Illustration of Odysseus tied to a ship's mast

The Odyssey

by Homer

Start Free Trial

Student Question

Who are the Laestrygonians in The Odyssey?

Quick answer:

The Laestrygonians in "The Odyssey" are giant cannibals living on the island of Lamos, led by King Antiphates. Odysseus encounters them as one of the obstacles on his journey home. While his fleet enters the harbor, Odysseus moors his ship outside. A scouting party meets Antiphates' daughter and is invited home, where one member is eaten. The giants ambush the ships, destroying them with rocks, but Odysseus and his crew escape.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The Laestrygonians, mythologically speaking, are a race of giant cannibals. In the Odyssey, they live in the city of Telepylus on an island that appears to be roughly shaped like a horseshoe (or at least one part of it is.)  Their ruler is Antiphates.

All the other ships with Odysseus sail into the harbor (the open part of the horseshoe which is surrounded by cliffs) where the water is calmer.  Odysseus keeps his ship outside of the harbor moored to a rock.

Odysseus sends a couple of his men to check out the island (he can't see much from way outside the harbor) and his men come across a woman who says she is the daughter of the king.  The woman invites them home.  Upon arriving, they see the woman's mother, a giant, who yells for her husband.  The husband, the king Antiphates, appears, grabs one of the crew, and...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

starts chomping on him.

The others manage to make a run for it, but Antiphates whoops it up to his fellow cannibals and the ships in the harbor are all ambushed.  The giants chuck rocks down at them and spear the sailors like shish-kabob.  Only Odysseus, who has kept his ship out of the harbor, manages to survive with his crew.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Who were the Laestrygonians in The Odyssey?

The Laestrygonians are flesh-eating giants who are found in Book X of Homer's Odyssey and represent one of the many obstacles Odysseus endures on his journey homeward from Troy. The live on the island of Lamos. While the other ships entered the harbor of the island, Odysseus moored outside the harbour and sent a scouting party. His men encountered the daughter of Antiphates on her way to a well and she invited them home. Antiphates and his wife, who were cannibalistic giants, killed one of the scouts for food. The other scouts escaped back to the harbor, but the Laestrygonians threw rocks into the harbour and destroyed the ships and attacked the sailors with spears. the only ship to escape was that of Odysseus because it was moored outside the harbor.

Approved by eNotes Editorial