Ephialtes of Trachis

Ephialtes of Trachis (died 470s BCE) was a Greek individual who betrayed his homeland during the Second Persian invasion of Greece.
==Biography==
In 480 BCE, in hopes of being rewarded by King Xerxes I of Persia, Ephialtes revealed to the Achaemenid Empire a secret path in Malis that allowed them to go around the allied Greek forces stationed at the narrow passage of Thermopylae. His actions led to the defeat of the combined forces led by King Leonidas I of Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Memories Awoken
After the war, a contract was placed on Ephialtes' head by an , a religious alliance of smaller Greek tribes predating the poleis. He was eventually hunted down and killed for unrelated reasons by fellow countryman Athenades of Trachis around 470 BC.
==Legacy==
By the 420s BCE, Ephialtes was still remembered for his treachery. Inspired by the Battle of Thermopylae, Thespis wrote a play, casting his good friend Tros in the role of Ephialtes.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Hedonistic Method
==Behind the scenes==
The name Ephialtes (Ἐφιάλτης) appears to derive from the Greek word ἐφῐάλτης (ephiáltēs), which means “nightmare; phantom”, but its origins are suspect. The name came to mean "nightmare" only after the events at Thermopylai, while the word has no clear etymology, with Dutch linguist noting that its historical connections to ἐφάλλομαι (ephállomai, "to throw oneself onto somebody") are likely folk etymology, and the Swiss suggesting that the word is instead related to ἠπίαλος (ēpíalos, "ague, fever") and so could have a origin.
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 
*Echoes of History 
==References==
Category:470s BCE deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Greeks
Category:Ethnic Greeks