Nostos (Homecoming)
conceptThe literary and spiritual concept of the hero's return home after war — the Odyssey is the greatest nostos of all.
The Myth
Nostos means homecoming, specifically the return of a hero from war. The nostoi — the homecomings of the Greek heroes from Troy — were a major cycle in Greek epic poetry, of which Homer's Odyssey is the only fully surviving example. The returns were mostly disastrous: Agamemnon was murdered by his wife on arrival. Ajax the Lesser was shipwrecked by Athena. Diomedes found his wife unfaithful. Menelaus wandered for eight years. Only Nestor returned safely and immediately. The concept encodes a dark truth about war: victory does not guarantee a happy ending. The warrior who left home may find that home has changed, or that he has changed too much to return to his old life. Odysseus's nostos takes ten years and costs him every companion. When he finally reaches Ithaca, he must disguise himself and fight to reclaim what was his — the homecoming is itself another war.
Fun Fact
Nostalgia literally means the pain of homecoming — nostos (return) plus algos (pain), coined by a Swiss doctor in 1688.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Nostalgia
conceptA modern coinage from Greek roots meaning "homecoming pain," describing the anguish of longing for...
Nostos
conceptNostos was the perilous return home after war — the concept from which "nostalgia" derives.
Ajax (Shield)
conceptAjax's shield was a massive tower shield of seven ox-hides layered with bronze — the largest...
Diomedes (Aristeia)
conceptThe extended battle sequence in Iliad Books 5-6 where Diomedes wounds both Aphrodite and Ares, the...
Agamemnon
heroAgamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife...
Ajax the Great
heroAjax son of Telamon was the tallest and strongest of the Greek warriors at Troy, a tower of a man...
Ajax the Lesser
heroAjax son of Oileus was a fast, fierce, impious warrior whose assault on Cassandra in Athena's...
Athena
godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, born fully armored from the head of Zeus. Patron deity of...
Athena (Warrior)
godAthena was the goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and craftsmanship — born fully armoured from...
Athena (Wisdom Warrior)
godThe warrior-goddess born from Zeus's head who embodied strategic intelligence, craft, and the...
Athena Promachos
godAn epithet of Athena meaning "the Champion" or "who fights in front," represented by a colossal...
Diomedes
heroDiomedes was the only mortal in the Iliad to wound two Olympian gods in a single day.