In Greek mythology, Polites (), the friend of Odysseus, was a minor character in the epics by Homer.

Mythology

Polites was a member of Odysseus's crew. 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, identified as Polites) 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. 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.

Epic: The Musical

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. 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. He stands as a foil for Odysseus' other close friend, Eurylochus, who takes a more cynical and cautious approach. When they follow the Lotus-Eaters' directions to find food in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, Polites is the first man killed. (Although this event is never confirmed in The Odyssey. The event is unique to Epic.) Afterwards, Odysseus holds on to the ideas of mercy that Polites promoted, which agitates his relationship with the goddess Athena. However, Odysseus manages to retain Polites's teachings, and Athena comes to accept them by the end of Act 2.

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. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.