Characters
Every named figure in this edition's character apparatus, with a computed network of who is kin to whom and who speaks to whom across the Iliad and Odyssey. The roster below lists all 100; the diagram above it draws only those with at least one link.
Character relationship network
All 96 of 100 characters with at least one kinship or dialogue link are shown (4 with neither link in the joined data appear in the roster only). 39 of the most-connected are labeled directly; hover a node, or Tab to a roster name below, to see the rest. Node size scales with kinship + dialogue links. 63 kinship lines come from this edition's genealogy data (1 dashed, attested outside Homer). 178 dialogue lines aggregate 846 of 1371 DICES-derived speeches with a single joined speaker and addressee (line weight capped at 20 speeches so the busiest pairs don't dwarf the rest); 504 speeches with a collective or unmatched speaker/addressee and 21 self-addressed speeches carry no two-person edge and are excluded.
Roster
A
- Achilles Ἀχιλλεύς
Foremost Achaean warrior; his wrath structures the Iliad's plot.
- Aeacus Αἰακός
Forebear of the Aeacid line (Peleus, Telamon, and their sons).
- Aegisthus Αἴγισθος
Seduces Clytemnestra and murders Agamemnon on his return from Troy.
- Aeneas Αἰνείας
Trojan prince of the junior Dardanid branch; son of Aphrodite.
- Aeolus Αἴολος
Keeper of the winds; gives Odysseus a bag of them.
- Agamemnon Ἀγαμέμνων
King of Mycenae; commander of the Achaean host at Troy.
- Ajax (son of Oileus) Αἴας Ὀϊλῆος
Locrian leader; the fast-running 'lesser' Ajax.
- Ajax (son of Telamon) Αἴας Τελαμώνιος
Telamonian king; the Achaeans' great defensive fighter, second only to Achilles.
- Alcinous Ἀλκίνοος
King of the Phaeacians; hosts Odysseus and hears his tale.
- Amphinomus Ἀμφίνομος
Suitor from Dulichium; the most decent of Penelope's suitors.
- Anchises Ἀγχίσης
Trojan of the Dardanid line; father of Aeneas by Aphrodite.
- Andromache Ἀνδρομάχη
Hector's wife; daughter of Eetion, king of Cilician Thebe.
- Antenor Ἀντήνωρ
Trojan elder; counsels returning Helen to end the war.
- Anticlea Ἀντίκλεια
Odysseus's mother; died of grief during his absence.
- Antilochus Ἀντίλοχος
Nestor's son; a swift young warrior, close friend of Achilles.
- Antinous Ἀντίνοος
Most arrogant of Penelope's suitors; ringleader of the plot against Telemachus.
- Aphrodite Ἀφροδίτη
Goddess of love; protects Paris and her mortal son Aeneas.
- Apollo Ἀπόλλων
God of plague, prophecy, and music; Troy's most active divine patron.
- Ares Ἄρης
God of war; fights for Troy, wounded by Diomedes.
- Arete Ἀρήτη
Queen of the Phaeacians; Alcinous's wife, whom Odysseus supplicates first.
- Artemis Ἄρτεμις
Goddess of the hunt; Apollo's twin, a minor but recurring presence.
- Assaracus Ἀσσάρακος
Younger son of Tros; ancestor of the Anchises-Aeneas branch.
- Astyanax Ἀστυάναξ
Infant son of Hector and Andromache.
- Athena Ἀθήνη
Goddess of wisdom and war-craft; Odysseus's steadfast patron.
- Atreus Ἀτρεύς
King of Mycenae; father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
- Automedon Αὐτομέδων
Achilles' charioteer; drives the immortal horses Xanthus and Balius.
B
- Briseis Βρισηΐς
Achilles' war-prize; her seizure by Agamemnon provokes his wrath.
C
- Calchas Κάλχας
Achaean seer; interprets omens and identifies the cause of the plague.
- Calypso Καλυψώ
Nymph who detains Odysseus seven years on Ogygia.
- Capys Κάπυς
Trojan of the Assaracus branch; Anchises's father.
- Cassandra Κασσάνδρα
Priam's daughter; in Homer, simply the fairest of his daughters.
- Chryseis Χρυσηΐς
Daughter of Apollo's priest Chryses; Agamemnon's captive.
- Circe Κίρκη
Sorceress who transforms Odysseus's men into swine on Aeaea.
- Clytemnestra Κλυταιμνήστρη
Agamemnon's wife; conspires in his murder with Aegisthus.
D
- Dardanus Δάρδανος
Founder of the Trojan royal line, forebear of Priam and Aeneas.
- Deiphobus Δηΐφοβος
Trojan prince, prominent warrior after Hector's death.
- Diomedes Διομήδης
King of Argos; the Iliad's most successful mortal warrior after Achilles withdraws.
- Dione Διώνη
Minor goddess; Aphrodite's mother, comforts her on Olympus.
- Dolon Δόλων
Trojan sent to spy on the Achaean camp by night.
E
- Elpenor Ἐλπήνωρ
Youngest of Odysseus's crew; dies in a fall on Circe's island.
- Eos Ἠώς
Dawn goddess; her formulaic rising opens scenes throughout both epics.
- Erichthonius Ἐριχθόνιος
Second king of the Dardanid line, noted for vast herds.
- Eumaeus Εὔμαιος
Odysseus's loyal swineherd; hosts him unknowingly on his return.
- Eurycleia Εὐρύκλεια
Odysseus's old nurse; loyal servant of the household.
- Eurylochus Εὐρύλοχος
Odysseus's second-in-command; leads the fatal Thrinacia mutiny.
