Hector | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Hecuba Hector, in Greek legend , the eldest son of the Trojan king Priam and his queen Hecuba . He was the husband of Andromache and the chief warrior of the Trojan army. In Homer’s Iliad he is represented as an ideal warrior and the mainstay of Troy . His character is drawn in most favourable colours as a good son, a loving husband and father, and a trusty friend. His leave-taking of Andromache in the sixth book of the Iliad, and his departure to meet Achilles for the last time, are movingly described. He is an especial favourite of Apollo , and later poets even described him as son of that god. His chief exploits during the Trojan War were his defense of the wounded Sarpedon, his fight with Ajax , son of Telamon (his particular enemy), and the storming of the Greek ramparts. When Achilles , enraged with Agamemnon , deserted the Greeks, Hector drove them back to their ships, which he almost succeeded in burning. Patroclus , the friend of Achilles, who came to the help of the Greeks, was slain by Hector with the help of Apollo.

Then Achilles, to revenge his friend’s death, returned to the war, slew Hector, dragged his body behind his chariot to the camp, and afterward round the tomb of Patroclus. Aphrodite and Apollo preserved it from corruption and mutilation. Priam , guarded by Hermes, went to Achilles and prevailed on him to give back the body, which was buried with great honour. Hector was afterward worshipped in the Troad and also at Tanagra, east of Thebes . King Priam of Troy mourning over the body of his son Hector. © Photos.com/Jupiterimages Hector - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) In Homer’s epic poem the Iliad, Hector is the son of the Trojan King Priam and the greatest of the Trojan heroes. When the Greeks besieged Troy, Hector’s wife, Andromache, begged him not to fight, but Hector embraced their child and left to join the battle. Hector killed Patroclus, a friend of the Greek hero Achilles, and in revenge Achilles killed Hector. Achilles then drove his chariot around the walls of Troy, dragging Hector’s body behind him. Priam finally begged his son’s body from Achilles.

The Trojans, mourning, burned Hector’s body, and buried his ashes. When the fighting resumed, Troy fell to the Greeks. (See also Achilles; Homeric legend.) Article History Paris | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Zeus Paris, ( Greek: “Defender”) also called Alexandros, in Greek legend , son of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba . A dream regarding his birth was interpreted as an evil portent, and he was consequently expelled from his family as an infant. Left for dead, he was either nursed by a bear or found by shepherds. He was raised as a shepherd, unknown to his parents. As a young man he entered a boxing contest at a Trojan festival, in which he defeated Priam’s other sons. After his identity was revealed, he was received home again by Priam. The “judgment of Paris,” Hermes leading Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite to Paris, detail of … Antikenabteilung, Staatliche Mussen zu Berlin—Preussischer Kulturbesitz The “judgment of Paris” was and continues to be a popular theme in art.

According to legend , Paris, while he was still a shepherd, was chosen by Zeus to determine which of three goddesses was the most beautiful. Rejecting bribes of kingly power from Hera and military might from Athena , he chose Aphrodite and accepted her bribe to help him win the most beautiful woman alive. His seduction of Helen (the wife of Menelaus , king of Sparta) and refusal to return her was the cause of the Trojan War . During the war Paris seems to have had a secondary role: a good warrior but inferior to his brother Hector and to the Greek leaders whom he faced. Menelaus would have defeated Paris in single combat, but Aphrodite rescued him, and the war continued. The Judgment of Paris, tempera painting on canvas by Niklaus Manuel; … Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, Kunstmuseum Basel, Switz. Near the end of the war, Paris shot the arrow that, by Apollo’s help, caused the death of the hero Achilles . Paris himself, soon after, received a fatal wound from an arrow shot by the rival archer Philoctetes .

Learn More in these related articles: Priam facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Priam Myths and Legends of the World COPYRIGHT 2001 Macmillan Reference, USA Priam In Greek mythology, Priam was the last king of Troy*, a ruler who witnessed the destruction of his city in the Trojan War*. His son Paris caused the war, while another son, Hector*, became the greatest Trojan hero during the long struggle against the Greeks. Priam, the youngest son of King Laomedon of Troy, was originally named Podarces. While Podarces was an infant, the king promised his daughter Hesione to the great hero Hercules*. The king broke his promise, and Hercules killed him and all his sons except Podarces, who was sold as a slave. Hesione bought her brother at the slave market and changed his name to Priam. prophecy foretelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted When Priam was still a child, Hercules placed him on the throne of Troy. Priam grew up to be a capable and honest ruler who expanded Trojan rule and brought prosperity to the city. The king had several wives.

