Phemius

thumb|The singer Phemius sings to the suitors. – Homer, Odyssey I. 325. Schwab, Legends of Classical Antiquity II. 208.|283x283pxIn Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, Phemius (; ), son of Terpes/Terpius, is an Ithacan poet who performs narrative songs in the house of the absent Odysseus.

== Mythology == Phemius's audience is made up largely of the suitors of Penelope, who live in the house while attempting to persuade her to marry one of them. In Book 1 of the poem, Phemius performs at their request a version of the theme The Return from Troy (a theme that actually existed as a written poem, probably at a slightly later date). The performance is heard by Penelope. The story distresses her, since it is a reminder that her own husband has still not returned, and she emerges from her room to ask Phemius to choose a less painful theme. The proposal is overruled by her son Telemachus, because he thinks that a singer shouldn't be forbidden to sing what his heart tells him to sing, and because it is Telemachus' right as householder to decide, not his mother's.