Polites (friend of Odysseus)
Template:Short description Template:About In Greek mythology, Polites (Template:Langx), the friend of Odysseus, was a minor character in the epics by Homer.
Mythology
Polites was a member of Odysseus's crew.<ref>Homer, Odyssey 10.224</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In popular culture
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Polites is portrayed as a significant member of Odysseus' fleet. His main role is the song "Open Arms," where he advocates for showing empathy and mercy in their encounter with the Lotus-Eaters.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> He stands as a foil for Odysseus' other close friend, Eurylochus, who takes a more cynical and cautious approach.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> When they follow the Lotus-Eaters' directions to find food in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, Polites is the first man killed.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Afterwards, Odysseus holds on to the ideas of mercy that Polites promoted, which agitates his relationship with the goddess Athena.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Note
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. Template:ISBN. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
Template:Characters in the Iliad Template:Characters in the Odyssey