Who’s who in The Odyssey, the ancient Greek poem by Homer, with a guide to every character in our retelling for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
The Odyssey has a cast that splits neatly in two. At sea there is Odysseus himself and the strange beings he meets on his way home: Polyphemus the one-eyed Cyclops, the enchantress Circe and many more. On the island of Ithaca are the people waiting for him: his faithful wife Penelope, his son Telemachus, the loyal swineherd Eumaeus and the rude suitor Antinous, who wants to take his place. Watching over them all is Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
For parents and teachers, these characters are a good way to talk about patience, loyalty, kindness to strangers and using your head instead of your fists. Odysseus wins with clever plans, Penelope with clever tricks, and Eumaeus shows that a humble servant can be the truest friend of all. Use the guides below to see each character’s part in Homer’s original poem, and to find questions to ask your child after reading.
King of Ithaca • Clever and brave
Odysseus is the clever King of Ithaca, a small rocky island in Greece. After ten years at war he spends ten more years trying to sail home, outwitting a one-eyed giant, an enchantress and the singing Sirens along the way. He is brave and strong, but his real gift is his quick mind, and he never stops longing for his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus.
Full character guide
Queen of Ithaca • Patient and wise
Penelope is the Queen of Ithaca and the wife of Odysseus. For twenty years she waits for him, raising their son Telemachus and keeping more than a hundred pushy suitors at bay with patience and clever tricks. She is every bit as quick-witted as her famous husband.
Full character guide
Odysseus’s son • Brave and true
Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope. He was a baby when his father left for the war, and he grows up in a palace overrun by greedy suitors. With help from the goddess Athena, he finds his courage, sails off to look for news of his father and stands beside him when he comes home.
Full character guide
Goddess of wisdom • Powerful guide
Athena is the gray-eyed Greek goddess of wisdom, and she is Odysseus’s greatest friend among the gods. She admires his clever mind, pleads with Zeus to let him go home, and helps both Odysseus and Telemachus, often in disguise.
Full character guide
Rude palace suitor • Greedy and proud
Antinous is the boldest and rudest of the suitors who move into Odysseus’s palace while he is away. He wants to marry Queen Penelope and take over Ithaca, and he bullies Telemachus and mocks anyone who gets in his way.
Full character guide
One-eyed giant • Grumpy and huge
Polyphemus is a huge Cyclops, a one-eyed giant who lives in a cave by the sea and keeps flocks of sheep and goats. He is a son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. When Odysseus and his men wander into his cave, he traps them inside with an enormous boulder.
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Island sorceress • Clever enchantress
Circe is a powerful enchantress who lives in a stone palace on the island of Aeaea, surrounded by tame wolves and lions. She turns some of Odysseus’s men into pigs, but once Odysseus resists her magic, she becomes a generous host and a wise guide for the dangers ahead.
Full character guide
Faithful swineherd • Kind and loyal
Eumaeus is the faithful swineherd who looks after Odysseus’s pigs on a farm in the hills of Ithaca. He is kind to strangers, loyal to his missing master and the first person the disguised Odysseus visits when he comes home.
Full character guide