In
Greek mythology,
Laërtes (; ,
Laértēs) was the son of
Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of
Odysseus (who was thus called
Laertiádēs, Λαερτιάδης, "son of Laertes") and
Ctimene by his wife
Anticlea, daughter of the thief
Autolycus. Laërtes was an
Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the
Calydonian Boar. Laërtes's title was King of the
Cephallenians, which he presumably inherited from his father
Arcesius and grandfather
Cephalus. His realm included
Ithaca and surrounding islands, and perhaps even the neighboring part of the mainland of other Greek city-states.