In Greek mythology , Hector ( / ˈ h ɛ k t ər / ; Ἕκτωρ , Hektōr , pronounced [héktɔːr] ) is a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War . He is a major character in Homer 's Iliad , where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing countless Greek warriors. He is ultimately killed in single combat by the Greek hero Achilles , who later drags his dead body around the city of Troy behind his chariot .
58-539: Ector can refer to: A variation of the name Hector Ector , a city in Fannin County, Texas Ector County, Texas Sir Ector , King Arthur 's foster father in medieval legend Ector de Maris , half brother of Lancelot Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Ector . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
116-467: A chariot attack, with Apollo clearing the way. After much war across several books of the Iliad , Hector lays hold of Protesilaus ' ship and calls for fire. The Trojans cannot bring it to him, as Ajax kills everyone who tries. Eventually, Hector breaks Ajax's spear with his sword, forcing him to give ground, and he sets the ship afire. These events are all according to the will of the gods, who have decreed
174-706: A closed syllable, the penult has sometimes been misanalysed as being closed (*pă.trŏc′.lŭs), which would change the English o to a short vowel: / p ə ˈ t r ɒ k . l ə s / . In the account of Dares the Phrygian , Patroclus was illustrated as "... handsome and powerfully built. His eyes were gray. He was modest, dependable, wise, a man richly endowed." Patroclus was the son of Menoetius (hence called Menoetiades Μενοιτιάδης , meaning "son of Menoetius") by either Philomela or Polymele , Sthenele , Periopis , or lastly Damocrateia . His only sibling
232-409: A deep affection with Achilles within the Iliad . According to his theory, this affection allows an even more profound tragedy to occur. Hooker argues that the greater the love, the greater the loss. Hooker continues to negate Ledbetter's theory that Patroclus is in some way a surrogate for Achilles; rather, Hooker views Patroclus's character as a counterpart to that of Achilles. Hooker reminds us that it
290-591: A fight. He is gracious to all and thus thought of favorably by all but the Achaeans , who both hate and fear him as the Trojans' best warrior. He turns the tide of battle, breaking down their barriers and slaughtering their troops. When Hector kills Patroclus , Achilles —who had refused to fight because of a slight by Agamemnon —reenters the war to avenge his friend, and the Trojans are beaten back again. Hector's parents plead for him to take shelter within
348-413: A game of dice. As a result, he was exiled from his home, Opus, with Menoetius sending him to Peleus, king of Phthia and father of Achilles . Peleus named Patroclus Achilles's "squire", as they both grew up together and became close friends. Patroclus acted as a male role model for Achilles, being both kinder than him as well as wiser regarding counsel. Patroclus's early life, including his flight to
406-408: A simile containing a young girl tearfully looking at her mother to complete the comparison. Ledbetter believes this puts Patroclus into a subordinate role to that of Achilles. However, as Patroclus is explicitly stated to be the elder of the two characters, this is not evidence of their ages or social relation to each other. James Hooker describes the literary reasons for Patroclus's character within
464-413: Is Patroclus who pushes the Trojans back, which Hooker claims makes Patroclus a hero, as well as foreshadowing what Achilles is to do. Achilles and Patroclus grew up together after Menoitios gave Patroclus to Achilles's father, Peleus . During this time, Peleus made Patroclus one of Achilles's "henchmen." While Homer's Iliad never explicitly stated that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers, this concept
522-494: Is a Trojan prince and warrior. He is the first-born son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba , making him a prince of the royal house and heir to his father's throne. Hector weds Andromache , the mother of his first and only son, Scamandrius, whom the people of Troy know as Astyanax . Hector throughout the Trojan War brings glory to the Trojans as their best fighter. He is loved by all his people and known for never turning down
