TROILUS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Troilus is a figure from Greek mythology, who appears in tales about the Trojan War. Troilus was a prince of Troy, and was famously killed by Achilles whilst still young, to prevent a prophecy about the salvation of Troy from coming true.
Troilus Prince of Troy
Troilus is a minor figure in Homer’s Iliad, but is thought to have been more prominent in the lost epic poem, the Cypria.
The surviving texts from antiquity though, tell of Troilus being the son of King Priam of Troy and his wife Hecabe; making Troilus full sibling to the likes of Hector, Paris, Helenus and Cassandra.
Alternatively, some tell of Troilus not being a son of Priam at all, but was instead fathered by the god Apollo, who slept with Hecabe.
Some tell of Troilus being the youngest son of Priam and Hecabe, although it is also commonly said that Polydorus was the youngest son of the king and queen of Troy.
The name Troilus might be interpreted to mean “little Tros”, and the name certainly brings to mind other figures from Greek mythology, Ilus, who built Ilium, and Tros, whose name was used, as Ilium was renamed Troy.
The surviving texts from antiquity though, tell of Troilus being the son of King Priam of Troy and his wife Hecabe; making Troilus full sibling to the likes of Hector, Paris, Helenus and Cassandra.
Alternatively, some tell of Troilus not being a son of Priam at all, but was instead fathered by the god Apollo, who slept with Hecabe.
Some tell of Troilus being the youngest son of Priam and Hecabe, although it is also commonly said that Polydorus was the youngest son of the king and queen of Troy.
The name Troilus might be interpreted to mean “little Tros”, and the name certainly brings to mind other figures from Greek mythology, Ilus, who built Ilium, and Tros, whose name was used, as Ilium was renamed Troy.
The Prophecy About TroilusDuring the Trojan War, many prophecies were told about what the Achaeans needed to achieve to ensure victory, and what must happen if the Trojans were to avoid defeat. One prophecy on the Trojan side said that Troy would not fall as long as Laomedon’s tomb remained intact, and another said that Troy would not be defeated if Troilus made it to his 20th birthday.
|
|
It was thereafter said that the goddess Athena informed the Achaeans of this prophecy, and advised Achilles that he should seek out Troilus, and kill him.
Troilus Ambushed
There is some disagreement about when Achilles eventually does seek out Troilus, with some stating that events occurred early in the war, whilst others tell of it only occurring in the tenth year of fighting.
In either case it was normally said that Troilus was ambushed, possibly when in the company of Polyxena, his sister. Troilus was discovered outside of the protective walls of Troy by Achilles, possibly as he sought to exercise his horses; with Achilles coming upon Troilus near to the town of Thymbra.
Troilus, having spotted Achilles, sought to ride away from the Achaean hero, but his horse was killed beneath him, and so Troilus ran on, until he entered the temple of Apollo at Thymbra. Rather than prove to be a place of sanctuary though, the temple of Apollo proved to be the place of Troilus’ death, for Achilles followed him inside, and ignoring the potential consequence of committing murderous sacrilege, killed Troilus.
Alternatively, there was no ambush, and Troilus, and his brother Lycaon, were simply captured upon the battlefield, with Achilles subsequently ordering their execution, resulting in Troilus having his throat cut.
In either case it was normally said that Troilus was ambushed, possibly when in the company of Polyxena, his sister. Troilus was discovered outside of the protective walls of Troy by Achilles, possibly as he sought to exercise his horses; with Achilles coming upon Troilus near to the town of Thymbra.
Troilus, having spotted Achilles, sought to ride away from the Achaean hero, but his horse was killed beneath him, and so Troilus ran on, until he entered the temple of Apollo at Thymbra. Rather than prove to be a place of sanctuary though, the temple of Apollo proved to be the place of Troilus’ death, for Achilles followed him inside, and ignoring the potential consequence of committing murderous sacrilege, killed Troilus.
Alternatively, there was no ambush, and Troilus, and his brother Lycaon, were simply captured upon the battlefield, with Achilles subsequently ordering their execution, resulting in Troilus having his throat cut.
Troilus the WarriorThe story of the ambush of Troilus could back up the statement of Aeneas, in the Aeneid, that it was an unequal fight between Achilles and Troilus, but some later writers in antiquity link the statement to the fact that Troilus was killed on the battlefield, not in Apollo’s tomb.
In the work attributed to Dares Phrygius, History of the Fall of Troy, great detail is given to the courage of Troilus, claiming that only Hector matched him in terms of bravery. Thus it was, that during the Trojan War, Troilus was made commander of one section of the army of King Priam, putting him on par with Aeneas, Helenus, and Paris, and perhaps also with Hector. Dares Phyrgius then tells of his great achievements on the battlefield, where in battles across the conflict, Troilus injures Agamamenon, Diomedes, and Menelaus, killing many other lesser heroes. During the absence of Achilles from the fighting, Troilus achieved some of his greatest achievements, causing the Achaean forces to retreat back to their ships, with Troilus only being prevented from achieving a crippling victory by the intervention of Ajax the Great. |
|
It was then that Achilles re-joined the fight, but when he first faced Troilus he too was wounded by the Trojan prince, and was only able to re-join the war after 6 days of recuperation. Afterwards, Achilles again faced Troilus, but Troilus was impeded when his horse was wounded, and Achilles came upon the stricken Troilus before the son of Priam could untangle himself the reins of his force. Troilus was thus unable to defend himself as Achilles truck the killing blow.
Achilles would have taken the body of Troilus back to the Achaean camp, but Memnon intervened to rescue Troilus, just as the body of Patroclus had been protected by Achaean heroes in a different fight.
Achilles would have taken the body of Troilus back to the Achaean camp, but Memnon intervened to rescue Troilus, just as the body of Patroclus had been protected by Achaean heroes in a different fight.
Troilus and the Death of Achilles
The death of Troilus, in whichever manner, caused much grief amongst the Trojan people, and a period of mourning followed. Priam himself was greatly grieved by the death of Troilus, who was amongst his favoured sons.
The death of Troilus would also bring about the death of Achilles, for it was said that Apollo now decided to directly intervene to bring about the death of the Achaean; the reason for this intervention being either because Troilus was indeed his own son, or because of the sacrilege of Troilus’ death in his temple.
Thus, a few days later, the arrow of Paris was guided to its mark when it was unleashed against Achilles.
The death of Troilus would also bring about the death of Achilles, for it was said that Apollo now decided to directly intervene to bring about the death of the Achaean; the reason for this intervention being either because Troilus was indeed his own son, or because of the sacrilege of Troilus’ death in his temple.
Thus, a few days later, the arrow of Paris was guided to its mark when it was unleashed against Achilles.
The Revival of the Troilus Story
The story of Troilus was one revived in Medieval Europe, and new tales were told, so that it is now difficult to distinguish between eras. Famously, the story of Troilus appears in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde as well as William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida; although Cressida is not a character from ancient Greece.
|
|