Ctimene- Greek FigureMortal"Princess of Ithaca"
Also known as: Κτιμένη, Ktimenē, and Ktimene
Titles & Epithets
Description
Raised alongside the swineherd Eumaeus in the palace of Ithaca, Ctimene was sent across the strait to Same as the bride of Eurylochus, who would sail with her brother Odysseus and never return.
Mythology & Lore
Childhood in Ithaca
Ctimene was the daughter of Laertes and Anticlea, and the younger sister of Odysseus. She grew up in the palace of Ithaca, where the swineherd Eumaeus, brought to the household as a slave child, was raised almost as her sibling. Anticlea treated them with equal affection during their shared childhood. Homer preserves this domestic detail through Eumaeus's own reminiscence to the disguised Odysseus: when Ctimene came of age and was sent away as a bride, Anticlea gave Eumaeus fine garments as a parting gift.
Marriage to Eurylochus
Ctimene was given in marriage to Eurylochus, a nobleman from the nearby island of Same. Ancient scholia on the Odyssey identify Eurylochus as Odysseus's brother-in-law through this union, explaining why Homer calls him a kinsman of Odysseus. Eurylochus served as Odysseus's second-in-command during the long voyage home from Troy. His most consequential act came on Thrinacia, where he persuaded the starving crew to slaughter the sacred cattle of Helios against Odysseus's explicit warnings. Zeus destroyed their ship in punishment. Only Odysseus survived.