In Greek mythology, Laertes ( /leɪˈɜːrtiːz/ ; Ancient Greek : Λαέρτης, romanized: LaértēsGreek pronunciation: [laː.ér.tɛːs] ; also spelled Laërtes) was the king of the Cephallenians, an ethnic group who lived both on the Ionian Islands and on the mainland. [1] He presumably inherited the kingdom 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. Laertes was also an Argonaut, [2] and a participant in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. [3]
Laertes was the son of Arcesius [4] and Chalcomedusa; and the father of Odysseus [5] (who was thus called Laertiádēs, Λαερτιάδης, "son of Laertes") and Ctimene [6] by his wife Anticlea, [7] daughter of the thief Autolycus. Another account says that Laertes was not Odysseus's true father; rather, it was Sisyphus, who had seduced Anticlea. [8]
Laertes stays away from Odysseus' home while Odysseus is gone. He keeps to himself on his farm, overcome with grief over Odysseus' absence and alone after his wife, Anticleia, died from grief herself. Odysseus finally comes to see Laertes after he has killed all the suitors competing for Penelope. He finds his father spading a plant, looking old and tired and filled with sadness. Odysseus keeps his identity to himself at first, identifying himself only as Quarrelman, only son of King Allwoes (in the Fitzgerald translation of Homer), [9] but when he sees how disappointed Laertes is to learn that this "stranger" has no news of his son, Odysseus reveals himself, and proves his identity by reciting all the trees he received from Laertes when he was a boy. This emphasis on the land of Ithaca itself perhaps signifies that Odysseus has finally reconnected with his homeland, and his journey is over. [10]
Laertes had trained Odysseus in husbandry. After their reunion, the two of them go to Odysseus' home to fend off the families of the dead suitors. Athena infuses vigour into Laertes, so he can help Odysseus. He kills Eupeithes, father of Antinous. [11] Three years after Odysseus' return, Laertes died. [12]
Ajax was a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris. He was called the "Ajax the Less", the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax, to distinguish him from Ajax the Great, son of Telamon. He was the leader of the Locrian contingent during the Trojan War. He is a significant figure in Homer's Iliad and is also mentioned in the Odyssey, in Virgil's Aeneid and in Euripides' The Trojan Women. In Etruscan legend, he was known as Aivas Vilates.
Agenor was in Greek mythology and history a Phoenician king of Tyre or Sidon. The Greek historian Herodotus, born in the city of Halicarnassus under the Achaemenid Empire, estimated that Agenor lived either 1000 or 1600 years prior to his visit to Tyre in 450 BC at the end of the Greco-Persian Wars. He was said to have reigned in that city for 63 years.
In Greek mythology, Glauce, Latin Glauca, refers to different people:
Eurytion or Eurythion (Εὐρυθίων) was a name attributed to several individuals in Greek mythology:
In Greek mythology, Anticlea or Anticlia was a queen of Ithaca as the wife of King Laërtes.
In Greek mythology, Autolycus was a successful robber who had the power to metamorphose or make invisible the things he stole. He had his residence on Mount Parnassus and was renowned among men for his cunning and oaths.
In Greek mythology, Antiphus or Ántiphos is a name attributed to multiple individuals:
In Greek mythology, Assaracus was a king of Dardania.
In Greek mythology, Bias may refer to the following characters:
In Greek mythology, the name Butes referred to several different people.
In Greek mythology, Eurypylus was the name of several different people:
Actor is a very common name in Greek mythology. Here is a selection of characters that share this name :
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In Greek mythology, Nireus was a king of the island Syme and one of the Achaean leaders in the Trojan War. He was renowned for his outstanding beauty, being described as the second most handsome man in the Greek camp after Achilles.
In Greek mythology, the name Clymene or Klymene may refer to:
In Greek mythology, the name Xanthus or Xanthos may refer to:
Merope was originally the name of several characters in Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology, Cycnus or Cygnus was the king of the town of Kolonai in the southern Troad.
In Greek mythology, Iphitos or Īphitus was an Oechalian prince and one of the Argonauts.
In Greek mythology, Arethusa may refer to the following personages: