Halitherses, the son of Mastor, is an Ithacan prophet. He
was a dear friend of Odysseus', along with Mentor. He is one of the people who remain
loyal to Odysseus even after his long absence. When the suitors first come, he attempts
to stop them but is unsuccessful.
In Book 2, he warns the
suitors that they are ill-fated. Zeus has sent him some symbols of what will eventually
happen. Because Halitherses is an augur (a special kind of prophet who interprets
prophecies from birds), the symbols come in the form of two vicious, fighting eagles.
When Odysseus finally comes home to Ithaca, they will all be punished severely. He tells
them that if they are "wise in time" and stop pursuing Penelope so wickedly, they will
survive. However, if they don't before Odysseus arrices, they will all die. None of the
suitors listen to him.
Later in the epic, after the
suitors are all dead, Halitherses gives another warning. He tells the families of the
suitors not to take revenge, or more bad things will happen. Half of them listen, but
the other half try to get revenge on Odysseus and Telemachus. Athena swiftly destroys
them all, just as Halitherses predicted.
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