Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 11, 2026

Eurybates

In Greek mythology, Eurybates may refer to the same or different herald(s) for the Greek armies during Trojan War:Eurybates, from Ithaca, served as Odysseus's squire and herald. He was described by Odysseus to Penelope as "round-shouldered, dark-skinned, and curly-haired". Odysseus is said to pay him greater regard than any other of his companions for his honesty and faithfulness. Eurybates, a herald who was sent, along with Talthybius, by Agamemnon to retrieve Briseis from Achilles' camp in Iliad, I, but he might be a different person from Odysseus's herald mentioned in Iliad, 2, and in the Odyssey.

Last revised
Jun 11, 2026
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Source
Eurybates on a Roman mosaic with the Removal of Briseis, 2nd century source ↗

In Greek mythology, Eurybates (/jʊˈrɪbətz/, Ancient Greek: Εὐρυβάτης) may refer to the same or different herald(s) for the Greek armies during Trojan War:

  • Eurybates, from Ithaca, served as Odysseus's squire and herald. He was described by Odysseus to Penelope as "round-shouldered, dark-skinned, and curly-haired". Odysseus is said to pay him greater regard than any other of his companions for his honesty and faithfulness.1
  • Eurybates, a herald who was sent, along with Talthybius, by Agamemnon to retrieve Briseis from Achilles' camp in Iliad, I, but he might be a different person from Odysseus's herald mentioned in Iliad, 2 ("Eurybates of Ithaca"), and in the Odyssey.2
Notes

Notes

  1. Homer, Odyssey 19.246–9
  2. (in French) René Langumier, Les hérauts de l'ambassade auprès d'Achille, Bulletin de l'Association Guillaume Budé, n° 2, June 1956. pp. 72–73.
References

References