In Greek mythology, Laertes was the father of Odysseus and former king of the Cephallenians on Ithaca. He is a secondary but poignant figure in the Odyssey: his wife Anticleia dies of longing while Odysseus is away, and in his old age he withdraws to a country farm until the day his son returns and father and son stand together against the avengers of the slain suitors.
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Laertes (father of Odysseus)" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Family
Laertes married Anticleia, daughter of Autolycus, and by her fathered Odysseus. Apollodorus names him in the catalogue of those who sailed to Troy as father of Ulysses. He bought the nurse Eurycleia for twenty oxen and honored her in his house.
II.In the Odyssey
Homer mentions Laertes chiefly through his son. In the underworld Anticleia tells Odysseus she died longing for him and mindful of Laertes' kindness. On the day of vengeance Odysseus finds Laertes digging in his orchard, tests him with a false tale, and reveals himself by naming the trees they planted together. When the kin of the slain suitors rally, Laertes casts a spear with Athena's aid and the conflict ends.