In theAeneid ofVirgil,Achaemenides (Greek: ἈχαιμενίδηςAkhaimenides) was a son of Adamastos ofIthaca, and one ofOdysseus' crew. He was marooned onSicily when Odysseus fled theCyclopsPolyphemus, untilAeneas arrived and took him toItaly with his company of refugeeTrojans.[1][2][3]
His character seems to have been chosen by Virgil treating thePersian-origin nameAchaemenes asGreek and extracting the meaning "he who waits with affliction".
Although not mentioned in theOdyssey ofHomer, which theAeneid is a sequel to, Achaemenides is significant for being one of two known members of Odysseus' crew in literature to survive the return journey to Ithaca, along withMacareus (as every ship besides the flagship was destroyed by theLaestrygonian giants, and those besides Odysseus on the last ship were drowned after his men devouredHelios's sacred cattle).
The episode also provides Virgil with an opportunity to show Aeneas' magnanimity in saving a member of Odysseus' crew, and bearing no grudge for Odysseus' major role in the destruction of Troy, Aeneas' home.
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