#odysseus and telemachus

[nyssasatelier]

The past Friend Reveal :

For @autisticgremllin

[xixovart]

odysseus and telemachus.

father and son.

they’re going to kill me some day

(thx to @ikea09 for the idea :])

[restlesskeychains]

Odysseus adoring his son :3

[katerinaaqu]

Odysseus's fixation upon his son could possibly be explained by the timeline.

A small thing that needs to be said is that according to Homer Odysseus left Telemachus a "newborn" (or at least so Menelaus says in the Odyssey). Interestingly is hard to tell how long Odysseus and Penelope have been married before they had Telemachus because the time line is not cut and clear.

It seems like their marriage took place during the oath of Tyndareus period when Odysseus was at Sparta as a suitor to Helen. From the Oath till Helen's infidelity or abduction or forced seduction by Aphrodite we see there were around 10 years of difference (quite frankly according to some accounts Helen mentions she was 20 years in Troy). That means that he and Penelope were potentially married at least a decade (which makes sense given that he made a wedding bed for her from scratch making it seem that their palace was also being rebuilt at that time)

But if Telemachus was newborn or almost newborn (like let's say about 1 year old tops) that means that Odysseus and Penelope were childless for almost a decade. Either that means they were having some issues aka Odysseus running errands in the kingdom or that they were trying very hard to have children and somehow they couldn't

Do you imagine what this means?

Odysseus potentially had to leave behind a son he wished for for almost a decade full and not to mention that Palamedes nearly killed him, that very son that he potentially tried so hard for and wished for so much!

Hell no wonder he names himself "Father of Telemachus" and quite frankly one can understand why he would hold a grudge against Palamedes (be it Higenius you follow where he frames him or be it Pausanias who says he drowned him) one can imagine why his brain would snap like that! If this hypothesis is correct that is.

[platinumink]

Headcanon: Telemachus wears Odysseus’ clothes

I can’t stop thinking about this: I imagine Odysseus did not take notice during the songs “Odysseus” and “I can’t help but wonder” but Telemachus is 100% wearing his dads clothes in the songs in my opinion - at least the cape and stuff - to feel closer to him.

A day later, Ody finally takes a shower and goes to his closet to check out his wardrobe and finds it ransacked (like almost nothing is left that the clothes that are still present are only undergarments or oversized clothing). He asks his wife about it and she has no idea so Ody wears something a little big on him (he also definitely lost weight on his journey). During breakfast, in strolls Telemachus wearing his dads garments, belt, sword holding thing, jewelry and more, completely oblivious about the situation as both Penelope and Odysseus look at him in sudden realization. Odysseus does not speak about it as his son plops down next to him to start eating only to finally get what was going on.

He gets really embarrassed and wants to shoot up immediately to change and apologize but Ody shuts that down quickly by pushing his son back on his seat, puts his arm around his shoulder, smiles proudly and looks to his wife (who is hiding her laughing under her breath) and say that he will need a new wardrobe because a little owl kit has nicked his old one (or something like that). Telemachus, who is still embarrassed and red-faced hides his face in his dads hair, mumbling justifications but is told to relax and that it is fine and endearing and that Ody is actually happy that he could be there for his son at least in this way.

and now i’ve made myself cry by writing this out 😭

if anyone wants to write fanfiction about this, please tag me, i really want to see what people would do with this premise :’ D 🩵🩵🩵

Edit: now with official fanfiction by yours truly as well :D Can be read here 🩵🩵

Edit 2: another headcanon in this fandom can be found here (i'm already working on a fanfiction but work and uni have been crazy lately- if someone else wrote something, please tell me so i can thank them) 😭😭🩵🩵

Edit 3: I just checked in on this post and THANK YOU SO MUCH ON ALL OF THE LIKES AND REBLOGS! I never expected this to blow up like this! 😭😁🩵🩵

[curiouslymyown]

Telemachus often being described as a kid because, and I quote, “for twenty years I never could outgrow you”

He didn’t let himself grow because he didn’t want to without his dad

[toxinoire]

I feel like the main thing about Epic that I love so much is how Jorge has explicitly stated that it's not accurate to the actual Odyssey, but stayed true to how Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus feel about one another.

Odysseus wants nothing more but to go home to his wife.

Penelope is patient, loyal, and cunning who believes Ody will return.

Telemachus wants to be like his father and keep his mother safe from the men who are taking over his home.

These are main things that often get changed in most retellings. The fact that there are many translations that show Odysseus's encounters with Circe and Calypso as non consensual or dubiously consensual show that there is a HUGE possibility that Homer actually wrote Odysseus to be an SA victim, and should not be dismissed--Ody should not be dismissed as just a cheater. Some retellings portray Penelope as someone who doesn't truly love Odysseus, as if she didn't wait for 20 years. While canon Telemachus may seem like a troubled man, he is trying his best to uphold the reputation of his father and keep his mom away from the suitors, even if he has to result to yelling at her to go back to her room sometimes. Not the best way to keep her safe, but his intention is pure, his intention is to make sure his mother doesn't get hounded by them.

Epic is inaccurate, and Jorge has said that.

