is said to have been stolen from Musaeus by Eugamon or Eugammon of Cyrene. The poem comprised two books of verse in dactylic hexameter.
The Odyssey is a 1997 American mythology–adventure television miniseries based on the ancient Greek epic poem by Homer, the Odyssey. Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, the miniseries aired in two parts beginning on May 18, 1997 on NBC. The series won the award for "Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Special". It was filmed in Malta, Turkey, parts of England, and many other places around the Mediterranean, where the story takes place. The cast includes Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Irene Papas, Isabella Rossellini, Bernadette Peters, Eric Roberts, Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Lee and Vanessa Williams.
Melantho is one of the minor characters in the Odyssey. Described as having a "sharp tongue", she is sister to Melanthios, a goatherd in Ithaca, and the daughter of Dolios. She is among the favorite maids of Penelope, treated like a daughter by her, having been given trinkets and other small gifts.
Home Sweet Homer is a musical with a book by Roland Kibbee and Albert Marre, lyrics by Charles Burr and Forman Brown, and music by Mitch Leigh.
In Ancient Greek epic tradition recounted in Homer's Odyssey, Polybus was the father of a suitor, Eurymachus, who was killed by Odysseus once he returned from his 10-year journey during the Trojan War. Polybus himself was one of the suitors of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. Polybus was actually described as wise, contradictory to his foolish son. In Book XXII of the Odyssey, after Odysseus and Telemachus had slain most of the suitors, only six remained: Agelaus, Eurynomus, Amphimedon, Demoptolemus, Peisander and Polybus. The aforementioned Agelaus tried rousing the men to throw their spears collectively at the avengers, but Athena guided them elsewhere. Polybus was killed by the spear of the swineherd Eumeaus.
In Greek mythology, the suitors of Penelope are one of the main subjects of Homer's Odyssey.
Melanthius, the son of Dolius, is a minor, yet important character in Homer's Odyssey: Odysseus's disloyal goatherd. In contrast, Odysseus's 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.
