Penelope

Penelope (/pəˈnɛləpi/ pə-NEL-ə-pee; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, Pēnelópeia, or Πηνελόπη, Pēnelópē) is a prominent character in Homer's Odyssey. She was the queen of Ithaca, daughter of the Spartan king Icarius and Asterodia. Penelope is best known for her unwavering loyalty to her husband, Odysseus, despite being courted by over a hundred suitors during his long absence. In some accounts, Penelope's original name was Arnacia or Arnaea.

The name Penelope has been interpreted by Hesychius as referring to "some kind of bird," with modern scholars often associating it with the Eurasian wigeon, which Linnaeus named Anas penelope. The suffix -elōps (-έλωψ) is a common Pre-Greek ending used for predatory animals, though the connection between the name and this interpretation remains unclear. According to folk etymology, Penelope's name is often thought to combine the Greek words pēnē (πήνη), meaning "weft," and ōps (ὤψ), meaning "face," which fits well with her role as a clever weaver whose motives are not easily understood. Robert S. P. Beekes, however, believed the name to be of Pre-Greek origin and related to pēnelops (πηνέλοψ) or pēnelōps (πηνέλωψ).