Many was changed to make it more engaging and like a video game and anime.

But it does stay true to how the Ithacan family see and feel towards one another. And I love that.

[sophie-jane-silver]

athena saw older telemachus before odyseus did ok bye

[mikeluciraphgabe]

I need someone to draw Odysseus absolutely DECKING the suitor holding teleagramy instead of stabbing

You see your baby boy for the first time in 20 years, dripping with both your enemies and his own blood, crying out in pain - you’re fist fighting whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the room

Like yes an arrow/sword would fix the issue faster, but it’s human nature to use hands first while protecting your offspring

[percy-ils]

Odysseus and telemachus make my heart ache so bad. imagine never knowing your father, not because he chose to leave but because he was forcefully ripped away from you and your mother, and he was doing everything he could to not go but he went nonetheless. your mother raises you alone and you grow up hearing stories of your father from countless people but you never hear his voice. you are told that he used to give the best hugs and that he used to hold you day and night when you were an infant but you never really felt his arms around you.

and then imagine you never got to watch your son grow up. you missed his first steps, his first words, his first struggles and joy and laughter are all in the past when you return, and you cant turn back time. you've sacrificed everything to get back to him. he doesn't even know you. you try your best to connect with him, to finally be a father. you love your son more than anything. you missed all of his life. like fuck I'm going to kill myself

[nyssasatelier]

What you couldn't have smuggled in a PS5 under that cape??? Based on a post from @achillestears

[xixovart]

all i need in life is for odysseus to reunite with telemachus and immediately say, “you’re taller”

[restlesskeychains]

Telemachus: *does anything*

Odysseus: Omg I love my son

[katerinaaqu]

Odysseus Headcanon: Odysseus never does spar with Telemachus to teach him.

Odysseus spent 10 years at harsh warfare and another 10 in life and death situations. Whenever he is placed into battle he loses control (see all his experience from Ismarus till the uprising of the nobles in Ithaca. Even in Troy he and Ajax were wrestling and both went for the kill needing to be separated). He knows he can never take fights lightly and he knows he cannot control it. Maybe one day tries and pushes Telemachus too hard. Maybe even nicks him with his sword. Maybe he needs Penelope to remind him.

Either way Odysseus would avoid sparring with anyone ever again after he returns from his redemption trip and he never spars with his son

[platinumink]

Headcanon Vol.2: Odysseus had unruly hair in his youth but grew out of it but Telemachus now has to deal with it and Ody helps his son and it all ends in a beautiful hurt/comfort moment

Not as good as my other headcanons for this fandom but I really do think about situations where Telemachus is just struggling to tidy his hair which is just going crazy all of the time and is about to give up when Odysseus strolls into the bathing area and notices his sons struggles.

Not wanting to embarrass him any further after the whole clothes stealing shenanigans, he simply nods in hello and does his thing with cleaning himself. When he's done, he notices that Telemachus is still not any closer to figuring out his hair so he comes over and mentions how he also had impossible-to-deal-with hair and age and growing it out (the added weight) helped with it's upkeep but he did have some tricks he learned to aid the issue.

So he tells his son about it who becomes completely enraptured in the story, not wanting to miss a single word his dad tells him. Telemachus asks for tips and Ody asks if it would be okay to show him and his son agrees.

Ody spends the next hour ir so explaining hair care for curly hair to his son, going over herb tinctures and oils he can use to make his hair submit to his will without damaging it as well as special brushes and movements that help with detangling and finally braids that help with the right curl forming overnight. It becomes a whole thing with them and even though Telemachus gets the hang of it very quickly, he keeps on asking his dad to do it for him and Ody is bever going to decline because quality time with his dearly missed son is everything to him.

So during their hair care moments, they talk about each others days, what they were going to do the day after and eventually, Ody feels confortable enough to confide in his son as well about his Odyssey (hehe) and they things he went through and had to do and Telemachus is then there for him, reassuring him and comforting him as well.

Eventually Telemachus does his dads hair as well so they can spend even more time together.

Penelope does know about this because of course Ody had to tell her all about how much he loves his son and how much he enjoys their new father son bonding moments, but one day, when she enters the bathing area earlier than usual, she sees the two of them and observes their little time together. She does not intervene because while she also loves her son deeply, she will allow her husband to have this time for himself to catch up on all of the lost time.

I also imagine their time together always ends with them touching foreheads (because I am a sucker for those between parents and their kids), hugging and Ody kissing his sons hair. They then always leave the baths together before Telemachus artives at his room first where they hug again and wish each other a restful night and then Ody leaves fir his own room and lies down beside his wife, talks with her just as long about their days and then they fall asleep in each others arms thoigh Odys head is 100% on Penelopes chest to hear her heartbeat because he has still trauma from Calypsos bullshit and needs it to convince himself that he is home.

He then sleeps, thinking about his family.

And now i've brough myself to tears yet again. 😭🩵

Also if anyone wants to write or draw something with this, you of course have my full permission. Just tag me please, I want to say thank you and admire your work 😭🙏🏻🩵

[lavenderfairiez]

my son, I'm finally home!

father, how I've longed to see you!