Antinous prepares to hit Odysseus One of the 108 suitors of Penelope, Antinous, about to assault an elderly beggar, who was really Odysseus in disguise. (more) Antinous of Ithaca Greek mythology Written by Gitanjali Roy Gitanjali Roy is senior editor, Encyclopaedia Britannica. She has over two decades of editorial experience across digital and broadcast media. Gitanjali Roy Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 9, 2026 •History Antinous of Ithaca, in Greek mythology, most prominent of the 108 suitors of Penelope and the first of them to be killed by her husband, Odysseus, on his return to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Antinous is the principal mortal antagonist in Homer’s Odyssey, which relates Odysseus’s difficulties while getting home and how Penelope and her son, Telemachus, struggled to maintain their authority on Ithaca. Violent and arrogant, Antinous was an agent of chaos and...

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