In Greek mythology, Hector was the son of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. A Trojan hero and warrior, he fought bravely against the Greeks in the Trojan War. In Homer’s epic poem about the war, the Iliad, Hector is portrayed as a noble and honorable leader. He was a good son, a loving husband to Andromache and father to Astyanax, and a trusted friend. Honest and forthright, he strongly disapproved of his brother Paris’s conduct in abducting Helen, the wife of the Greek ruler Menelaus. These actions laid the groundwork for the Trojan War.
Hector in Greek mythology
Some of the most famous tales in Greek mythology relate to events before, during, and after the Trojan War, and the heroes Achilles, Ajax the Great, Diomedes, and Odysseus are undoubtedly the most famous mortals to be found in Greek mythological tales. These four heroes, however, were all Achaean heroes (Greek heroes) who came to Troy to recover Helen, the wife of Menelaus.
Less famous are the names of Troy’s defenders, although people are likely to have heard of Paris, the prince who brought the Achaeans to Troy, Aeneas, the famous Trojan survivor of the war, and for some, the name Hector is equally recognizable.
Hector, Prince of Troy
The story of Hector comes mainly from Homer’s Iliad, one of the two complete works of the Epic Cycle. At the time of the Trojan War, Priam was on the throne of Troy, having been appointed king by Heracles years earlier, following the death of Priam’s father, Laomedon.
Under Priam, Troy prospered, and his family line seemed secure, as Priam was blessed with a large number of children by many different wives, and some said that Priam had 68 sons and 18 daughters. The most famous of Priam’s wives was Hecuba, and the eldest son of Priam and Hecuba was Hector. He would grow up in Troy as Priam’s heir apparent, but Fate would intervene to ensure that Prince Hector never became King of Troy.
Inca Mythology. Origin, Different Worlds, Gods, Myths, and LegendsHector’s reputation
Hector, of course, comes to prominence during the Trojan War, and surviving sources say little about his life before the arrival of the Achaean force. However, while the Achaean fleet was gathering at Aulis, Hector’s reputation was such that the Greek heroes recognized that they would have to defeat the man considered the most powerful of all the Trojan warriors.
Hector and Andromache
In Troy, Hector would marry Andromache, a Cilician princess, and Andromache would become one of the famous Trojan women. Hector would later have a son by Andromache, a boy named Astyanax.
Andromache is almost universally portrayed as the perfect wife, her husband’s support, and the perfect future queen of Troy. Despite this, Andromache sometimes begged Hector not to leave the safety of Troy to fight in the battles raging outside the city walls.
However, he would continue to fight, putting his duty to defend Troy above his duty as a loving husband, even though Hector recognized the inevitability of defeat. It was this duty to his city, as well as his courage and piety, that also saw Hector held in the highest esteem by the ancient Greeks, who heard the stories of Troy.
Defender of Troy
With the arrival of the Achaean forces at Troy, Hector punishes his brother Paris for bringing potential destruction to their home, and also belittles him when Paris refuses to fight Menelaus in single combat, a fight that could potentially have prevented a war on a smaller scale. However, the duty-bound Hector leads the Trojan defenders against the invading army.
Hector is usually credited with killing the first Achaean hero of the war, Protesilaus, who was the first Greek to set foot on the beaches outside Troy. Eventually, despite the best efforts of Hector and Ciscnus, the Achaeans gain a foothold on the beaches and men pour out of the 1,000 ships of the Achaean fleet, and the ten-year war begins in earnest.
Throughout the war, Hector is at the forefront of the Trojan forces, and Hyginus’ Fabulae, the author claims that Hector alone killed 30,000 members of the Achaean army; although most sources place the complement of the entire Achaean army between 70,000 and 130,000 men.
The heroes of the Trojan War, however, are usually described in terms of the opposing heroes they killed, and Hector is said to have killed 30 Achaean heroes, including Menesthes, Eioneus, and Trechus. Hector is best remembered for his fights with three Greek heroes, Ajax (the Greater), Patroclus, and Achilles.
Typhon: The Hundred-Headed Dragon Monster of Greek MythologyHector’s battles with Ajax
With his anger aroused by Paris’ failure to fight Menelaus, Hector seeks to end the war quickly and sends a challenge to the Achaean army, demanding that the bravest of the assembled heroes come out to meet him in combat.
Hector’s skill results in some reluctance among the Achaean heroes gathered to prove themselves in single combat with Hector. Recognizing that they could not decline the challenge, several volunteers finally came forward, and a draw was made, with Ajax the Great (Ajax Telamonicus) leaving the Achaean camp to fight Hector.
The fight proves to be long and exhausting, and it continues until nightfall. Hector and Ajax have proven that they are not evenly matched, with neither man able to gain a significant advantage.