580-477: Is also an epithet of Zeus in his capacity as 'he who holds [everything together]'. Hector's name could thus be taken to mean 'holding fast'. The name was in use during Mycenaean times, as evidenced by a servant with the name referred to in a Linear B tablet. In the tablet, the name is spelled 𐀁𐀒𐀵 , E-ko-to . Moses I. Finley proposed that the Homeric hero was partly based on an earlier Theban hero of
638-506: Is doomed. Hector decides that he will go down fighting and that men will talk about his bravery in years to come. Hector pulls out his sword, now his only weapon, and charges. But Achilles grabbed his thrown spears that were delivered to him by the unseen Athena who wore the Hades helmet. Achilles then aimed his spear and pierced the collar bone section of Hector, the only part of the stolen Armor of Achilles that did not protect Hector. The wound
SECTION 10
#1732780692372696-406: Is seldom encountered: for metrical convenience, Alexander Pope had made the 'o' long, and thus stressed, in his translation of Homer, following a convention of Greek and Latin verse, and that pronunciation – of Latin pa.trō′.clus – has stuck, for English / p ə ˈ t r oʊ . k l ə s / . Moreover, because in prose, a penultimate Greco-Latin short o (omicron) would only be stressed in
754-559: Is to take the body, while Achilles escapes after he fights his way through the Trojan reinforcements. In the tenth year of the war, observing Paris avoiding combat with Menelaus , Hector scolds him with having brought trouble on his whole country and now refusing to fight. Paris therefore proposes single combat between himself and Menelaus, with Helen to go to the victor, ending the war. The duel, however, leads to inconclusive results due to intervention by Aphrodite , who leads Paris off
812-441: The Iliad are dedicated to Hector's funeral. Homer concludes by referring to the Trojan prince as the "Breaker of Horses." In Virgil 's Aeneid , the dead Hector appears to Aeneas in a dream urging him to flee Troy. Patroclus In Greek mythology , Patroclus (generally pronounced / p ə ˈ t r oʊ k l ə s / ; Ancient Greek : Πάτροκλος , romanized : Pátroklos , lit. 'glory of
870-433: The Iliad . He states that another character could have filled the role of confidant for Achilles and that it was only through Patroclus that we have a worthy reason for Achilles's wrath. Hooker claims that without the death of Patroclus, an event that weighed heavily upon him, Achilles's following act of compliance to fight would have disrupted the balance of the Iliad . Hooker describes the necessity of Patroclus sharing
928-566: The Greeks and the Trojans were threatening their ships, Patroclus convinced Achilles to let him lead the Myrmidons into combat. Achilles consented, giving Patroclus the armor Achilles had received from his father in order for Patroclus to impersonate Achilles. Achilles then told Patroclus to return after beating the Trojans back from their ships. Patroclus defied Achilles's order and pursued
986-409: The Trojans back to the gates of Troy . Patroclus killed many Trojans and Trojan allies, including a son of Zeus, Sarpedon . While fighting, Patroclus's wits were removed by Apollo , after which the spear of Euphorbos hit Patroclus. Hector then kills Patroclus by stabbing him in the stomach with a spear. Achilles retrieved his body, which had been stripped of armor by Hector and protected on
1044-416: The armor of Achilles off the fallen Patroclus and gives it to his men to take back to the city. Glaucus accuses Hector of cowardice for not challenging Ajax. Stung, Hector calls for the armor, puts it on, and uses it to rally the Trojans. Zeus regards the donning of a hero's armor as an act of insolence by a fool about to die, but it makes Hector strong for now. The next day, the enraged Achilles renounces
1102-406: The battlefield by Menelaus and Ajax . Achilles did not allow the burial of Patroclus's body until the ghost of Patroclus appeared and demanded his burial in order to pass into Hades . Patroclus was then cremated on a funeral pyre , which was covered in the hair of his sorrowful companions. As the cutting of hair was a sign of grief while also acting as a sign of the separation of the living and
1160-430: The blood of his enemies, and make his mother proud. Once he leaves for battle, those in the house begin to mourn, as they know he would not return. Hector and Paris pass through the gate and rally the Trojans, raising havoc among the Greeks. Zeus weighs the fates of the two armies in the balance, and that of the Greeks sinks. The Trojans press the Greeks into their camp over the ditch and wall and would have laid hands on
