Echion of Dulichium:
Themes: Memory, depth, endurance, grief.
Spirit animal: Whale.
The oldest of the suitors, Echion is already a man who has managed to fulfill every aspect of life, but still seeks a place to belong.
He used to have a wife who was his everything, his emotional anchor, the only one who made him feel truly understood and who treated him with the same gentleness that he gave back. Their love was calm, mutual, and sacred.
This union brought to life two sons, and they grew together as a happy family until the pirates came.
They seemed troubled, hurt ; their ship was destroyed by the sea, and Echion, with his immense kindness, decided to take them into his home! Hospitality is a godly will.
But everything escalated when the pirates, corrupted to the core, decided to repay the man, but not with the same kindness he offered. They robbed them, tied him and his sons back as they wanted to steal and rape his wife.
His wife was killed by the pirates as she struggled and decided to fight to the death to keep her dignity intact in front of her children.
And in that moment, the world proved that gentleness is not the answer.
As Echion's sons witnessed that scene - the violence, their mother screaming, scratching, pleading, and most importantly **that their father** couldn't protect her - they learned a lesson: "kindness gets you killed. "
This event scarred Echion deeply , who still can't forgive himself for making the mistake of trusting someone, but he didn't let guilt change him . He stored his sadness and frustration in philosophy, reflection, libraries , and studying, everything that could distract his mind . But his bond with his sons was ruined forever.
What his sons needed most was protection, a path to follow, strength - things that their father never even tried to teach them . He was weak, a failure. This caused both of the sons to reject their father 's values, and as soon as they could leave the palace with him alone, this would later affect their children (which will be analyzed later). They left because he became a memory too close to their mother ; he embodied everything they hated in themselves (softness, kindness) and loving him would have meant only one thing: that they were vulnerable, WEAK.
AFTER his sons left, the house fell quiet ; memory did not , as time passed slowly. Echion couldn't bear it ; he'd slowly end up becoming a madman if this continued , so he sought out servants, strangers, and other people to talk to, clinging to conversations. This led him to develop a habit of sleeping everywhere but home, because the palace was full of too many memories . As age came , his body reacted to sadness and stress differently, giving him physical issues (like stomachaches ).
Emptiness was the feeling that drained him from the core, something that he couldn't bear ... so in a desperate need for belonging , he saw Queen Penelope as an opportunity...
A palace full of voices, people, food, movements ; a warm household... maybe a place where he could live his last years peacefully, to try again, to share his wisdom better, to teach.
Echion believes:
"I failed once. I can do better now."
But the truth is:
he did not fail-the world failed him.
His sons were shaped by trauma, not just his softness.
He is trying to fix something
that was never entirely his fault.
