Autolycus
The master thief and shapeshifter, grandfather of Odysseus, whose gift for deception was inherited by the most cunning hero in Greek mythology.
The Legend of Autolycus
Autolycus was the son of Hermes and Chione, inheriting his father's talent for theft and trickery. Hermes granted him the power to make anything he stole invisible or to change its form — white cattle turned black, horned beasts became hornless. He raided the flocks of Sisyphus until that equally cunning king marked his sheep's hooves, proving the theft. Sisyphus then seduced Autolycus's daughter Anticlea, and some traditions claim this made Sisyphus, not Laertes, the true father of Odysseus, explaining the hero's unmatched craftiness. Autolycus named his grandson Odysseus, meaning "man of pain" or "man of wrath." He lived on Mount Parnassus near Delphi, where the young Odysseus was scarred by a boar during a hunt — the scar that Eurycleia later recognised when she washed the disguised hero's feet upon his return to Ithaca.
Parents
Hermes, Chione
Symbols
Fun Fact
Shakespeare named his charming rogue in The Winter's Tale "Autolycus" — a "snapper-up of unconsidered trifles" — directly after this mythological thief. The name has since become a literary shorthand for lovable scoundrels. Autolycus also proves that in Greek mythology, cunning runs in families: Hermes to Autolycus to Odysseus is a three-generation dynasty of professional tricksters.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Autolycus
🗡 heroMaster thief, grandfather of Odysseus
Autolycus was the greatest thief in Greek mythology, son of Hermes, who could steal anything and change its appearance — grandfather of Odysseus.
Odysseus
🗡 heroMan of many wiles
Odysseus was the most cunning of all Greek heroes — the man of polytropos (many turns), whose intelligence rather than strength defined a new kind of heroism.
Abas
🗡 heroKingship, warfare
King of Argos renowned as a fierce warrior whose very shield could terrify enemies
Aeetes
🗡 herosorcery
King of Colchis, son of Helios, father of Medea, and guardian of the Golden Fleece who set impossible tasks for Jason.
Odysseus
🗡 heroHero of endurance and cunning
The craftiest of all Greek heroes, whose ten-year voyage home from Troy tested every human capacity for survival and adaptation.
Amphitryon
🗡 heroMortal father of Heracles
Amphitryon was the mortal husband of Alcmene whose identity Zeus stole for one night — making Amphitryon the cuckolded but loving father of Heracles.
Alector
🗡 heroKingship, Argos
Argive nobleman and father of several notable figures in the Trojan War tradition
Arcas
🗡 heroKingship, hunting, Arcadia
Eponymous founder and king of Arcadia who was nearly tricked into eating his own transformed mother
Jason
🗡 heroLeader of the Argonauts, seeker of the Golden Fleece
The hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason's story is one of ambition, adventure, and tragic betrayal.
Jason
🗡 heroLeader of the Argonauts
The hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece, aided by Medea's sorcery.
Pentheus
🗡 heroNone recorded
King of Thebes torn apart by his own mother for opposing the worship of Dionysus
Ctesios
🗡 heroWealth, possession
Minor warrior or figure associated with the Trojan War whose name means man of possessions