Polites (friend of Odysseus)
In Greek mythology, Polites (Ancient Greek: Πολίτης), the friend of Odysseus, was a minor character in the epics by Homer.
Mythology
Polites was a member of Odysseus's crew.[1] Odysseus refers to him as his dearest friend, though he is only mentioned twice. It is unclear whether he was killed by Scylla or by the lightning bolt that Zeus hurled at Odysseus's ship.
Polites features more prominently in some versions of the folk tale known as The Hero of Temesa, which recounts the tale of one of Odysseus's crew (in some sources unnamed, but in others, including in the retelling by Strabo,[2] identified as Polities) who was killed on the island of Temesa and returned as a vengeful ghost. Various sources give different accounts of the death—some say he was stoned after raping a woman, others simply claim he was murdered by the locals—but in all versions, the ghost threatened the populace and extracted a high tribute in exchange for a more peaceful coexistence until he was defeated by a visitor to the island, sometimes identified as Euthymus of Locri, a boxer and Olympic victor.[3] Because the ghost is sometimes described as wearing a wolfskin, scholar David Ogden speculates that "we are probably dealing with a monster that is mixanthropic: partly human and partly animal, a wolf-man..." and thus an early classical example of a werewolf story.[4]
In post-classical tradition
Music
Polites appears as a character of Epic: The Musical, a sung-through adaptation of The Odyssey created by musician Jorge Rivera-Herrans. Steven Dookie provides the voice of Polites.[5][6] In the adaptation, Polites is portrayed as a significant member of Odysseus' fleet. He advocates for showing empathy and mercy instead of resorting to violence in their encounter with the lotus-eaters.[7] When they follow the lotus-eaters' directions to find food in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, Polites is the first man killed.[8] After his death, Odysseus holds on to the ideas of mercy that Polites promoted, which agitates his relationship with the goddess Athena.[9] Polites and Odysseus' advocacy for mercy also comes into conflict with Eurylochus and the others in the crew, as Eurylochus often argues that they should be ruthless and be wary to protect themselves from possible dangers.[10]
Note
- ^ Homer, Odyssey 10.224
- ^ Strabo (1924). Jones, H. L. (ed.). Geography. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-99201-6.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ Nicholson, Nigel (2013). "Cultural Studies, Oral Tradition, and the Promise of Intertextuality". American Journal of Philology. 134 (1): 9–21. doi:10.1353/ajp.2013.0006.
- ^ Ogden, David (March 7, 2021). The Werewolf in the Ancient World. Oxford University Press. pp. 137–166. ISBN 978-0198854319.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "EPIC: THE TROY SAGA Passes 3 Million Streams in First Week of Release". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ McKinnon, Madeline. "Music Review: "EPIC: The Musical" – the Spectrum". Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ Jorge Rivera-Herrans & Steven Dookie – Open Arms, retrieved 2025-08-12
- ^ Jorge Rivera-Herrans & Steven Dookie – Survive, retrieved 2025-08-12
- ^ Jorge Rivera-Herrans & Teagan Earley – My Goodbye, retrieved 2025-08-12
- ^ Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Armando Julián & Cast of EPIC: The Musical – Luck Runs Out, retrieved 2025-08-12
References
- Homer, The Odyssey with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, PH.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1919. ISBN 978-0674995611. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
