This paper examines Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope, as a central heroic figure in Homer's Odyssey. Beginning with his sheltered upbringing under the harassment of his mother's suitors, the paper traces his transformation from a passive, fatherless boy into a courageous young man capable of decisive action. Guided by the goddess Athena and shaped by his travels to the courts of Nestor and Menelaus, Telemachus develops independence, self-confidence, and a sense of duty to his family and community. The paper concludes that Telemachus achieves heroic status through his quest to find Odysseus, his willingness to confront the suitors, and his fulfillment of obligations to both his household and the people of Ithaca.
Greek mythology and its heroes have never ceased to fascinate readers. Stories of Athena, the goddess of wisdom; Poseidon, god of the seas; Ares, god of war and battle; and simple people whose lives were transformed by their connection to the gods — such as Achilles or Odysseus — transport the reader into a mythical land of honour, kindness, love, intrigue, and cruelty.
The legends placed in the vicinity of Mount Olympus have captured the attention of the general public as well as scholars and specialists in literature and history. A widely common feature of Greek mythology is the hero cult.
A most relevant hero of Greek mythology is Telemachus, the son of Penelope and Odysseus. He is a central character in Homer's Odyssey, and his actions revolve around the journey he undertakes in search of his father. Telemachus has captured critics' interest because the reader can observe the character during his transition from boyhood to manhood and, eventually, heroism.
The son of Odysseus is a hero to the general population because he was able to overcome all challenges in his path and reach his goal. To his relatives, Telemachus is a hero because he was able to reunite the family. He tracked down and then saved his father and, together with him, returned home to rescue his mother from the rude suitors who had been harassing her for twenty long years. To the Ithacan community, Telemachus is a hero because he was able to return their rightful leader to them.
Telemachus was born into a loving, peaceful, and devoted family. He came into the world just before his father, the great Odysseus, was called to fight in the Trojan War. Odysseus initially refused to participate in the coming battles and pretended to be insane. However, his mental state was tested when he was faced with the choice of killing his newborn son or going to war. Odysseus spared his son's life and went to fight in the Trojan War.
He would not return for twenty years. As Homer writes: "So now all who escaped death in battle or by shipwreck had got safely home except Ulysses, and he, though he was longing to return to his wife and country, was detained by the goddess Calypso, who had got him into a large cave and wanted to marry him. But as years went by, there came a time when the gods settled that he should go back to Ithaca; even then, however, when he was among his own people, his troubles were not yet over; nevertheless all the gods had now begun to pity him except Neptune, who still persecuted him without ceasing and would not let him get home."[1]
Being raised by his mother alone, Telemachus was surrounded with love and taught the great values of devotion. Penelope was the epitome of fidelity and endurance, enduring twenty years of harassment and devising numerous ways to delay her suitors. But despite his mother's efforts, the boy never felt secure, as their house was at all times filled with suitors who wished to marry Penelope. Young Telemachus despised the situation and would have very much liked to change it, yet he was powerless. He was just a boy — without battle training, without real power, without strength of character, and without allies. However well his mother had educated him, the absence of a paternal figure in his life was painfully obvious.
A first step in his making as a hero was his decision to no longer endure the pressure and presence of the suitors in his home. He would often daydream of his father's return and how Odysseus would punish the wooers. "He was sitting moodily among the suitors thinking about his brave father, and how he would send them flying out of the house, if he were to come to his own again and be honoured as in days gone by."[2]
Driven by his own desires as well as by the encouraging words of Athena — who appeared in the form of Mentor (Mentes) — Telemachus asks the suitors to leave their home, but his request is met only with indifference. "Then Telemachus spoke, 'Shameless,' he cried, 'and insolent suitors, let us feast at our pleasure now, and let there be no brawling, [...] but in the morning meet me in full assembly that I may give you formal notice to depart, and feast at one another's houses, turn and turn about, at your own cost. If on the other hand you choose to persist in spunging upon one man, heaven help me, but Jove shall reckon with you in full, and when you fall in my father's house there shall be no man to avenge you.'"[3]
The braveness felt by Telemachus at the moment of speaking these words was partly driven by his desire to free his house from the suitors once and for all. At the same time, his courage was inspired by the words of wisdom spoken by Mentes — the earthly form of Athena. The goddess of wisdom had made the young man believe he could salvage the situation on his own. The two things he longed for seemed more attainable through his own involvement: he had taken the first step in confronting the suitors, and he would now search for his father so that, upon their return, they could finish the matter together.
The same scene in the first book of Homer's Odyssey presents a Telemachus who speaks back to his mother — something he had never done before. The young man realises he is the man of the house and that those around him must respect his authority. As a result of this revelation, when Penelope asks the suitors to sing a different song — because the one being sung reminded her of her lost husband — Telemachus takes the suitors' side: "Mother," answered Telemachus, "let the bard sing what he has a mind to; bards do not make the ills they sing of; it is Jove, not they, who makes them, and who sends weal or woe upon mankind according to his own good pleasure. This fellow means no harm by singing the ill-fated return of the Danaans, for people always applaud the latest songs most warmly. Make up your mind to it and bear it; Ulysses is not the only man who never came back from Troy, but many another went down as well as he. Go, then, within the house and busy yourself with your daily duties, your loom, your distaff, and the ordering of your servants; for speech is man's matter, and mine above all others — for it is I who am master here."[4]
At the time of setting out on his quest, Telemachus is unaware of his father's whereabouts and is even unsure whether his father is still alive. Nevertheless, the journey is necessary in either case. If Odysseus still lived, he would join his son and punish the suitors who had wrongfully invaded their home. If the father were dead, the journey would still build and strengthen the boy's character, preparing him for his own return home. Either way, the journey had to be the young man's path to maturity and his preparation for life.
Without any support from his community, unbeknownst to his mother, and with Athena's aid, Telemachus arrived in Sparta, where he learned independence, self-confidence, courage, and responsibility. Books IV through XV of the Odyssey largely set aside Telemachus to focus on Odysseus and his ordeals. Telemachus is left at the Spartan court under the guiding and protective care of the wise King Menelaus. During the time spent there, Telemachus is given the time and opportunity to grow into a man.
Although Telemachus's transformation had already become apparent before leaving Ithaca, the time spent in Sparta completed his transition to manhood. The period away from Ithaca, Penelope, and the suitors gave Telemachus a chance to reflect on his personal goals and set his priorities in order. There he learned how to be self-confident, independent, and brave, and how to assume his responsibilities.
Nestor and Menelaus, former friends of Odysseus, try to help the now more mature Telemachus find his father. The only information they are able to uncover is that he is being held by the nymph Calypso on a secret island. Without a solution for freeing Odysseus, Telemachus decides to return to Ithaca — but Athena intervenes once more. She advises Telemachus to stop and visit Eumaeus, a pig keeper. The swineherd was hosting a beggar who soon turned out to be none other than the great Odysseus himself. Telemachus brought his father back to Ithaca in beggar's clothing so as to mislead the suitors. Once they arrived at the palace, they arranged for the protection of the women and the slaughter of the wooers.
"Hero traits and divine guidance analysed"
The quest for Odysseus led to the transformation of the boy into a hero. The final act of the transformation was achieved with the killing of the suitors. Through punishing the wooers, Telemachus passed the last challenge and earned his noble glory. He is a hero to the general population for overcoming every obstacle in his path; a hero to his family for reuniting them; and a hero to Ithaca for restoring their rightful ruler. His journey — from powerless, fatherless boy to courageous young man of action — stands as one of the most enduring coming-of-age narratives in ancient literature.
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