Menelaus was the king of Sparta, husband of Helen, and younger brother of Agamemnon. He is a major figure in both Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and he appears as a supporting character in Christopher Nolan’s 2026 The Odyssey (played by Jon Bernthal).
He was not one of Odysseus’ men, and he never traveled to (or “came to”) Ithaca. The two were fellow Greek leaders and allies during the Trojan War, each commanding their own contingent: Menelaus led the Spartans, while Odysseus led the forces from Ithaca and nearby islands. After Troy fell, the Greek fleets dispersed and followed separate homeward journeys (nostoi).
Separation after Troy
Once the city was sacked, the Achaean leaders sailed home independently. Storms and the gods’ anger (especially Athena’s, over Greek sacrilege during the sack) scattered many of the fleets. Menelaus’ ships were driven far off course first toward Crete, then to Egypt and the island of Pharos. Most of his ships were lost; only a handful survived. He and Helen spent years delayed in Egypt.
There he encountered the shape-shifting sea-god Proteus (the “Old Man of the Sea”). By trapping and questioning him, Menelaus learned what sacrifices were needed to secure a safe return.
He finally reached Sparta with Helen about eight years after leaving Troy. Their homecoming is portrayed as successful and prosperous; when Odysseus’ son Telemachus later visits them in Sparta seeking news of his father, Menelaus and Helen host him lavishly and share stories of Odysseus’ cunning during the war.
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