Nestor
The oldest and most garrulous of the Greek chieftains at Troy, Nestor receives Telemachus with warm hospitality but has no real news of the father he seeks.
Nestor in the Odyssey
Nestor, king of Pylos, is the oldest of the Greek leaders who fought at Troy, famous for his long memory and his advice. In the Odyssey he receives Telemachus on the beach during a great sacrifice to Poseidon.
He has no news of Odysseus, but he tells the stories of the other returns: who sailed home safely and how Agamemnon was murdered by Aegisthus on his return. He then sends Telemachus on to Sparta in a chariot, with his son Peisistratus as a companion.
Key moments
- Book 3
Telemachus lands at Pylos as Nestor's people sacrifice black bulls to Poseidon on the shore.
- Book 3
Nestor recounts the Greeks' returns and holds up Orestes, who avenged Agamemnon, as a model.
- Book 3
Athena departs in the shape of a bird; Nestor recognizes the goddess and sends Telemachus to Menelaus.
Relationship to Odysseus
An old comrade from the Trojan War who fought and sailed beside Odysseus, though the two were separated on the voyage home and Nestor has heard nothing of him since.
Where this figure enters the journey
Nestor's palace at Pylos is Telemachus' first stop on his search — a place of hospitality and long stories, but no real answers.
Open the map locationPylos