Iliad: Key Characters

The Olympians: (Latin names in parentheses)

ZEUS (Jupiter): Chief of the gods. Lord of the sky, wielder of thunderbolt.

ATHENA (Minerva): Zeus' favorite child; born from his head, fully armed; virginal; embodiment of wisdom, reason, piety. Defender of the Achaeans.

HERA (Juno): Zeus' wife and sister; protector of marriage; can hold a grudge for a long time.

THETIS: A sea-goddess, married to Peleus, a mortal; mother of Achilles.

APHRODITE (Venus): Goddess of love and beauty, born from the foam of the sea; laughter-loving. Married to Hephaestus.

APOLLO: Son of Zeus and Leto; associated with music, archery, light, truth; the purifier. Principal divine champion of the Trojans.

ARES (Mars): Son of Zeus and Hera; god of war.

POSEIDON (Neptune): Brother of Zeus. Lord of the sea.

HERMES (Mercury): Messenger of the gods; master thief; guardian of commerce; guide of the dead.

HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan): Hera's son. God of fire and forge. Ugly, popular; patron of handicrafts.

ARTEMIS (Diana): Apollo's twin sister; goddess of the hunt; virginal patroness of virgins.

Mortals:

ACHILLES: Geatest Achaean warrior, son of Peleus and Thetis, a goddess.

AENEAS: Trojan, son of Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite; commander of the Dardanians.

AGAMEMNON: Son of Atreus, brother of Menelaus; king of Mycenae and leader of the Achaeans at Troy.

ANDROMACHE: Wife of Hector.

BRISEIS: Achilles' "prize", who is take away by Agamemnon.

DIOMEDES: Great Achaean warrior, hero of book V.

HECTOR: Greatest Trojan warrior, sone of Priam, commander of the Trojans.

HELEN: Daughter of Leda and Zeus; wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta; consort of Paris; her abduction by Paris from Sparta was cause of Trojan war.

IDOMENEUS: Achaean, commander of the Cretans.

MENELAUS: Son of Atreus, brother of Agamemnon; king of Lacedaemon. Husband of Helen.

NESTOR: Achaean; oldest of the Achaean chieftains.

ODYSSEUS: Achaean, commander of the Ithakans; most clever and resourceful of the Achaean chieftains.

PARIS: Trojan, son of Priam, who abducted Helen from Sparta, thus setting off the Trojan war.

PATROCLUS: Achaean, brother-in-arms of Achilles; killed by Hector.

PRIAM: Aged king of Troy, father of Hector and Paris.