ELPENOR (youngest of Odysseus's crew)
Figure of myth · mythical character
- In the sources
- 8 ancient passages
Elpenor was a young comrade who accompanied the narrator on his journey, known for a luxurious lifestyle and an excessive fondness for drinking wine.1,2,3,4 He was described as a man lacking notable intelligence or bravery, wearing a mat that was typical attire for sailors.1,5
Selected by lot to visit the dwelling of Circe, Elpenor became intoxicated and fell asleep on a rooftop.4,1 While waking up, he tumbled from the precipice and broke his neck, dying within the house belonging to Circe.1,6,3 His soul descended to the house of Hades after the fall, and he later arrived in the underworld on foot.1,2
Initially left unwashed and unburied in Circe's house, his body was eventually retrieved by the crew.2,7 The crew wept and lamented over his remains as his body and armour were burned to ashes.7 A cairn was raised over the ashes, marked by a stone and an oar Elpenor used for rowing fixed atop it.7 His tomb was located near the town of Circeii in Europe.8
The codex facts behind this entry
Elpenor was a young comrade who accompanied the narrator on his journey. Odyssey 10 ¶47 +1
Fate
Elpenor died after falling from a precipice inside the dwelling of Circe. Apollodorus, Epitome 7.17 +1