1218-445: The body, but it remains preserved from all injury by Apollo and Aphrodite . After these twelve days, the gods can no longer stand watching it and send down two messengers: Iris , another messenger god, and Thetis, the mother of Achilles. Thetis has told Achilles to allow King Priam to come and take the body for ransom. Once King Priam has been notified that Achilles will allow him to claim the body, he goes to his strongroom to withdraw
SECTION 20
#17327806923721276-479: The challenge and draw by lot to see who is to face Hector. Ajax wins. Hector is unable to pierce Ajax's famous shield, but Ajax crushes Hector's shield with a rock and stabs through his armor with a spear, drawing blood, upon which the god Apollo intervenes, and the duel is ended, as the sun is setting. Hector gives Ajax his sword, which Ajax later uses to kill himself. Ajax gives Hector his girdle that Achilles later attaches to his chariot to drag Hector's corpse around
1334-700: The city three times before Hector masters his fear and turns to face Achilles. But Athena, in the disguise of Hector's brother Deiphobus , has deluded Hector. He requests from Achilles that the victor should return the other's body after the duel, (though Hector himself made it clear he planned to throw the body of Patroclus to the dogs) but Achilles refuses. Achilles hurls his spear at Hector, who dodges it, but Athena brings it back to Achilles' hands without Hector noticing. Hector then throws his own spear at Achilles; it hits his shield and does no injury. When Hector turns to face his supposed brother to retrieve another spear, he sees no one there. At that moment he realizes that he
1392-433: The city walls. Hector refuses, wanting to talk with Achilles, in an attempt to resolve the altercation without bloodshed, though Achilles is not one to be placated after Hector slays his close friend, Patroclus. Achilles chases Hector around the gates of Troy three times. Apollo gives Hector strength so he can always stay in the lead. But whenever he nears the entrance to the city, Achilles cuts him off. Finally Athena takes
1450-455: The compassionate side of Achilles, who was known for his rage, mentioned in the first line of Homer's Iliad . Ledbetter connects the way that Achilles and his mother, Thetis , communicate to the link between Achilles and Patroclus. Ledbetter does so by comparing how Thetis comforts the weeping Achilles in Book 1 of the Iliad to how Achilles comforts Patroclus as he weeps in Book 16. Achilles uses
1508-507: The dead, this points to how well-liked Patroclus had been. The ashes of Achilles were said to have been buried in a golden urn along with those of Patroclus by the Hellespont. Although there is no explicit sexual relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in the Homeric tradition, a few later Greek authors wrote about what they saw as implied in the text regarding their relationship. Aeschylus and Phaedrus , for example, state there
1566-612: The dogs, disfigurement, and decomposition. Twelve days elapse before Priam goes to Achilles to ransom his son's body. According to the Iliad , Hector did not approve of war between the Greeks and the Trojans. For ten years, the Achaeans besieged Troy and their allies in the east. Hector commanded the Trojan army, with a number of subordinates including Polydamas , and his brothers Deiphobus , Helenus and Paris . By all accounts, Hector
1624-523: The ensuing fight, Hector killed him, fulfilling the prophecy. As described by Homer in the Iliad at the advice of Hector's brother Helenus (who also is divinely inspired) and being told by him that he is not destined to die yet, Hector manages to get both armies seated and challenges any one of the Greek warriors to single combat . The Argives are initially reluctant to accept the challenge. However, after Nestor 's chiding, nine Greek heroes step up to
1682-688: The fall of Troy, and therefore intend to tempt Achilles back into the war. Patroclus , Achilles' closest companion, disguised in Achilles' armor, enters the combat leading the Myrmidons and the rest of the Achaeans to force a Trojan withdrawal. After Patroclus has routed the Trojan army, Hector, with the aid of Apollo and Euphorbus , kills Patroclus, vaunting over him: "Wretch! Achilleus, great as he was, could do nothing to help you." The dying Patroclus foretells Hector's death: "You yourself are not one who shall live long, but now already death and powerful destiny are standing beside you, to go down under
