Definition: Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope who grows from infancy while his father is away fighting at Troy and then trying to return home after the Trojan War. Telemachus is one of the central characters of the Odyssey since he sets off in search of news of his father.
At the start of the Odyssey, Telemachus is about to come of age after having grown up witnessing the abuses of the suitors of his mother. His mentor is a man named Mentor who is often Athena in disguise.
The name of Telemachus comes from the Greek for distance and fighter.
Telemachus does not marry in the Odyssey, but elsewhere in Greek literature, he marries Circe and Nausicaa (different stories).
Alternate Spellings: Telemachos, Telemakhos, Τηλέμαχος
