Telemachus

Greek mythology · prince · coming of age

Son of Odysseus, an infant when the fleet sailed and a young man hunting news of his father when the Odyssey opens. Guided by Athena, his search is the poem's coming-of-age story, ending with father and son fighting side by side.

Stories

The Slaying of the Suitors

Home at last and disguised as a beggar, Odysseus strings the great bow that no suitor could bend and turns it on the men who devoured his house. With Telemachus beside him and Athena overhead, he clears the hall; Penelope tests him one last time with the secret of their bed.