Penelope

Early life and marriage to Odysseus

Little is known of Penelope’s early life. In some traditions she was given a different name at birth and later cast into the sea by her father (or by both parents; in one version Periboea attempted to hide the child to save her from Icarius). She was saved by seabirds, probably ducks, called pēnelopes in Greek, and this became her name from then on.

In the commonly held myth, Odysseus, one of the suitors of the Spartan princess Helen, really wanted to marry Helen’s cousin Penelope. Helen’s father, Tyndareus, promised him Penelope’s hand in exchange for Odysseus’s help in preventing a riot by the rejected suitors. Odysseus proposed that Tyndareus compel every suitor to vow to honor and defend Helen’s marriage, regardless of who was chosen to be her husband. The suitors, including Odysseus, duly took the “oath of Tyndareus,” perforce keeping the peace when Helen married Menelaus, and Odysseus won Penelope as his bride. In a different myth Icarius held a footrace of Penelope’s suitors, which Odysseus won. (Read: Gods and Monsters in the Odyssey)

Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.

SIGN UP

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">

Thank you for signing up!"

Back to homepage

By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Britannica Quiz

From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology

By marrying Odysseus, Penelope became queen of Ithaca. Their life together, however, was interrupted after Helen was seduced by the Trojan prince Paris, and Odysseus and other Greek kings who had sworn the oath of Tyndareus were called to action in the Trojan War. Odysseus, who knew from a prophecy that he would not return to Ithaca for many years, attempted to avoid military service by pretending to be insane, but he was exposed when one of the recruiting party placed the infant Telemachus in harm’s way.

Suitors of Penelope

Homer’s Odyssey tells the story of how, during her husband’s long absence after the Trojan War, 108 chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands became Penelope’s suitors. They were an unruly, arrogant bunch who made free use of Odysseus’s palace and depleted the resources of his household. Two prominent suitors, Antinous and Eurymachus, led an unsuccessful conspiracy to kill Telemachus. To spare herself their importunities, Penelope insisted that the suitors wait until she had woven a funeral shroud for Laertes, father of Odysseus. Every night for three years, until one of her maids revealed the secret, she unraveled the piece that she had woven by day so that she would not have to give up hope for the return of her beloved husband and remarry. (Read: Mapping Odysseus’s Epic Voyage)

Reunion with Odysseus

After Penelope’s ruse was exposed and the suitors pressured her to choose a new husband, she held an archery contest, in which any suitor who could string her husband’s bow and shoot an arrow through 12 ax handles would win her hand. Odysseus, who had, at long last, arrived in Ithaca, participated in the contest disguised as an old beggar. He alone of the assembled crowd accomplished the task Penelope had set, revealed himself as Odysseus, and killed the suitors with the help of Telemachus. Despite this Penelope was still wary and made Odysseus prove his identity by instructing that their marriage bed be moved from their bedchamber. When Odysseus protested that the bed could not be moved because one of its posts was an olive tree, she finally accepted him.

Marriage to Telegonus

Homer’s account has remained dominant. In the ancient world there were variant stories. In one Telegonus, son of Odysseus and Circe, set forth to find his father but mistakenly killed him. Telegonus returned to his mother’s island with Penelope, whom he married, and Telemachus, who married Circe. Telegonus and Penelope had one son, Italus, the eponymous hero of Italy.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE