The Telegony (Greek: Τηλεγόνεια, Telegoneia; Latin: Telegonia) is a lost epic of ancient Greek literature. It was one of the Epic Cycle, that is, the "Trojan" cycle, which told the entire history of the Trojan War in epic verse. The story of the Telegony comes chronologically after that of the Odyssey, and is the final episode in the Epic Cycle. The poem was attributed in antiquity to Eugamon or Eugammon of Cyrene. The poem comprised two books of verse in dactylic hexameter. The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry, and one of the major forms of narrative literature. ... At the moment this page contains a list of links. ... In mathematics, see epic morphism. ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of the Achaeans, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre The Odyssey (Greek Οδύσσεια) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ... Cyrene, the ancient Greek city (in present-day Libya) was the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region and gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times. ... Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter in poetry or a rhythmic scheme. ...

Title

In antiquity the Telegony may have also been known as the Thesprotis (Greek: Θεσπρωτίς), which is referred to once (Pausanias 8.12.5); alternatively, the Thesprotis may have been a name for the first book of the Telegony, which is set in Thesprotia. A third possibility is that there was a wholly separate epic called the Thesprotis; and yet a fourth possibility is that the Telegony and Thesprotis were two separate poems that were at some stage compiled into a single Telegony. Most scholars at present tend to regard the third and fourth possibilities as unlikely, or at least worthless hypotheses, since both possibilities are neither demonstrable nor falsifiable. In addition, it was standard practice with the Homeric epics in antiquity to refer to isolated episodes by their own titles (e.g. Iliad book 5 and part of book 6 was known as "Diomedes' aristeia"). Pausanias was Greek traveller and geographer of the 2nd century A.D., who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. ... Thesprotia (Greek: Θεσπρωτία) is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. ... A hypothesis (= assumption in ancient Greek) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... The Iliad (Greek Ιλιάς, Ilias) tells part of the story of the siege of the city of Ilium, i. ... In Greek mythology, Diomêdês (god-like cunning) was the son of Tydeus and Deipyle and a favored hero of Athena. ...

Date

The date of composition of the Telegony is uncertain. Cyrene, the native city of Eugamon, the purported author, was founded in 631 BCE; but the story may have existed prior to Eugamon's rendition. There is a distinct possibility that the author of the Odyssey knew at least some version of the Telegony story (the Thesprotian episode and Telegonos' unusual spear in the Telegony may have been based on Tiresias' prophecy in Odyssey book 11; but it is also possible that the Odyssey poet used the Telegonos story as a basis for Teiresias' prophecy). Certainly Eugamon's poem is most likely to have been composed in the 6th century BCE. Cyrene, the ancient Greek city (in present-day Libya) was the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region and gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times. ... In Greek mythology, Tiresias (also transliterated as Teiresias) was a blind prophet, the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. ... (7th century BC - 6th century BCE - 5th century BCE - other centuries) (600s BCE - 590s BCE - 580s BCE - 570s BCE - 560s BCE - 550s BCE - 540s BCE - 530s BCE - 520s BCE - 510s BCE - 500s BCE - other decades) (2nd millennium BCE - 1st millennium BCE - 1st millennium) The 5th and 6th centuries BCE were...

Content

The Telegony comprises two distinct episodes: Odysseus' voyage to Thesprotia, and the story of Telegonus. Probably each of the two books of the Telegony related one of these episodes. In current critical editions only two lines of the poem's original text survive. For its storyline we are almost entirely dependent on a summary of the Cyclic epics contained in the Chrestomatheia (see also chrestomathy) attributed to the 5th century CE philosopher Proclus Diadochos. A few other references also give indications of the poem's storyline. Odysseus and the Sirens. ... Thesprotia (Greek: Θεσπρωτία) is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. ... In Greek mythology, Telegonus (born afar) was the youngest son of Circe and Odysseus. ... Chrestomathy (Greek, from the words khrestos, useful, and mathein, to know) is a selection of linguistic writings which can help you to learn a language. ... // Events Romulus Augustus, Last Western Roman Emperor Rome sacked by Visigoths in 410. ... Proclus Lycaeus (February 8, 412 – April 17, 487), surnamed The Successor (Greek Πρόκλος ὁ Διάδοχος Próklos ho Diádokhos), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher. ...

