Poliporthes

In Greek mythology Poliporthes (also known as Ptoliporthes or Ptoliporthus) (Ancient Greek: Πολιπόρθης and Πτολιπόρθης) was the son born to Odysseus and Penelope after the former's return from the Trojan War.^[1] He was so named ("destroyer of cities") because his father had sacked the city of Troy (cf., e.g., Od.8.3).^[2]

In the Bibliotheca of Apollodorus there is a retelling of the Odyssey: after Odysseus returned home and killed the suitors he departed to Thesprotia and had a child named Polypoetes with Callidice, the queen of the region, before returning to Ithaca. Upon returning, he discovered that Penelope had given birth to Poliporthes.^[3] Apollodorus also mentions that there is more information about him in the epic poem Thesprotis, a now-lost text mentioned by Pausanias.^[4]

Alternatively, he was the son of Telemachus and Nausicaa and Odysseus gave him this name.^[4]

Notes

1. Scherling, para. 1.
2. Dictys Cretensis, Trojan War Chronicle, 6.6
3. Apollodorus, The Library, E.7.35
4. Notes on Apollodorus, Note 232

References

• Scherling, Karl, "Poliportes", in Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, Band XXI, Halbband 2, edited by Konrat Ziegler, Stuttgart, J. B. Metzler, 1952. Wikisource.