Melantho
Encyclopedia
Melantho, also known as Melántho or Melanthó (Μελανθώ), is one of the minor characters in The Odyssey. Described as having a "sharp tongue", she is sister to Melanthios
, a goatherd in Ithaca
, and the daughter of Dolios
. She is among the favorite maids of Penelope
, treated like a daughter by her, having been given trinkets and other small gifts.
Despite having been much cared for by Penelope, Melantho is a disloyal and ungrateful servant to Odysseus
and his household. She is one of the female servants that often sleep with the suitors of Penelope, a characteristic which is evident by her relationship with Eurymachus
. Upon Odysseus' arrival in his own house, dressed as a beggar, Melantho rates him harshly and rudely asks why he hasn't left to sleep in the smithy, the location where chance visitors in Ithaca tended to go.
After Odysseus kills all of the suitors and forces the unfaithful maids to clean the hall, Telemachus
hangs Melantho along with the other unfaithful maids.
The name Melantho may also refer to several other minor Greek mythological figures:
Melanthius (Odyssey)
Melanthius, the son of Dolius, plays the minor, yet important character of Odysseus' disloyal goatherd in Homer's Odyssey. In contrast, Odysseus' cowherd, Philoetius, and swineherd, Eumaeus, have both remained loyal to Odysseus during his twenty years of wanderings, as had the father and six...
, a goatherd in Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
, and the daughter of Dolios
Dolius
In Greek mythology, more precisely in the epic tradition recounted in Homer's Odyssey, Dolius was a slave of Penelope whom she had received from her father Icarius on occasion of her marriage to Odysseus. He served as a gardener....
. She is among the favorite maids of Penelope
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
, treated like a daughter by her, having been given trinkets and other small gifts.
Despite having been much cared for by Penelope, Melantho is a disloyal and ungrateful servant to Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
and his household. She is one of the female servants that often sleep with the suitors of Penelope, a characteristic which is evident by her relationship with Eurymachus
Eurymachus
The name Eurymachus, Evrimahos, or Eurýmakhos , is attributed to the following individuals:-Greek mythology:*In Homer’s Odyssey, Eurymachus, son of Polybus, is an Ithacan nobleman and one of the two leading suitors of Penelope, the other being Antinous...
. Upon Odysseus' arrival in his own house, dressed as a beggar, Melantho rates him harshly and rudely asks why he hasn't left to sleep in the smithy, the location where chance visitors in Ithaca tended to go.
After Odysseus kills all of the suitors and forces the unfaithful maids to clean the hall, Telemachus
Telemachus
Telemachus is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, and a central character in Homer's Odyssey. The first four books in particular focus on Telemachus' journeys in search of news about his father, who has been away at war...
hangs Melantho along with the other unfaithful maids.
The name Melantho may also refer to several other minor Greek mythological figures:
- Daughter of DeucalionDeucalionIn Greek mythology Deucalion was a son of Prometheus and Pronoia. The anger of Zeus was ignited by the hubris of the Pelasgians, and he decided to put an end to the Bronze Age. Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, had sacrificed a boy to Zeus, who was appalled by this savage offering...
, whom PoseidonPoseidonPoseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
seduced in the shape of a dolphin. She had by him a son DelphusDelphusFor other uses, see DelphosDelphus or Delphos was a son of Poseidon and Melantho, a daughter of Deucalion, from whom the town of Delphi was believed to have derived its name....
.
- Wife of CriasusCriasusIn Greek mythology, Criasus was a king of Argos. He was the son of Argus and Evadne or Peitho. He had five brothers who were named Ecbasus, Jasus, Peiranthus or Peiras, Epidaurus and Tiryns. Criasus is said to have reigned for fifty four years. During his reign Callithyia, daughter of Peiranthus,...
, mother of PhorbasPhorbasIn Greek mythology, Phorbas or Phorbaceus may refer to:*Phorbas, a prince of the Thessalian Phlegyes who emigrated to Elis in the Peloponnesos. Phorbas was the son of Lapithes and Orsinome, and a brother of Periphas. He assisted Alector, king of Elis, in the war against Pelops, and shared the...
, Ereuthalion and CleoboeaCleoboeaIn Greek mythology, the name Cleoboea refers to:*Cleoboea, mother of Eurythemis. Her daughter was married to Thestius. Cleoboea herself is otherwise unknown....
.