1740-632: The father') was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and an important character in Homer 's Iliad . Born in Opus , Patroclus was the son of the Argonaut Menoetius . When he was a child, he was exiled from his hometown and was adopted by Peleus , king of Phthia . There, he was raised alongside Peleus' son, Achilles , a childhood friend, who became a close wartime companion. When the tide of
1798-458: The field, wounded in the arm by a spear. Then Hector rallies the Trojans: ... like some fierce tempest that swoops down upon the sea ... Diomedes and Odysseus hinder Hector and win the Greeks some time to retreat, but the Trojans sweep down upon the wall and rain blows upon it. The Greeks in the camp contest the gates to secure entrance for their fleeing warriors. The Trojans try to pull down
Ector - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-438: The field. After Pandarus wounds Menelaus with an arrow, the fight begins again. The Greeks attack and drive the Trojans back. Hector must now go out to lead a counter-attack. According to Homer, his wife Andromache , carrying in her arms her son Astyanax , intercepts Hector at the gate, pleading with him not to go out for her sake as well as his son's. Hector knows that Troy and the house of Priam are doomed to fall and that
1914-659: The fight. In his response, Achilles points out that while Hector is terrorizing the Greek forces now, and that while he himself had fought in their front lines, Hector had 'no wish' to take his force far beyond the walls and out from the Skaian Gate and nearby oak tree. He then claims, 'There he stood up to me alone one day, and he barely escaped my onslaught.' Another duel takes place, although Hector receives help from Aeneas (his cousin ) and Deiphobus, when Hector rushes to try to save his brother Troilus from Achilles. He comes too late; Troilus has already perished. All Hector can do
1972-528: The gloomy fate of his wife and infant son will be to die or go into slavery in a foreign land. With understanding, compassion, and tenderness, he explains that he cannot personally refuse to fight, and comforts her with the idea that no one can take him until it is his time to go. The gleaming bronze helmet frightens Astyanax and makes him cry. Hector takes it off, embraces his wife and son, and for his sake prays aloud to Zeus that his son might be chief after him, become more glorious in battle than he, to bring home
2030-507: The gods' curse ... upon you, on that day when Paris and Phoibos Apollo...destroy you in the Skainan gates, for all your valor. After his death, Achilles slits Hector's heels and passes the girdle that Ajax had given Hector through the slits. He then fastens the girdle to his chariot and drives his fallen enemy through the dust to the Danaan camp. For the next twelve days, Achilles mistreats
2088-406: The guise of his favorite brother, Deiphobus , telling him that they can face Achilles together. Tricked into thinking he might have a chance at winning, Hector waits for Achilles. He then proposes that whoever wins, be it him or Achilles, will be respectful to the other's body and give it back so there can be a proper burial. Achilles refuses, saying that there is "...no love between us. No truce till
2146-476: The hands of Aiakos' great son, Achilleus" Alas! the gods have lured me on to my destruction. ... death is now indeed exceedingly near at hand and there is no way out of it – for so Zeus and his son Apollo the far-darter have willed it, though heretofore they have been ever ready to protect me. My doom has come upon me; let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter. Hector strips
2204-428: The heels to his chariot. He drags the body around the city of Troy, as the Trojans watch from the walls and lament, especially Andromache, Hector's wife. The desecration of Hector's body by Achilles is considered an affront to the gods and ultimately leads to Achilles' downfall. During and after Patroclus' funeral, Achilles drags Hector's body around his pyre. However, the gods Aphrodite and Apollo protected his body from
2262-433: The house of Peleus, is narrated later in the Iliad , when his ghost appears to Achilles reminding him about his past and giving him advice about his burial. According to Photius , Ptolemy Hephaestion (probably referring to Ptolemy Chennus ) wrote that Patroclus was also loved by the sea god Poseidon , who taught him the art of riding horses. According to the Iliad , when the tide of the Trojan War had turned against
