Pheres

Pheres appears in the Odyssey only once, in a single line of the catalog of heroines that Odysseus recounts during his visit to the underworld. His presence there is purely genealogical, a name embedded in a list that links the epic's heroic world to the wider web of Greek myth. Yet even this fleeting mention carries weight: it situates Odysseus's own story within a lineage of kings, founders, and heroes, and it reflects the poem's deep concern with ancestry, memory, and the fame that survives death.

Identity and Genealogical Context

Pheres is named in Book 11 as one of the sons of Cretheus and Tyro. Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, had first borne the twins Pelias and Neleus to the god Poseidon, who had disguised himself as the river Enipeus to seduce her. Later, she married Cretheus, the son of Aeolus, and bore him three sons: Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon. Aeson would become the father of Jason, the leader of the Argonauts; Amythaon was the father of the seer Melampus; and Pheres himself became the eponymous founder of Pherae in Thessaly. This genealogy places Pheres at the heart of the pre-Trojan War heroic age, connecting him to some of the most famous figures in Greek mythology.

Narrative Role and Significance

Pheres's sole appearance in the Odyssey is as part of a list. Odysseus, having descended to the house of Hades to consult the prophet Teiresias, sees the ghosts of many famous women. After his mother Anticlea has spoken to him, the ghosts of the wives and daughters of heroes gather around the blood-filled trench. Odysseus draws his sword to keep them at bay and questions them one by one. The first he describes is Tyro, and after recounting her story, he lists her children by Cretheus: "Aeson, Pheres, and Amythaon, who was a mighty warrior and charioteer." This is the sum total of Pheres's presence in the poem. He is not a character who acts or speaks; he is a marker of lineage, a name that confirms the continuity of a royal house. His inclusion, however, is not accidental. The catalog of heroines serves multiple purposes: it demonstrates Odysseus's knowledge of the past, it enriches the poem's mythological texture, and it implicitly contrasts the fidelity of Penelope with the varied fates of other women. Within this catalog, the mention of Pheres and his brothers anchors the narrative in a specific geography and genealogy, reminding the audience that the world of the Odyssey is continuous with the world of the great heroic sagas.

Thematic Significance

Pheres's fleeting mention underscores a central theme of the Odyssey: the power of names and the importance of being remembered. In the underworld, the dead exist as shadows, their only substance the stories that the living tell about them. By naming Pheres, Odysseus performs an act of remembrance, ensuring that even a minor figure from a past generation is not entirely lost to time. This act mirrors the poem's own function as a repository of cultural memory, preserving the names and deeds of heroes both great and small. Pheres, then, is more than a genealogical footnote; he is a testament to the epic's inclusive vision, which finds room not only for its central hero but for the vast network of kin and legend that surrounds him.