The poem opens after Odysseus' return home to Ithaca and the "slaughter of the suitors" (Greek: μνηστηροφονία, mnesterophonia) at the end of the Odyssey. Penelope's dead suitors are buried, and Odysseus makes sacrifices to the Nymphs (presumably the Nymphs in whose cave he had hidden the treasure he brought with him to Ithaca: see Odyssey book 13). He makes a voyage to Elis, where he visits an otherwise unknown figure, Polyxenos, who gives him a bowl depicting the story of Trophonius. Odysseus returns to Ithaca and then travels to Thesprotia (presumably to make the sacrifices commanded by Tiresias in Odyssey 11). There he has an affair with the Thesprotian queen Callidice, who bears him a son, Polypoites. Odysseus fights for the Thesprotians in a war against the neighbouring Brygoi; the gods participate in the war. However, Callidice is killed in the war, and Odysseus returns to Ithaca. For other places named Ithaca, see Ithaca (disambiguation). ... Dates romantically sharing a chili cheese dog, in a dream sequence Courtship (sometimes called dating or going steady) is the process of selecting and attracting a mate for marriage. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre The Odyssey (Greek Οδύσσεια) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ... Penelope represented as a statue in the Vatican, Rome Penélopê (Πηνελοπεια) is a character of the Odyssey, one of the two great epic poems (the other being the Iliad; both are attributed to Homer) of ancient Greek literature. ... For other uses of nymph see Nymph (disambiguation). ... Elis, or Eleia (Greek, Modern: Ήλιδα Ilida, Ancient/Katharevousa: Ήλις, also Ilis, Doric: Άλις) is an ancient district within the modern prefecture of Ilia. ... Trophonius (the Latinate spelling) or Trophonios (in the transliterated Greek spelling) was a Greek hero or daimon or god - it was never certain which one - with a rich mythological tradition and an oracular cult at Lebadaea in Boeotia. ... Thesprotia (Greek: Θεσπρωτία) is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. ... In Greek mythology, Tiresias (also transliterated as Teiresias) was a blind prophet, the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo. ... In Greek mythology, Polypoites or Polypoetes (Greek: Πολυποίτης) was the name of several individuals: Polypoites was a son of Hippodamia and Pirithous. ...

Meanwhile, it transpires that Circe, with whom Odysseus had an affair for a year in the Odyssey (books 10-12), bore his son, Telegonus (Τηλέγονος, "born far away"), who grows up on Kirke's island, Aeaea. On the goddess Athena's advice Kirke tells him the name of his father, gives him an amazing spear to defend himself which is tipped with the sting of a poisonous stingray and was made by the god Hephaestus, and sends him in search of Odysseus. A storm forces Telegonus onto Ithaca without his realising where he is. As is customary for Homeric heroes in unfriendly land, he commits piracy, and unwittingly begins stealing Odysseus' cattle. Odysseus comes to defend his property, he and Telegonus fight, and Telegonus kills Odysseus with his unusual spear, thereby fulfilling Tiresias' prophecy in the Odyssey that death would come to Odysseus "out of the sea" (i.e. the poison of the ray). As Odysseus lies dying, he and Telegonus recognise one another, and Telegonus laments his mistake. Telegonus brings his father's corpse, Penelope, and Odysseus' other son Telemachus, back to Aeaea, where Odysseus is buried and Circe makes the others immortal. Telegonus marries Penelope, and Telemachus marries Circe. Circe, a painting by Edward Burne-Jones In Greek mythology, Circe or Kirkê (Greek Κίρκη) was a goddess living on the island of Aeaea. ... In Greek mythology, Telegonus (born afar) was the youngest son of Circe and Odysseus. ... In Greek mythology, Aiaia, or Aeaea, was the home of the god Hermes. ... Athena from the east pediment of the Afea temple in Aegina After a sculpture of Athena at the Louvre. ... Genera Dasyatis Himantura Pastinachus Pteroplatytrygon Taeniura Urogymnus Stingrays are rays in the family Dasyatidae. ... Hephaestus, Greek god of forging, riding an ass; Greek drinking cup (skyphos) made in the 5th century B.C. Hephaestus (Greek: Ἡφαιστος Hêphaistos) is the Greek god whose approximate Roman equivalent is Vulcan; he is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and fire. ... Penelope represented as a statue in the Vatican, Rome Penélopê (Πηνελοπεια) is a character of the Odyssey, one of the two great epic poems (the other being the Iliad; both are attributed to Homer) of ancient Greek literature. ... Telemachus and Mentor Telemachus departing from Nestor, painting by Henry Howard (1769–1847) Telemachus (also transliterated as Telemachos or Telémakhos; literally, far-away fighter) is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope. ...

Editions

• Online editions (English translation):
  • Fragments of the Telegony translated by H.G. Evelyn-White, 1914 (public domain)
  • Fragments of complete Epic Cycle translated by H.G. Evelyn-White, 1914; Project Gutenberg edition
• Print editions (Greek):
  • A. Bernabé 1987, Poetarum epicorum Graecorum testimonia et fragmenta pt. 1 (Leipzig: Teubner)
  • M. Davies 1988, Epicorum Graecorum fragmenta (Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht)
• Print editions (Greek with English translation):
  • M.L. West 2003, Greek Epic Fragments (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press)

Other uses

The word "telegony" also refers to a theory, purporting that the first male to procreate with a female would genetically contribute to all of her offspring, even those sired by a different male.