Autolycus

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In Greek mythology, Autolycus (Greek Αὐτόλυκος - 'Lone Wolf') was the son of Chione and Hermes. He was the father of Anticlea (who married Laertes of Ithaca and was the mother of Odysseus), and of several sons, of whom only Aesimus is named.

Autolycus was a renowned thief (skills passed down from his father, the God of Thieves) and exponent of wrestling (which he taught to Heracles). Autolycus stole the cattle of Sisyphus and the helmet that his grandson, Odysseus, eventually wore during the Trojan War. Autolycus was one of the Argonauts. He is also supposed to have been the one who took Eurytus' (see Eurytus main article) mares (or cattle), leading to the murder of one his sons, Iphitus, by Heracles.

Though not as well known as many other Greek mythological figures, Autolycus has appeared in a number of works of fiction. A comic thief in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale boasts that he is named after Autolycus and, like him, is "a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles". In the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, Autolycus appeared as a somewhat bumbling and comical antihero, referring to himself as the "King of Thieves." Although occasionally uncoordinated, he was also a cunning thief. He was portrayed by cult actor Bruce Campbell. Autolycus is also the name of a fictional racehorse in the 1934 film The Clairvoyant, starring Claude Rains.

Sources

Apollodorus. Bibliotheke I, ix, 16; II, iv, 9; vi, 2.
Ovid. Metamorphoses XI, 301-17; Homer. Iliad X, 265-271.
Homer. Odyssey XI, 84-6; XIX,395-566.

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Last updated on Friday February 08, 2008 at 16:21:57 PST (GMT -0800)
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