ABSTRACT
Father of Odysseus; the son either of Acrisius (Arceisius) and Chalcomedusa or of Cephalus and Procris. He married Anticlea, daughter of the famous thief Autolycus. Some authorities maintained that at the time of her marriage she was. already pregnant with Odysseus by Sisyphus, but Homer knew nothing of this. When Odysseus grew up, Laertes yielded his royal authority to him, presumably because of his own old age. During Odysseus’ absence in Troy and subsequent wanderings, Laertes was unable to defend Penelope and Telemachus from the suitors. Nevertheless on his son’s return he came out of his miserable retirement and joined him in the final battle against the suitors’ families, killing their leader Eupithes with the help of Athena. Later tradition made him a member of the Argonauts’ expedition and the Calydonian boarhunt.
