Who was the king of Ithaca and hero of the Odyssey?

Odysseus was the king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Odyssey. He was the son of Laertes, husband of Penelope, and father of Telemachus. Greek tradition portrays him not simply as a strong warrior but as exceptionally clever, adaptable, and skilled at deception.

After the Trojan War, Odysseus spent ten years trying to reach Ithaca. His adventures included escaping the Cyclops Polyphemus by claiming his name was “Nobody,” resisting the Sirens, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, and surviving the loss of his crew after they slaughtered the sacred cattle of Helios.

When Odysseus finally returned, he disguised himself as a beggar to test the loyalty of people in his household. With Telemachus's help, he defeated Penelope's suitors and reclaimed his home. A common mix-up is the name Ulysses: it is the Latin form of Odysseus, not a different hero.