Eurylochus

Eurylochus was a companion of Odysseus in Greek mythology and one of the most important members of his crew in Homer’s Odyssey. He was a kinsman of Odysseus by marriage and took part in the long journey home from the Trojan War. Unlike many of the unnamed sailors, Eurylochus is given a clear voice in the poem. He questions Odysseus, warns the crew of danger, and later gives advice that leads to disaster.

Eurylochus is best known for two major episodes in the Odyssey. On Aeaea, he is the only man in his scouting party who avoids Circe’s magic and returns to warn Odysseus (Odyssey 10.203–260). Later, on the island of Thrinacia, he persuades the starving crew to kill the sacred cattle of Helios, an act that brings divine punishment and destroys the last of Odysseus’ men (Odyssey 12.339–419).

Who Was Eurylochus?

Family and Background

Eurylochus was one of the Greek warriors who sailed home with Odysseus after the fall of Troy. Homer presents him as a close companion and a kinsman of Odysseus by marriage: Odysseus calls him “near kinsman of mine by marriage” when he is ready to cut off his head (Odyssey 10.441). Homer gives no names for his parents or children.

Companion of Odysseus

During the voyage home, Eurylochus often appears as a spokesman for the crew. When Odysseus divides his men into two bands on Aeaea, Eurylochus is the leader of one of them and Odysseus of the other, and lots decide that Eurylochus is the one to go inland (Odyssey 10.203–210). He is not the king, but he has enough influence for the other men to listen to him. His role shows the strain between Odysseus’ command and the fears of the exhausted sailors.

A Cautious but Flawed Figure

Eurylochus is not a simple villain. At times, his caution saves him and helps warn the others. At other times, his fear and hunger push him toward choices that bring ruin. In the poem he appears suspicious, practical, persuasive, and sometimes dangerously wrong.

Eurylochus in the Odyssey

The Voyage After Troy

After the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men began the journey back to Ithaca. Their return was delayed by storms, monsters, hostile peoples, and the anger of the gods. Eurylochus is first named in Book 10, after Odysseus has lost all his ships but one to the Laestrygonians and has come to the island of Circe (Odyssey 10.100–132, 10.203–210).

The Island of Aeaea

After escaping the Laestrygonians, Odysseus and his remaining men reached Aeaea, the island of Circe. Odysseus divided his men into two groups, and Eurylochus led one party of twenty-two men inland to search for signs of life. The men found Circe’s house, with wolves and lions in front of it that fawned on them, and heard her singing inside (Odyssey 10.210–243).

Eurylochus and Circe

When Circe invited the men into her home, Eurylochus suspected mischief and stayed outside. His fear proved correct. The other men entered, drank Circe’s drugged wine, and were turned into swine. Eurylochus sat a long time watching and waiting, and when none of them came out he ran back to the ship to tell Odysseus what had happened (Odyssey 10.244–260).

Warning Odysseus

Eurylochus was so overcome that at first he could not speak. When Odysseus took his sword and bow and told him to lead the way, Eurylochus clasped his knees and begged not to be taken back, saying that Odysseus would neither bring back any of the men nor return himself (Odyssey 10.261–274). Odysseus went anyway and, with the help of Hermes and the plant moly, forced Circe to restore his men (Odyssey 10.275–399). When Odysseus later told the remaining sailors to return with him to Circe’s house, Eurylochus again tried to hold them back. He reminded them of the Cyclops, whose cave some of their companions had entered with Odysseus, and said that they had died through Odysseus’ recklessness (Odyssey 10.428–437).

This speech almost caused open conflict between the two men. Odysseus considered striking off Eurylochus’ head, close kinsman though he was, but the crew checked him by offering to leave Eurylochus by the ship. In the end Eurylochus followed the others to Circe’s house, afraid of Odysseus’ reproof (Odyssey 10.438–448).

Eurylochus and the Journey Home

Leaving Circe

Odysseus and his crew stayed with Circe for a year. When it was time to leave, Circe warned Odysseus about the dangers ahead. These included the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, and the island of Helios (Odyssey 12.37–141). Before they sailed, Odysseus sacrificed to the dead at the edge of Oceanus, where Eurylochus and Perimedes held the victims while he dug the pit (Odyssey 11.23–25).

The Sirens

When the ship passed the Sirens, Odysseus had his men block their ears with wax while he himself was tied to the mast so that he could hear the song safely. When he begged to be released, Eurylochus and Perimedes got up and bound him with more rope (Odyssey 12.178–200). In this scene, Eurylochus obeys orders and helps protect Odysseus from his own desire.

Scylla and Charybdis

The crew then had to pass between Scylla and Charybdis. Six men were taken by Scylla, and the survivors were left shaken and afraid (Odyssey 12.201–259). Soon afterward, they reached Thrinacia, the island where Helios kept his sacred cattle and sheep.

