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Odysseus Facts: King of Ithaca and Greek Hero Verified

“Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and a major hero in Greek mythology. He is married to Penelope and has a son named Telemachus. He is known for his intelligence, clever ideas, and strong leadership. He appears in both The Iliad and The Odyssey, two ancient Greek epics”
Statement is accurate
Confidence: High Checked on June 6, 2026

Summary

Odysseus is indeed the legendary king of Ithaca, a central hero of Greek mythology celebrated for his intelligence, cleverness, and leadership. He is married to Penelope and fathered Telemachus. He features prominently in both Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey.

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Sources 60 searched

en.wikipedia.org
  • Odysseus - Wikipedia

    In Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus (/əˈdɪsiəs/ ⓘ; Ancient Greek: Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, romanized: Odysseús, Odyseús, IPA: [o.dy(s).sěu̯s]), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses (/juˈlɪsiz/, ... , Ulixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's ...

  • Penelope - Wikipedia

    Penelope is married to the main character, the king of Ithaca, Odysseus (Ulysses in Roman mythology), and daughter of Icarius of Sparta and Periboea (other alternatives being Polycaste or Asterodia).

  • Homer's Ithaca - Wikipedia

    He described the "evidence" for this theory in his The Authoress of the Odyssey (1897) and in the introduction and footnotes to his prose translation of the Odyssey (1900). Robert Graves elaborated on this hypothesis in his novel Homer's Daughter. Wilhelm Dörpfeld (December 26, 1853 – April 25, 1940) – having performed extensive excavations at various locations of Ithaca and Lefkada, he proposed that the palace of Odysseus was located west of Nidri at the south coast of Lefkada.

worldhistory.org
  • Odysseus - World History Encyclopedia

    In Greek mythology, Odysseus was the son of Laertes and Antikleia (or Anticlea) and the King of Ithaca, leader of the Kephallenians. Married to Penelope, he also had a son, Telemachos (or Telemachus).

archaeology.org
  • The Unexpected World of Homer's Odyssey - Archaeology Magazine

    Many scholars believe the site was the location of the Trojan War, a 10-year-long conflict between the Greek and Trojan armies chronicled in the Iliad. The blind poet Homer, portrayed in a Roman bust, was thought by ancient writers to have been the sole author of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, which follows the disastrous journey of the Greek hero Odysseus from Troy back to his home on the island of Ithaca.

historycooperative.org
  • Odysseus: Greek Hero of the Odyssey | History Cooperative

    Odysseus promised to devise a plan to stop Helen’s suitors from killing one another if the Spartan king helped him “win the hand of Penelope.” · When Paris kidnapped Helen, Odysseus’ clever thinking came back to haunt him. He became venerated in the hero cults of Greek religion. One such cult center was located in Odysseus’ homeland of Ithaca, in a cave along Polis Bay.

olympicholidays.com
britannica.com

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