2320-644: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ector&oldid=542566167 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hector In Greek, Héktōr is a derivative of the verb ἔχειν ékhein , archaic form * ἕχειν , hékhein ('to have' or 'to hold'), from Proto-Indo-European * seɡ́ʰ- ('to hold'). Héktōr , or Éktōr as found in Aeolic poetry,
2378-525: The name with the same components in different order is Kleópatros , while the feminine form of the name is Cleopatra . There are at least three pronunciations of the name 'Patroclus' in English. Because the penultimate syllable is light in Latin prose ( pă′.trŏ.clŭs ), the antepenult was stressed in Latin and would normally be stressed in English as well, for / ˈ p æ t . r ə . k l ə s / (analogous to 'Sophocles'). However, this pronunciation
Ector - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-431: The other falls and gluts with blood" (Book 22, 313–314). After a short fight, Achilles stabs Hector in the throat, which results in his fated death. Hector then foretells Achilles' own death, saying that he will be killed by Paris and Apollo. After slaying him, Achilles strips him of his armor. The other Achaeans then gather to look upon and stab Hector's body. Achilles says a few words in victory and ties Hector's body by
2494-401: The ramparts while the Greeks rain arrows upon them. Hector smashes open a gate with a large stone, clears the gate, and calls on the Trojans to scale the wall, which they do, and ... all was uproar and confusion. The battle rages inside the camp. Hector goes down, hit by a stone thrown by Ajax, but Apollo arrives from Olympus and infuses strength into "the shepherd of the people", who orders
2552-734: The ransom. The ransom King Priam offers includes twelve fine robes, twelve white mantles, several richly embroidered tunics, ten bars of yellow gold, a very beautiful cup, and several cauldrons. Priam himself goes to claim his son's body, and Hermes grants him safe passage by casting a charm that will make anyone who looks at him fall asleep. Think of thy father, and this helpless face behold See him in me, as helpless and as old! Though not so wretched: there he yields to me, The first of men in sovereign misery! Thus forced to kneel, thus groveling to embrace The scourge and ruin of my realm and race; Suppliant my children’s murderer to implore, And kiss those hands yet reeking with their gore! Achilles,
2610-459: The same name. Hector was described by the sixth-century Christian chronicler Malalas in his account of the Chronography as "dark-skinned, tall, very stoutly built, strong, good nose, wooly-haired, good beard, squinting, speech defect, noble, fearsome warrior, deep-voiced". Meanwhile, in the account of Dares the Phrygian and also that of the Trojan priest and author Dares Phrygius , he
2668-617: The same transition. Dowden also notes the common occurrence of such relationships as a form of initiation. However, Statius in the Achilleid states that the two were either within the same age group or acted as if they were. Patroclus is a character in William Shakespeare 's play Troilus and Cressida . In the play, Achilles, who has become lazy, is besotted with Patroclus, and the other characters complain that Achilles and Patroclus are too busy having sex to fight in
2726-453: The ships, but Agamemnon personally rallies the Greeks. The Trojans are driven off, night falls, and Hector resolves to take the camp and burn the ships the next day. The Trojans bivouac in the field. A thousand camp-fires gleamed upon the plain .... The next day Agamemnon rallies the Greeks and drives the Trojans like a herd of cows maddened with fright when a lion has attacked them ... Hector refrains from battle until Agamemnon leaves
2784-437: The walls of Troy. The Greeks and the Trojans make a truce to bury the dead. In the early dawn the next day, the Greeks take advantage of the truce to build a wall and ditch around the ships, while Zeus watches in the distance. Another mention of Hector's exploits in the early years of war is given in the Iliad in book IX. During the embassy to Achilles , Odysseus, Phoenix and Ajax all try to persuade Achilles to rejoin