Eurylochus and the Cattle of Helios

The Warning About Thrinacia

Both Tiresias and Circe had warned Odysseus that the cattle of Helios must not be harmed (Odyssey 11.104–113, 12.127–141). Odysseus told his men to avoid the island, but Eurylochus answered him with hateful words: Odysseus was made of iron, but the men were worn out with toil and sleeplessness, and it was dangerous to sail through the night. The rest of the crew agreed with him, and Odysseus was forced to let them land, but only after they swore not to touch the sacred animals (Odyssey 12.271–303).

Hunger on the Island

For a full month the South Wind blew unceasingly. At first the men ate the food Circe had given them. When the supplies ran out, hunger broke their resolve. Odysseus went away from the crew to pray, and the gods sent sleep upon him (Odyssey 12.325–338).

Eurylochus’ Fatal Advice

While Odysseus slept, Eurylochus spoke to the starving crew. He argued that all forms of death were hateful, but dying of hunger was the most pitiful. He urged the men to drive off the best cattle of Helios and sacrifice them to the gods, promising that if they ever returned to Ithaca, they would build a rich temple to Helios; and if the god were angry enough to wreck their ship, he said, he would rather die once in the waves than slowly starve on a desert island (Odyssey 12.339–351).

The crew accepted his advice. They killed the best cattle, even though they had sworn not to do so, and roasted them. Helios learned of it from Lampetie and demanded that Zeus punish the crew; otherwise he would take his light down to Hades (Odyssey 12.352–388).

The Death of Eurylochus

Zeus Destroys the Ship

After six days of feasting, the crew left Thrinacia. Zeus struck their ship with a thunderbolt. The vessel was shattered, and all of Odysseus’ men were thrown into the sea and drowned. Eurylochus died with the rest of the crew, although Homer does not describe his individual death (Odyssey 12.397–419).

Odysseus as the Sole Survivor

Only Odysseus survived the wreck. He drifted alone for nine days on the keel and mast of the broken ship until the gods brought him to Ogygia, the island of Calypso (Odyssey 12.420–453). The death of Eurylochus and the rest of the crew left the hero to continue the journey by himself.

Eurylochus’ Role and Symbolism

The Voice of the Crew

Eurylochus often speaks for the crew. He speaks when the crew is tired, hungry, or afraid, on Aeaea and again on Thrinacia, and in both cases the other men follow him (Odyssey 10.428–448, 12.277–303, 12.339–353).

Caution and Disobedience

In the episode with Circe, Eurylochus’ caution saves him. On Thrinacia, however, his advice leads the crew to break an oath. Homer names hunger as the cause, and Odysseus himself says that a god was devising ill when the men persuaded him to land (Odyssey 12.295–296, 12.339–353).

A Challenge to Odysseus’ Leadership

Eurylochus also reveals the limits of Odysseus’ command. In the poem he openly blames Odysseus for the loss of the men in the Cyclops’ cave and calls him hardy beyond other men, with limbs that never tire (Odyssey 10.429–437, 12.279–293).

Misconceptions and Lesser-Known Facts

Eurylochus Was Not the Same as Eurycleia

Eurylochus should not be confused with Eurycleia, the old nurse of Odysseus who recognizes him by the scar on his leg (Odyssey 19.386–475). Their names sound similar, but they are completely different figures in the Odyssey.

He Was Not Only a Coward

Eurylochus is sometimes remembered only as fearful, but his role is more complex. His suspicion of Circe saves him from being transformed, and his warnings are not always foolish. His failure comes when hunger leads him to urge the men to break their oath not to touch the cattle.

He Did Not Act Alone on Thrinacia

Eurylochus gave the fatal advice to kill the cattle of Helios, but the rest of the crew agreed with him (Odyssey 12.352). The disaster was shared by all the men except Odysseus, who had warned them and was asleep when the cattle were slaughtered.

Unraveling Eurylochus: The Troubled Voice of Odysseus’ Crew

In the Odyssey, Odysseus tells the story of his wanderings himself, and Eurylochus is the crew member who answers him back most often. His warning on Aeaea and his refusal to follow Odysseus a second time are followed by Odysseus’ own anger; his speech on Thrinacia leads to the death of every man in the ship (Odyssey 10.203–448, 12.271–419).

Homer does not say what became of him apart from the shipwreck. Odysseus alone returns to Ithaca.

Eurylochus Sources

Eurylochus appears in Homer’s Odyssey, especially in Book 10 (203–274, 428–448), where he leads the scouting party to Circe’s house, and in Book 12, where he argues for landing on Thrinacia (271–303) and later urges the crew to kill the cattle of Helios (339–353). He is also mentioned at the sacrifice to the dead in Book 11 (23–25) and during the Sirens episode in Book 12 (192–196), where he helps bind Odysseus more tightly to the mast.

See Also: Odysseus, Circe, Helios, Hermes, Tiresias, Scylla, Charybdis, Aeaea, Thrinacia, Ogygia