Suitors of Penelope

Penelope and the Suitors by John William Waterhouse (1912).

The Suitors of Penelope (also known as the Proci) are one of the main subjects of Homer's Odyssey.

Mythology

Penelope's husband Odysseus, king of Ithaca, goes off to fight in the 10-year Trojan War. While most survivors return relatively soon, it takes Odysseus another ten years to return home, and in this time the suitors court Penelope, whom they believe (or hope) has become a widow.

Once Odysseus returns home (whom Athena initially disguises as a beggar so he can plot his revenge in secret), his son Telemachus tells him that there are 108 suitors: 52 from Dulichium, 24 from Same, 20 Achaeans from Zacynthus, and 12 from Ithaca.^[1]

Under the pretext of courting Penelope, the suitors proceed to spend their days at Odysseus' house, feasting on the livestock. The suitors provide one of the earliest examples of courting in Ancient Greece (although, as an epic, the accuracy of The Odyssey is debated).^[2] After Odysseus returns home, he meets with Penelope in secret where she organizes a contest where the person who can string Odysseus' bow will become his successor. Upon a disguised Odysseus winning the contest, Odysseus sheds his disguise and kills all of the suitors with the help of Telemachus and Philoeteus.

List of Suitors of Penelope

Appearing in the Odyssey

Slaughter of the suitors by Odysseus and Telemachus, Campanian red-figure bell-krater, c. 330 BC, Louvre (CA 7124)

While most of the suitors are not dealt with individually by Homer, some are mentioned by name and play more or less significant roles in the poem. Among the Suitors of Penelope are:

• Agelaus, son of Damastor. Was killed by Odysseus.^[3]
• Amphimedon, son of Melaneus. Was killed by Telemachus.^[4]
• Amphinomus. Shows courtesy towards the disguised Odysseus, who warns him against staying;^[5] the warning goes unheeded, though, and he is killed along with the other suitors, though by Telemachus and not Odysseus.
• Antinous, son of Eupeithes. One of the leaders of the suitors, he helps instigate the plot to kill Telemachus as he returns from the mainland,^[6] and helps spur the fight between Odysseus (as the beggar) and Irus, a notorious beggar.^[7]
• Ctesippus of Same, son of Polytherses. A "ribald fellow" of great wealth who gives Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, a "present" by throwing a heifer's foot at him; Telemachus threatens him in response, and says that he would have killed him if he had not missed.^[8] After killing him, the stockman says that his death is a present in return for the one he gave to Odysseus.^[9]
• Demoptolemus, killed by Odysseus.^[10]
• Elatus, killed by Eumaeus.^[11]
• Euryades, killed by Telemachus.^[12]
• Eurydamas. Offered a pair of earrings as a gift to Penelope.^[13] Was eventually killed by Odysseus.^[14]
• Eurymachus, son of Polybus. One of the leaders of the suitors, noted for being smooth and deceitful. He blames everything on Antinous after he is killed by Odysseus, saying that the suitors are sorry for what they have done and will repay Odysseus. His pleas do not persuade Odysseus, so he tells the suitors they will have to fight if they wish to live, and he is shot with an arrow while charging Odysseus.^[15]
• Eurynomus, son of Aegyptius. His brother Antiphus accompanied Odysseus to the Trojan War and was devoured by Polyphemus on the way back.^[16]
• Leiocritus, son of Evenor. Was killed by Telemachus.^[17]
• Leiodes, son of Oenops. The sacrificial priest to the suitors, he hated the evil deeds of the suitors and was indignant with the others.^[18] While Odysseus is killing the suitors, he begs for mercy, saying that he tried to stop the others and they were paying for not listening to him. Odysseus hears him out but says that as priest, he must have prayed for Odysseus to not come home, so he kills him anyway.^[19]
• Peisander, son of Polyctor. Offered a necklace as a gift to Penelope.^[20] Was killed by Philoeteus.^[21]
• Polybus, son of Polyctor and father of Eurymachus.

Appearing in Bibliotheca

An extensive list of Penelope's suitors is given in the Bibliotheca.^[22] This source does not appear to fully respect the Homeric tradition, as the numbers are different and not all of the names known from the Odyssey appear in Bibliotheca. Due to the text being damaged, some of the names are repeated several times and the lists for Dulichium and Zacynthus actually contain fewer names than the given figures suggest.

57 suitors from Dulichium

23 from Same

44 from Zacynthus

12 from Ithaca

References