MACHAON IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Machaon was a legendary figure of Greek mythology, renowned for being both a warrior and a healer.
Machaon Son of Asclepius
Machaon would marry Amticleia, daughter of King Diocles of Pherae. Machaon and Anticleia would become parents to a number of children, including Alexanor, Gorgasus, Nicomachus, Polemocrates and Sphryus. All of Machaon were linked in some way with the healing arts, something that they inherited from their father.
Machaon and Chiron
Machaon of course, himself, inherited much skill from his father, but additionally it was said that Machaon was one of the students of Chiron, the wise centaur, just as Asclepius had been.
It was also said that when Machaon finished his studies, Chiron presented the son of Asclepius with a bag of healing herbs, just as Chiron had once done to Asclepius.
It was also said that when Machaon finished his studies, Chiron presented the son of Asclepius with a bag of healing herbs, just as Chiron had once done to Asclepius.
Machaon Suitor of Helen
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Machaon was an oft mentioned Suitor of Helen; the Suitors of Helen being the most prominent of eligible men who vied for the hand in marriage of Helen, daughter of Zeus and Leda. Machaon was of course, not the successful Suitor, for this honour was given to Menelaus.
Nevertheless, Machaon was bound by the Oath of Tyndareus, and came forth when Menelaus invoked the Oath, following the abduction of Helen. |
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Machaon, and Podalirius, brought forth 30 ships of Oechalians to Aulis, when Agamemnon gathered his thousand ships.
Machaon the Healer at Troy
During the Trojan War, Machaon was regarded as the surgeon of the Achaean army, treating battlefield wounds, whilst his brother, Podalirius treated illnesses and disease.
Agamemnon would call upon the healing skills of Machaeon, when Agamemnon’s brother, King Menelaus was injured by an arrow unleashed by Pandarus. Machaon was able to extract the arrowhead, and heal the wound before it became infected. As a result, Menelaus was soon back on the front line of Achaean forces.
Machaon is also said to have healed the festering wound of Philoctetes, caused by a venomous snake, which had seen the bowman abandoned on Lemnos.
Agamemnon would call upon the healing skills of Machaeon, when Agamemnon’s brother, King Menelaus was injured by an arrow unleashed by Pandarus. Machaon was able to extract the arrowhead, and heal the wound before it became infected. As a result, Menelaus was soon back on the front line of Achaean forces.
Machaon is also said to have healed the festering wound of Philoctetes, caused by a venomous snake, which had seen the bowman abandoned on Lemnos.
Machaon the Warrior at Troy
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Despite being vital to the well-being of the Ahcaean army, Machaon was also a warrior, described as being “large and brave, dependable, prudent, patient, and merciful”.
At one point during the fighting Machaon was injured by Paris, and Nestor carried him from the battlefield, before the healer himself was healed by Nestor. In the tenth year of the Trojan War, Machaon would fall in combat, killed by Eurypylus, the newly arrived ally of King Priam, arriving from Mysia to aide Troy. Eurypylus would manage to inflict a deadly series of blows with his spears upon the body of Machaon. Machaon’s dying words though, were a prophecy upon the imminent death of the man who killed him. Other Achaean heroes fault valiantly through the Trojans to rescue the body of Machaon before it could be stripped of its armour, and otherwise desecrated. Teucer was at the forefront of this fight, and it was Teucer who carried Machaon’s body from the battlefield, back to the Achaean camp. Eurypylus, would soon be killed, dying by the spear of Achilles, now wielded by his son, Neoptolemus. Some tell of Penthesilea, an Amazonian warrior, being the individual who killed Machaon, although this is less common that the Eurypylus myth. |
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After Troy fell, it was said that Nestor transported the bones of Machaon to Gerenia, where the tomb and associated temple became places of pilgrimage for those seeking to be cured of whatever ailed them.
In the Fabulae it is mentioned that Machaon was present within the Wooden Horse, although this is the only surviving source that suggests that Machaon might have survived the Trojan War; and neither the Fabulae nor other sources make mention of the son of Asclepius afterwards.
In the Fabulae it is mentioned that Machaon was present within the Wooden Horse, although this is the only surviving source that suggests that Machaon might have survived the Trojan War; and neither the Fabulae nor other sources make mention of the son of Asclepius afterwards.
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Colin Quartermain - Machaon - 23rd May 2026