2842-626: The war turned against the Achaeans , Patroclus, disguised as Achilles and defying his orders to retreat in time, led the Myrmidons in battle against the Trojans and was eventually killed by the Trojan prince, Hector . Enraged by Patroclus's death, Achilles ended his refusal to fight, resulting in significant Greek victories. The Latinized name Patroclus derives from the Ancient Greek Pátroklos ( Πάτροκλος ), meaning "glory of his father," from πατήρ ( patḗr , "father" stem pátr -) and κλέος ( kléos , "glory"). A variation of
2900-405: The wrath that kept him out of action and routs the Trojans, forcing them back to the city. Hector chooses to remain outside the gates of Troy to face Achilles, partly because had he listened to Polydamas and retreated with his troops the previous night, Achilles would not have killed so many Trojans. When he sees Achilles, however, Hector is seized by fear and turns to flee. Achilles chases him around
2958-556: Was Myrto , mother of Eucleia by Heracles . Homer also references Menoetius as the individual who gave Patroclus to Peleus . Menoetius was the son of Actor , king of Opus in Locris , by Aegina , daughter of Asopus . Patroclus was Achilles's first cousin once removed through their paternal family connection to Aegina, as Achilles was the son of Peleus and grandson of Aeacus , son of Aegina by Zeus . During his childhood, Patroclus had, in anger, killed his playmate Clysonymus over
SECTION 50
#17327806923723016-404: Was a clear relationship between them. Aeschylus refers to Achilles as the erastes , while Phaedrus refers to Achilles as the eromenos of the relationship. Morales and Mariscal state, "There is a polemical tradition concerning the nature of the relationship between the two heroes." According to Ledbetter (1993), there is a train of thought that Patroclus could have been a representation of
3074-460: Was described as "... [speaking] with a slight lisp. His complexion was fair, his hair curly. His eyes would blink attractively. His movements were swift. His face, with its beard, was noble. He was handsome, fierce, and high-spirited, merciful to the citizens, and deserving of love.". Greek author and poet Homer portrayed Hector as "peace-loving, thoughtful, as well as bold, a good son, husband and father, and without darker motives." Hector of Troy
3132-484: Was fatal yet allowed Hector to speak to Achilles. In his final moments, Hector begs Achilles for an honorable funeral, but Achilles replies that he will let the dogs and vultures devour Hector's flesh. (Throughout the Homeric poems, several references are made to dogs, vultures, and other creatures that devour the dead. It can be seen as another way of saying one will die.) Hector dies, prophesying that Achilles' death will follow soon: Be careful now; for I might be made into
3190-475: Was inaccurate to label their relationship as romantic. Nevertheless, their relationship is said to have inspired Alexander the Great in his own close relationship with his life-long companion Hephaestion . In the Iliad, Achilles was younger than Patroclus. This reinforces Dowden's explanation of the relationship between an eromenos, a youth in transition, and an erastes , an older male who had recently made
3248-399: Was moved by Priam's actions and following his mother's orders sent by Zeus, returns Hector's body to Priam and promises him a truce of twelve days to allow the Trojans to perform funeral rites for Hector. Priam returns to Troy with the body of his son, and it is given full funeral honors. Even Helen mourns Hector, for he had always been kind to her and protected her from spite. The last lines of
3306-429: Was propounded by some later authors. Aeschines asserts that there was no need to explicitly state the relationship as a romantic one, for such "is manifest to such of his hearers as are educated men." In later Greek writings, such as Plato 's Symposium , the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles is discussed as a model of romantic love. However, Xenophon , in his Symposium , had Socrates argue that it
3364-583: Was the best warrior the Trojans and their allies could field, and his fighting prowess was admired by Greeks and his own people alike. In the Iliad , Hector's exploits in the war prior to the events of the book are recapitulated. He had fought the Greek champion Protesilaus in single combat at the start of the war and killed him. A prophecy had stated that the first Greek to land on Trojan soil would die. Thus, Protesilaus, Ajax , and Odysseus would not land. Finally, Odysseus threw his shield out and landed on that, and Protesilaus jumped next from his own ship. In
#371628