Polybus

Polybus is a figure who appears in the Odyssey in two distinct contexts: as a wealthy Egyptian nobleman in Thebes who extends hospitality to Menelaus during his wanderings, and as the father of the suitor Eurymachus in Ithaca. The Egyptian Polybus is notable for his immense wealth and his role in the circulation of precious objects that later serve as tokens of hospitality and memory. His wife Alcandra gives Helen a golden distaff and a silver work-box that runs on wheels, objects that Helen brings with her to Sparta and that appear during Telemachus's visit. The name also attaches to a craftsman who makes a red ball for the Phaeacian princes Laodamas and Halius, and to the father of the suitor Eurymachus, one of the chief antagonists in Odysseus's household.

Wealth and Hospitality in Egypt

When Menelaus recounts his travels to Telemachus, he describes how he visited Egypt and was entertained by Polybus, who lived in Egyptian Thebes, "the richest city in the whole world." Polybus gave Menelaus two baths of pure silver, two tripods, and ten talents of gold. His wife Alcandra, in turn, gave Helen beautiful presents: a golden distaff and a silver work-box that ran on wheels, with a gold band round the top of it. These gifts are not merely decorative; they become part of the material culture of the Odyssey, appearing later when Helen takes her seat in Menelaus's palace and begins to question her husband about the identity of their guests. The work-box, filled with fine spun yarn and topped with a distaff charged with violet-colored wool, is placed beside her as she speaks. Polybus's generosity thus creates a chain of objects that link Egypt to Sparta and that serve as markers of status and memory.

The Name in Ithaca

In Ithaca, Polybus is the father of Eurymachus, one of the most prominent and insolent suitors courting Penelope. Eurymachus is described as the son of Polybus, and he is repeatedly singled out as a ringleader among the suitors, second only to Antinous in his arrogance and cruelty. When Penelope appears before the suitors to extract gifts from them, Eurymachus immediately brings her a magnificent chain of gold and amber beads that gleams like sunlight. The connection between the Egyptian Polybus and the Ithacan Polybus is not made explicit in the poem, but the recurrence of the name suggests a conventional patronymic rather than a single character.

The Craftsman and the Ball

During the athletic games in Scheria, King Alcinous tells his sons Laodamas and Halius to dance alone, and they take a red ball which Polybus had made for them. One of them bends backwards and throws it up towards the clouds, while the other jumps and catches it with ease. This Polybus is a craftsman, distinct from the Egyptian nobleman, and his creation of the ball contributes to the entertainment that delights Odysseus and the Phaeacians. The ball itself becomes a prop in a display of skill that prompts Odysseus to praise the Phaeacians as the nimblest dancers in the world.

Significance and Thematic Role

The multiple appearances of the name Polybus illustrate the Odyssey's technique of using recurring names to create a sense of a wider world beyond the main narrative. The Egyptian Polybus embodies the theme of xenia, or hospitality, on a grand scale, his gifts to Menelaus and Helen becoming part of the epic's economy of reciprocity and memory. The Ithacan Polybus, as father of Eurymachus, is tied to the theme of the suitors' hubris and eventual punishment. The craftsman Polybus, though a minor figure, contributes to the depiction of Phaeacian culture as one of skill, artistry, and pleasure. Together, these figures show how the poem distributes a single name across different social roles and geographical spaces, enriching its portrait of the ancient Mediterranean world.