Hector and Ajax finally agree to suspend hostilities, which results in a fight between them. Both the Trojan and the Greek are taken with each other’s courage and skill, and so gifts are exchanged between the two heroes. Hector gives Ajax a sword, while he receives a belt from his opponent; later in the war, both gifts would be linked to the deaths of their new owners.
Hector kills Patroclus
The Trojan War would drag on, with the Achaean forces unable to break through the walls of Troy. Other cities allied with Troy would fall, but this only led to disagreement among Achilles’ heroes, and the division of the spoils between Agamemnon and Achilles after one of these victories caused Achilles to withdraw from the battlefield and refuse to rejoin the fight.
Achilles’ absence from the Achaean ranks galvanized the Trojan defenders, and counterattacks now sprang from Troy. One such attack saw the Trojans approach the burning ships of Achilles, who still refused to fight.
Achilles, however, agreed to lend his divinely designed armor to his closest friend, Patroclus; and at the head of the Myrmidons, Patroclus ensures that the ships are not destroyed. Achilles expected Patroclus to return immediately after defending the ships, but Patroclus presses on, and thus encounters Hector among the Trojan forces.
The use of Achilles’ armor did not endow Patroclus with the skill of the greatest warrior of the Achaeans, and Patroclus proved unable to fight on equal terms with Hector; and Patroclus soon lay dead, impaled on Hector’s spear. Hector removes Achilles’ armor from Patroclus, but Patroclus’ body remains intact thanks to the defense of Ajax the Great and Menelaus.
Hector and Achilles
Hector’s success against Patroclus proves to be a turning point in the war, but not a turn in favor of the Trojans. The dying Patroclus sees Achilles emerge from his tent, don new armor, and enter the battlefield once again.
Initially, Hector stays behind the walls of Troy because a prophecy had been made that Hector would die at the hands of Achilles. Hector watches the deaths of many Trojan soldiers, and his sense of duty sees him once again enter the battlefield.
Achilles and Hector are destined to meet, but the gods are also interfering, because Athena is helping Achilles. In addition to bringing weapons to Achilles, Athena also tricks Hector into believing that he has help.
Realizing that he is doomed, Hector decides to make his death memorable and glorious, and taking his sword, he attacks Achilles, where he is struck down by Achilles’ spear, which pierces his neck. With Hector’s fall, Troy has lost its greatest defender, and also its last hope.
Death of Hector
The death of Hector. Returning to the battle, Hector met and fought the Greek champion Ajax in single combat. The duel continued until nightfall, with neither hero achieving victory. A long epic poem about legendary or historical heroes, written in a grand style.
The scene on this vase shows Achilles holding Hector’s body on a chariot. Achilles dragged the body through the city, preventing the Trojans from giving him a proper funeral. When fighting resumed between the Greeks and the Trojans, Hector and his forces seemed invincible. Hector killed many Greeks and managed to drive them back to the defenses they had built around their ships.
Hector was about to burn the Greek ships when the god Poseidon appeared, urging the Greeks to unite and defend themselves. At the same time, the Greek warrior Patroclus, Achilles’ beloved friend, entered the battle wearing Achilles’ armor. Believing that Achilles had returned, the Greeks rallied and drove the Trojans back. But then Hector, under the protection of the god Apollo, killed Patroclus and took the armor he was wearing.
Upon learning of his friend’s death, Achilles re-entered the battle and turned his fury against Hector. Achilles chased Hector around the walls of Troy three times before catching up with him. Realizing that Hector was destined to die at Achilles’ hands, Apollo abandoned him and allowed Achilles to deliver the fatal blow.
As he lay dying, Hector begged Achilles to return his body to his father, Priam. Achilles refused. Hector predicted that Achilles would also die soon. After Hector’s death, Achilles tied the warrior’s body to a chariot and dragged it around Troy before the grieving eyes of the Trojans. He then dragged the body around the grave of his friend Patroclus.
When Achilles’ fury and vengeance were finally satisfied, he left Hector’s body on the ground to be devoured by dogs and birds of prey. The abuse of the dead Hector enraged Zeus, who sent a messenger to order Achilles to release the body to Priam. He also sent a message to Priam to offer a ransom for the body to Achilles. Priam did so and begged the Greek warrior for his son’s body. Moved by Priam’s grief, Achilles agreed.
Invincible and too powerful to be conquered, Priam returned Hector’s body to Troy, and an 11-day truce allowed the Trojans to organize an elaborate funeral to mourn their great warrior.
Hector’s funeral marks the conclusion of the Iliad, as well as the beginning of the end for the Trojans. They later suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Greeks. After the fall of Troy, the Greeks killed Hector’s son, Astyanax, fearing he would try to avenge his father’s death. From then on, the surviving Trojans honored Hector as one of their greatest heroes.
