The Odyssey, an epic written by the Greek poet Homer, who also wrote The Iliad, is a thrilling tale with numerous dynamic characters, and these characters are all parts of a wide genealogy that has had a huge impact on Greek mythology as we all know it. One branch of this extensive family tree that contributes to the Odyssey greatly is the branch starting with the lovers Zeus and Leda. This couple consisting of the king of the gods and the queen of Sparta had a daughter named Helen, who, when she grew up, would become Helen of Troy, wife of Spartan King Menelaus. Helen’s cousin is Penelope, Queen of Ithaca, who is married to Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, son of Laertes, and the protagonist of The Odyssey. This branch of the epic’s genealogy …show more content…
Odysseus’ father was Laertes, who Penelope was weaving (and unweaving) a shroud for to stall the suitors trying to obtain her hand in marriage while she waited for her husband to return to Ithaca. These suitors, headed by Antinous, were battled and beaten by Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, and Penelope and his only son, Telemachus, who Odysseus had to leave as an infant to embark on his adventures until twenty years later, when his son had become a man and could finally battle alongside his father. After Odysseus was the only one left to claim Penelope as his wife, he revealed to his wife his true identity, but “Even when Athena had given him back his youth and kingly looks, she stood in doubt…” (Alchin 11-12). Because of her unsureness, Penelope tested Odysseus by seeing if they knew the true layout of their bedroom and the make of their big bed. Odysseus, of course, knew it like the back of his hand, Penelope realized it really was her husband, and they lived happily ever after. This stem of the branch is obviously quite prevalent in the character development, interactions, and overall plot of the Odyssey, due to this portion’s presence of the main character, Odysseus. The epic hero interacts with almost every God, mortal, and monster on the tree in the Odyssey, so without this stem of the Zeus-Leda branch, the story of the Odyssey would be completely