- Eurymachus Εὐρύμαχος
Second-ranking suitor; smooth-tongued rival to Antinous for leadership.
G
- Ganymede Γανυμήδης
Youngest son of Tros; carried off to be Zeus's cupbearer.
- Glaucus Γλαῦκος
Lycian co-commander with Sarpedon; Bellerophon's grandson.
H
- Hades Ἀΐδης
God of the underworld; rarely active, but constantly referenced.
- Hector Ἕκτωρ
Troy's foremost warrior and defender; eldest son of Priam.
- Hecuba Ἑκάβη
Queen of Troy; Priam's wife, mother of Hector, Paris, Cassandra.
- Helen Ἑλένη
Wife of Menelaus, abducted by Paris; the war's proximate cause.
- Helenus Ἕλενος
Trojan prince and seer, Priam's son.
- Hephaestus Ἥφαιστος
Smith-god; forges Achilles' new armor at Thetis's request.
- Hera Ἥρη
Zeus's wife and sister; fiercely partisan for the Achaeans.
- Hermes Ἑρμῆς
Messenger god; guides Priam safely to Achilles' tent.
- Hermione Ἑρμιόνη
Only child of Menelaus and Helen.
I
- Idomeneus Ἰδομενεύς
King of Crete; leads the Cretan contingent at Troy.
- Ilus Ἶλος
Founder of Ilium (Troy proper); Laomedon's father.
- Iris Ἶρις
Messenger goddess of the gods, especially Zeus and Hera.
L
- Laertes Λαέρτης
Odysseus's father; lives in rustic retirement on his farm.
- Laodice Λαοδίκη
Trojan princess; called fairest of Priam's daughters.
- Laomedon Λαομέδων
King of Troy; Priam's father, notorious for cheating the gods.
- Leto Λητώ
Titaness; mother of Apollo and Artemis.
M
- Machaon Μαχάων
Achaean healer, son of Asclepius; treats wounded warriors.
- Melanthius Μελάνθιος
Disloyal goatherd who sides with the suitors against Odysseus.
- Memnon Μέμνων
Ethiopian king; ally of Troy, son of the dawn goddess Eos.
- Menelaus Μενέλαος
King of Sparta; Helen's husband, whose abduction causes the war.
- Mentor Μέντωρ
Ithacan elder; Athena repeatedly assumes his form to guide Telemachus.
- Meriones Μηριόνης
Idomeneus's charioteer and companion; skilled archer and spearman.
N
- Nausicaa Ναυσικάα
Phaeacian princess; finds Odysseus washed ashore.
- Nestor Νέστωρ
Aged king of Pylos; the Achaeans' elder statesman and counselor.
O
- Odysseus Ὀδυσσεύς
King of Ithaca; mastermind of the Trojan Horse, ten-year wanderer home.
- Orestes Ὀρέστης
Agamemnon's son; avenges his father by killing Aegisthus and Clytemnestra.
P
- Pandarus Πάνδαρος
Lycian archer allied to Troy; breaks the truce by wounding Menelaus.
- Paris (Alexander) Ἀλέξανδρος
Trojan prince whose abduction of Helen causes the war.
- Patroclus Πάτροκλος
Achilles' closest companion; his death drives Achilles back into battle.
- Peleus Πηλεύς
King of the Myrmidons at Phthia; Achilles' father.
- Pelops Πέλοψ
Son of Tantalus; his scepter passes down to found the Atreid dynasty.
- Penelope Πηνελόπεια
Odysseus's wife; holds off the suitors for twenty years.
- Phoenix Φοῖνιξ
Achilles' tutor; sent to Phthia by Peleus to raise him.
- Polites Πολίτης
Trojan prince; a scout for the Trojans.
- Polydamas Πουλυδάμας
Hector's age-mate and foil; cautious counselor of the Trojans.
- Polydorus Πολύδωρος
Youngest son of Priam; killed by Achilles despite Priam's ban.
- Polyphemus Πολύφημος
Cyclops, son of Poseidon; blinded by Odysseus in his cave.
- Poseidon Ποσειδῶν
God of the sea and earthquakes; secretly aids the Achaeans.
- Priam Πρίαμος
Aged king of Troy; father of fifty sons including Hector and Paris.
- Proteus Πρωτεύς
Shape-shifting sea-god; forced by Menelaus to reveal news of the fleet.
S
- Sarpedon Σαρπηδών
Lycian king; leads Troy's allies, foremost after Hector.
T
- Tantalus Τάνταλος
Legendary king; eternally punished in Hades, forebear of the Atreid line.
- Telamon Τελαμών
King of Salamis; father of the greater Ajax and Teucer.
- Telemachus Τηλέμαχος
Odysseus and Penelope's son; comes of age across the poem.
- Teucer Τεῦκρος
Half-brother of the greater Ajax; the Achaeans' best archer at Troy.
- Thersites Θερσίτης
Common soldier who publicly mocks Agamemnon; beaten by Odysseus.
- Thetis Θέτις
Sea-nymph; Achilles' mother, intercedes with Zeus on his behalf.
- Thyestes Θυέστης
Atreus's brother; his line produces Aegisthus.
- Tiresias Τειρεσίης
Theban prophet; the only shade in Hades with unclouded reason.
- Tithonus Τιθωνός
Trojan prince; brother of Priam, taken by Eos as consort.
- Tros Τρώς
Eponymous king from whom 'Troy' and 'Trojans' take their name.
Z
- Zeus Ζεύς
King of the gods; arbiter of fate, oversees the war.