Telemachus was the son of Odysseus and Penelope, born in Ithaca just before the Trojan War. Perhaps because of this, his life was full of trials and tragedies from the time he was a child.
Origin
As the son of Odysseus, a controversial figure who participated in many of the important plots, plans, and adventures of his time, his life began in confusion. Shortly after his birth, King Agamemnon demanded that Odysseus fulfill the oath he had made and join him in sailing against Troy to recover Helen. When Odysseus tried to break that vow by acting like a madman, Agamemnon’s man, Palamedes, threatened to kill him if Odysseus did not fulfill his commitment. Under this threat, Odysseus had no choice but to give in.
Family
While his father fought in the Trojan War, Telemachus became the “man of the house” by default, while his mother Penelope waited for his father to return. But Odysseus fought for ten grueling years, and then could not find his way home. However, when another ten years passed, there was a strong push to have Odysseus declared dead, allowing Penelope to remarry and robbing Telemachus of his inheritance.
Story
As word spread that Telemachus’ mother was being courted, many suitors appeared, quite a few of whom were barely older than Telemachus himself. This did not matter to those courting Penelope, who saw a way to usurp Odysseus’ property, thus robbing Telemachus of his inheritance.
They made their presence known on the estate, claiming that they were forced to take such action because Penelope never ventured beyond its walls. How else could they woo her, if not by becoming freeloaders living off the goodwill and finances of what would otherwise have belonged to Telemachus?
Penelope, for her part, never gave up on Odysseus and stopped the suitors, saying she could not marry until she had finished her husband’s shroud. She wove by day while the suitors ate, argued, fought, and lived the life of slackers at the expense of Telemachus and his family. But at night, Penelope would undo the day’s work, so the shroud was never finished.
Heavenly intervention
All this tragedy was devised by Poseidon, who was angry with Odysseus for his involvement in the death of Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus. But as one god finds someone at a disadvantage, another will find favor, or in this case, compassion.
Athena appeared to Telemachus in the form of the unknown Taphian, advising him to have the suitors removed by calling a council of the lords of Ithaca. She also advised Telemachus to seek information about his father’s fate and to act accordingly. If Odysseus were alive, she advised Telemachus, then he could tolerate the suitors a little longer, allowing Odysseus to deal with them.
But if he was dead, Telemachus should give up on that, build a funeral monument for him, and make sure his mother left with a suitable spouse. In any case, she advised, as an adult he should take care of getting rid of the current suitors, since they, in their greed, deserved only death.
Telemachus took this advice very seriously, reaching maturity at that moment of resolution. And although Athena could also have informed Telemachus that his father was alive, it was important that he make this journey to find not only his father but also himself.
The Quest
First, however, Telemachus called a council. Unfortunately, many of the suitors who plagued Penelope and Telemachus were sons, nephews, and cousins of the lords of Ithaca. They decided not to see the suitors as an imposition, so Telemachus was left without resources.
He announced his journey to find his father and warned the suitors that there would be hell to pay when he returned, one way or another. At first, they did not believe that the boy from a few days earlier had become a man, but then they became fearful, and cowardice made them ask for peace.
Odysseus’ son would have none of it, and with Athena’s help he commissioned a ship and crew for his voyage to Pylos and Sparta. He first visited King Nestor, who could give him no information but advised him to visit Menelaus in Sparta.
Menelaus recounted the story of how, while two heroes had died in the war, Odysseus was held prisoner by Calypso. Knowing now that his father was probably alive, Telemachus went home. He knew that every day that passed was another day that the suitors would wear him down, or worse, convince Penelope to marry them and flee with the wealth that was rightfully hers.
The Return
Wisdom comes to those who welcome it, and Telemachus was wise to establish his home. The suitors were plotting against him, realizing that Telemachus would never again be subject to their whims. Athena advised him to sail at night and travel on foot for the last leg of the journey, avoiding a trap the suitors had set for him.
Odysseus was also near home, and Athena intervened once more. She disguised him as a hermit seeking alms. While he was in the hut of his servant Eumaeus, who did not recognize him, Telemachus arrived. They had a long conversation about many things, and when Telemachus left the hut briefly, Athena removed her disguise.
He was ecstatic when Odysseus identified himself. Together, the two men began to plan the fate of the suitors. Telemachus would sneak in and remove all the weapons that were not immediately within reach of the suitors. Odysseus would then appear, again as a beggar, and confront them.
As it unfolded, Odysseus took revenge with his own bow, which none of the suitors had been able to draw. The battle was over almost before it began, thanks to Telemachus’ recovery of the weapons and the suitors’ surprise at being attacked by what they believed to be a beggar.
When the king of Epirus, acting as arbiter in the ensuing dispute, determined that Odysseus had gone too far, he exiled him, making Telemachus the true heir to the estate and ruler of Ithaca. The suitors’ relatives were ordered to compensate Telemachus for what the men had done, and Telemachus’ wealth was restored.
Marriage and children
As ruler of Ithaca, and with the business of restoring his estate behind him, Telemachus devoted himself to the affairs that come with becoming a man. In his life he would marry three times, producing offspring with each of his three wives. The first was Polycaste, daughter of King Nestor, whom Telemachus had met when he was in Pylos. Their son was named Persepolis.
Later, with Circe, he would have another son, Latinus, who would go on to rule Latium. Finally, Telemachus had a daughter, perhaps as the fulfillment of an unfulfilled prophecy that Odysseus and Penelope would have one, named Poliporthes, with the ugly princess Nausicaa.
