Euryalus (son of Odysseus)
| Euryalus (son of Odysseus) | |
|---|---|
 Euippi, her son Euryalos (son of Odysseus) and the ancient poet Parthenius | |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Prince of Dodona |
| Occupation | Commander-in-chief |
| Relatives | Odysseus (father) Euippe (mother) |
| Nationality | Mythological Greek |
Euryalus (/jʊəˈraɪ.ələs/; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύαλος, romanized: Eurýalos, lit. 'broad')[1][2][3] also known as Leontophron (Λεοντόφρων) or Dorichlus (Δόρυκλος) was the illegitimate son of Odysseus with Euippe. He was killed by Odysseus after Penelope plotted against him.[4] According to later versions he was killed by his brother Telemachus.[5][6][7]
Life
According to Parthenius' Erotica, after the fall of Troy, Odysseus came to Epirus and was a guest of King Tyrimmas.[8] At that time, he fell in love with the daughter of the king, Euippe, and they became parents to a son named Euryalus. Years later Euryalus journeyed to Ithaca looking for Odysseus. Upon reaching Ithaca Euryalus encountered Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, who responded negatively after discovering he was the product of an affair between Odysseus and Euippe before their marriage.[9] Penelope alerted Odysseus during his visit to Euryalus that Euryalus would likely threaten Odysseus's life by attempting to kill him. Although he intended to eliminate the threat to himself, Odysseus believed he was killing a well-disposed individual.[10]
Other Ancient authors name the Epirot queen Euippe, daughter of Tirimme, as Euryalus' mother. She became the lover of Odysseus, who lived in exile in Epirus for some time after killing Penelope's suitors. Odysseus later returned to Ithaca. Euryalus, having grown up, went in search of his father, taking with him a letter written by his mother. He arrived in Ithaca in Odysseus's absence; the jealous Penelope realized who he was and decided to destroy him. When Odysseus returned, she told him that the young stranger had been sent to kill him, and Laërtides killed Euryalus without giving him time to confess.[11][12][13][14] In alternative versions of the myth, the son of Euippe and Odysseus is named Leontophrone or Dorycles.[15]
Sophocles wrote a tragedy called Euryalus; however, no fragments of Euryalus survive to provide information about its content.[10] Because it is unlikely that Mecisteus' son Euryalus would have been an appropriate subject for a tragedy, many scholars believe the play depicts Odysseus' son instead.[16][17] The myth of Euryalus is a typical legend associated with matrilocal marriage, in which the spouses live within the wife's clan. The hero, unaware of his father, sets out to find him, but fails to recognize him when they meet, leading to a fight in which one of the participants dies. Classical scholars see this as a peculiar duplication of the myth of Odysseus's own death at the hands of his other son, Telegonus.[18]
References
- ↑ Sophocles. "Euryalus". Erotica Pathemata.
- ↑ Eustathius of Thessalonica. "Odyssey". Commentary on Homer. p. 1796.52.
- ↑ Wagner, Richard. "Euryalus 6". Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Vol. VI, 1. Stuttgart. p. 1317.
- ↑ Sophocles, Euryalus as cited in Parthenius, 3
- ↑ Adrados, Francisco R.; Rodríguez Somolinos, Juan. "Δόρυκλος". Diccionario Griego-Español en línea (in Spanish).
- ↑ Grimal, Pierre (1996). The Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Blackwell. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-631-20102-1.
- ↑ Eustathius of Thessalonica. Commentary on the Odyssey. Vol. 2. p. 117.
According to Lysimachus, Odysseus' son by Euippe the Thesprotian was named Leontophron, whom others call Dorichlus; Sophocles says that Euryalus was born to her, the man whom Telemachus killed.
- ↑ Kiso 1984, pp. 100.
- ↑ Lloyd-Jones 1996, pp. 200.
- 1 2 Radt 1977, pp. 215.
- ↑ Wüst 1937, p. 1991–1992.
- ↑ Schmidt 1902, p. 628.
- ↑ Yarkho 2000, p. 297.
- ↑ Wagner 1907.
- ↑ Escher 1907, p. 994.
- ↑ Sutton 1984, pp. 315.
- ↑ Smith 2005, pp. 215.
- ↑ Wagner 1907, p. 1317.
Bibliography
- Kiso, A. (1984). The Lost Sophocles. New York: Vantage Press.
- Lloyd-Jones, H. (1996). Sophocles: Fragments. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Radt, Stoic (1977). Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta. Vol. 4. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
- Sutton, D. F. (1984). The Lost Sophocles. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
- Smith, William (2005). The Facts on File Companion to Classical Drama. New York: Facts on File.
- Yarkho, V. (2000). ""Odyssey": Folklore Heritage and Creative Individuality". Homer. Odyssey (in Russian). pp. 289–329.
- Escher (1907). "Euippe 2". Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (in German). Vol. VI, 1. p. 994.
- Schmidt, J. (1902). "Odysseus". In Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (ed.). Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie (in German). Vol. III, 1. pp. 602–681.
- Wagner (1907). "Euryalos 6". Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (in German). Vol. VI, 1. p. 1317.
- Wüst, E. (1937). "Odysseus". Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (in German). Vol. XVII, 2. pp. 1905–1996.