Irus
2. The well-known beggar of Ithaca, who was celebrated for his voracity. His real name was Arnaeus, but he was called Irus because he was employed by the suitors of Penelope as the messenger; for Irus, according to the lexicographers, signifies a messenger. (Hom. Od. 18.5, &c., 239.)
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.