| A | B |
|---|
| Achilleus | The great hero of the Iliad, whose ghost talked to Odysseus |
| Aigisthos | Son of Thyestes, lover of Klytaimestra and murderer of Agamemnon, killed by Orestes |
| Orestes | The son of Agamemnon, who avenged him |
| Agamemnon | Leader of the expedition against Troy, murdered by Aigisthos |
| Aiolos | Mortal king in charge of the winds, father of Kretheus |
| Alkinoos | King of the Phaiakians |
| Antinoos | Son of Eupeithes, one of the two leadfing suitors, struck Odysseus with footstool, first to be killed, by Odysseus |
| Ambrosia | A sweet-smelling herb |
| Melanthios | Son of Dolios, goatherd who sided with the suitors and insulted and kicked Odysseus, aided the suitors in their battle, mutilated by Telemachos and the herdsmen |
| Aphrodite | Daughter of Zeus, goddess of love and beauty, wife of Hephaistos |
| Ares | Son of Zeus, god of war, lover of Aphrodite |
| Athene | Goddess, daughter of Zeus, helps Odysseus on his quest |
| Atlas | Titan, father of Kalypso |
| Cyclopes | A monstrous people encountered by Odysseus and his men, Polyphemos |
| Hades | Properly Aides, lord of the dead |
| Eumaios | The noble swineherd of Odysseus |
| Eurykleia | The old nurse of Odysseus and of Telemachos |
| Helen | Wife of Menelaos, the cause of the Trojan War |
| Helios | The sun god, Odysseus' men slaughtered some of his cattle |
| Hephaestos | The immortal artificer, married to Aphrodite, who played him false with Ares |
| Hera | Wife of Zeus, queen of the gods |
| Hermes | Often called Argeiphontes, son of Zeus and Maia, messenger of Zeus |
| Ithaka | Island off the west coast of Greece, home of Odysseus |
| Kalypso | Goddess-nymph, daughter of Atlas, befriended and lived with Odysseus |
| Kronos | Father of Zeus |
| Laertes | Son of Arkeisios, father of Odysseus, Rejuvenated by Athene, fights in the last battle |
| Libation | A drink sacrificed to the gods |
| Lotus Eaters | Mysterious people visited by Odysseus and his men |
| Melantho | Daughter of Dolios, favored but treacherous maid of Penelope |
| Menelaos | Husband of Helen, great hero of the Iliad |
| Medon | Herald of Odysseus in Ithaka, loyal to Penelope and Telemachos, spared by Odysseus after the slaughter |
| Muses | An inspiration |
| Nausikaa | Daughter of Alkinoos and Arete, who befriended Odysseus |
| Nestor | The old hero of the Illiad, king in Pylos |
| Poseidon | God of the sea, enemy of Odysseus |
| Olympus | Mountain on which all of the gods live |
| Priam | King of Troy |
| Sirens | Singing, dangerous creatures of the sea |
| Sisyphos | Hero tormented in the land of the dead, condemned to roll a stone forever uphill |
| Skylla | A man-eating monster who preyed on Odysseus' men |
| Charybdis | A monster of the coast in the form of a great whirlpool |
| Styx | The river or waterfall by which to gods swear, located in the land of the dead |
| Teiresias | Theban seer, who retained his powers even in the land of the dead, consulted by Odysseus and foretells his future |
| Zeus | Son of Kronos, most powerful of the gods |
| Circe | The goddess and enchantress of Aiaia |
| Crete | Large island, domain of Idomeneus, pretended home of Odysseus in various lying stories |
| Eurynome | Housekeeper and nurse of Penelope |
| Eurymachos | Son of Polybos, one of the two leading suitors, attacked Odysseus, killed by Odysseus |
| Laistrygones | A giant cannibal people encountered by Odysseus and his men |
