Argos is introduced in Homer's Odyssey as the dog bred and kept by Odysseus before the hero's departure for the Trojan War. The narrative role assigned in the epic places Argos in Odysseus's household in Ithaca; after the master's long absence and presumed death, Argos is neglected until Odysseus returns in disguise and is recognized by the dog (Odyssey, Book 17 scene).
Homer's account presents Argos functionally as an old hunting dog in a neglected state upon Odysseus's return; modern summaries describe him as a hunting-bred dog. The supplied sources do not give a detailed physical description such as coat color or breed-specific traits beyond his status as Odysseus's hound and his dilapidated condition from neglect.
Argos is portrayed as a trained hunting dog and, narratively, as exemplifying canine fidelity: he recognizes Odysseus when his master returns in disguise and shows devotion despite long neglect. The sources do not attribute any supernatural powers to Argos; his salient behaviors are ordinary canine recognition, patience, and loyalty as used by Homer to convey emotional truth.
Abas
Abas (Ancient Greek: Ἄβας, gen.: Ἄβαντος) is not a single mythic being but a recurring personal name borne by multiple mortals and minor mythic figures in Greek epic and genealogical traditions — kings, founders, seers, warriors, attendants, a centaur, and a youth transformed by a goddess. The name is glossed in the sources as 'guileless' or 'good-hearted' and appears across Argive, Theban, Trojan, Euboean, and other local cycles.
Adrastus
Adrastus (Ancient Greek: Ἄδραστος or Ἄδρηστος) is a legendary king of Argos in the Greek mythic-historical tradition, best known as the leader of the expedition of the Seven against Thebes and as a figure tied to oracular counsel, dynastic marriages, and local hero cults.
Ajax (Aias)
Ajax (Ancient Greek: Aias) is a human heroic figure of the Trojan-cycle tradition and the tragic protagonist of Sophocles' play Ajax. In the surviving tradition he is a mortal Salaminian warrior celebrated for physical strength and martial reputation whose wounded honor, rage, and resulting suicide are the focus of Sophocles' drama.
Ajax the Great
Ajax the Great (Ancient Greek: Αἴας, Aíās) is a mortal heroic figure of the Trojan War cycle, famed as a towering, steadfast Greek champion and defender of the Achaean ships. Prominent in Homer’s Iliad, he is portrayed as second only to Achilles in martial standing and as a paragon of defensive strength and reliability.
Alcinous
Alcinous (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκίνοος, Alkínoos, "mighty mind") is a legendary human king of the Phaeacians in Greek epic tradition. He is portrayed as an ideal hospitable monarch who receives wandering heroes (notably Odysseus and the Argonauts), presides over feasts and games, adjudicates disputes, and provides ships, gifts, and safe passage. Variant genealogies and island-identifications appear across sources, but his role as a beneficent royal host is consistent.
Alcmeonis
A lost early Greek epic poem (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκμεωνίς / Ἀλκμαιωνίς) traditionally counted among the Theban cycle; known only from a small number of fragmentary references, it narrated the story of Alcmaeon’s killing of his mother Eriphyle in vengeance for the death of his father Amphiaraus.
Amphialus (Amphialos)
Amphialus (Ancient Greek: Άμφίαλος, Amphialus/Amphialos, lit. 'of two seas') is a recurring personal name in classical Greek epic, genealogical tradition, and later pastoral/romance literature. The name is applied to several distinct mortal figures — a Phaeacian athlete in the Odyssey, various seafaring companions and suitors in Homeric summaries, a son of Neoptolemus and Andromache in genealogical accounts, and a noble/warrior character in early modern Arcadian romances — rather than to a single supernatural being.
Amphinomus
Amphinomus (Ἀμφίνομος) is a personal name borne by several human figures in Greek tradition, most notably a princely suitor of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey; other bearers appear in local genealogies, a Catanian civic legend, and a later historical record as a geometer. The sources treat Amphinomus as mortal personages rather than a supernatural being.
Andromache
Andromache (Ancient Greek Ἀνδρομάχη) is a human figure of ancient Greek literary tradition: the wife of Hector of Troy who exemplifies virtuous fidelity, ritual mourning, and the losses suffered by women in war. She appears in Homeric epic and later classical sources as grieving spouse, captive concubine after Troy's fall, and later queen in post-war narratives.
Antimachus of Teos
Antimachus of Teos (Greek: Ἀντίμαχος ὁ Τήϊος) is an early Greco-Ionian epic poet cited in later antiquity as the putative author or ascription-anchor for fragmentary Theban-cycle material (notably sometimes the Epigoni). Later authors quote or reference him for sententiae and as a chronological marker; his identity is contested and sometimes conflated with the much later Antimachus of Colophon.
Antinous of Ithaca
Antinous is a mortal Ithacan noble, the son of Eupeithes, and the leading suitor of Penelope in the Homeric tradition. Portrayed as violent, over‑confident, and a violator of xenia, he organizes aggression against Odysseus's household and is the first suitor slain by Odysseus upon his return.
Antiphus
Antiphus (Ancient Greek Ἄντιφος) is a personal name borne by several mortal men in Greek myth and epic traditions rather than a single supernatural being. Multiple figures named Antiphus appear in genealogies and narratives as princes, warriors, companions of heroes, colonists, and victims in the heroic age (generation of Heracles, the Trojan War, and the Odyssey).
Community Record
- [1]The Odyssey (Project Gutenberg edition). Homer, The Odyssey; Project Gutenberg edition; scene of Odysseus's return (Argos episode, Book 17).literary
- [2]Argos (dog) — Wikipedia. Wikipedia entry 'Argos (dog)' summarizing the Homeric account and modern commentary.wiki
- [3]Argos (Wikipedia disambiguation / name notes). Wikipedia entry noting Ancient Greek form Ἄργος and variant Latinized 'Argus'.wiki
- [4]Modern commentary and summaries referencing Argos's fidelity. Modern summary noting Argos as Odysseus's faithful dog and recognition after long absence.other
- [5]Blog and popular references discussing Argos's literary status. Informal commentary treating Argos as an archetypal loyal dog in literature.other