His favorite, Hecuba, bore him many children, including Hector, Paris, and Cassandra, a young woman with the power of prophecy who foretold the destruction of Troy. * See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information. Priam never forgot Hesione, the sister who had rescued him from slavery. She had been carried off to Greece by Hercules, who married her to his friend Telamon. Many years later, Priam sent his son Paris to Greece with a fleet of ships to bring Hesione back to Troy. Instead of returning with Hesione, however, Paris brought back Helen*, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta . The abduction of Helen by Paris enraged the Greeks and led to the Trojan War. By the time the fighting began, Priam was much too old to take part in battle, so he let his sons manage the war. Sadly, as the war progressed, he saw his sons perish one by one. abduction carrying away by force Toward the end of the war, Priam went to the battlefield and asked the Greek hero Achilles * to return the body of his son Hector, killed in battle by Achilles. The Greeks greatly admired Priam for this show of courage.

When Troy finally fell, Priam saw his son Polites killed in the royal palace by the warrior Neoptolemus. Aroused to fury, the aged king hurled a spear at the Greek, but his throw was too weak to cause any harm. Neoptolemus responded to Priam's act by dragging the king to the family altar and killing him. See also Achilles; Cassandra; Hector; Hecuba; Helen Of Troy; Iliad, The; Paris; Trojan War. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes © Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes 2007, originally published by Oxford University Press 2007.

Priam •am, Amsterdam , Assam , Bram, cam, cham, cheongsam, clam, cram, dam, damn, drachm, dram, exam, femme, flam, gam, glam, gram, ham, jam, jamb, lam, lamb, mam, mesdames, Omar Khayyám, Pam, pram, pro-am, ram, Sam, scam, scram, sham, Siam, slam, Spam, swam, tam, tram, Vietnam , wham, yam •in memoriam • ad nauseam •iamb, Priam •grandam • Edam • goddam •quondam • Potsdam • cofferdam •Rotterdam • Oxfam • Birmingham •Abraham • logjam • CAD-CAM •minicam • Nicam •Eelam, Elam •flimflam • oriflamme • Suriname •ad personam • diazepam • tangram •ashram • telegram • milligram •epigram • centigram • dithyramb •program, programme •cardiogram • radiogram • echogram •mammogram •aerogramme (US aerogram) •microgram • dirham •elect

rocardiogram • ideogram •heliogram • diaphragm • diagram •parallelogram • kilogram • hologram •encephalogram • anagram •monogram • sonogram • kissogram •pentagram • cryptogram • photogram •tam-tam • wigwam • whim-wham Cite this article FACT BEHIND FICTION | The Trojan War: Kings, Warriors & Women THE TROJAN WAR: KINGS, WARRIORS & WOMEN The city of Troy was located on the west coast of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) across the Aegean Sea from the Greek states.

That site was occupied for over four thousand years. The Trojan War probably took place in the middle of that period i.e. 1200 BCE Homerï¿½s Iliad which narrates the legends of the Trojan War was written three centuries later, after a period called the Dark Age when all literature before the time was destroyed. The walls of the city and their impregnable nature were a constant feature of the story. These walls were built at the time of King Laomedon by Apollo and Poseidon, but the treacherous king didnï¿½t compensate them. What followed was the wrath of the duo, from which the city was saved by Heracles, but he too was shortchanged by Laomedon. In return Heracles killed the king and all his successors save Priam who then became the king of Troy. King Priam had nineteen sons from his wife Hecuba. One of these - Paris - became infatuated with Helen - a Spartan queen and Menalausï¿½ wife; Paris abducted Helen and took her back to Troy.

A few words about Greek legal opinion on adultery: The Athenian lawmaker Draco allowed a man to kill his wifeï¿½s lover, and some other Greek states also allowed adulterers to be killed with impunity. In other places the adulterers were sent for summary trials and executions. By another code of law adulterers had to pay a ransom that would vary with their status and the situations. So the Paris-Helen affair was by any mean serious and dangerous. Menalaus-the cuckold husband, approached his older brother and king of Mycanae-Agamemnon, who took up his little brotherï¿½s cause and suited it to his own ambitions. He united the Greek states and took a hundred of his ships to Troy to reclaim Helen for Menalaus and the Trojan kingdom for himself. Thus began the legend of the face that launched a thousand ships and the Trojan War that lasted more than a decade. The story of the Trojan War is best told through the men and women and their battles. Foremost among all of the legends is Achilles. Achilles commands primacy despite his complicated nature and frequent absence from battle; nevertheless his skill as a warrior is unquestionable.

As a child Achilles was raised by a learned Centaur-Chiron, who educates the boy. Later, when his mother has a premonition of his death she tries to prevent him from going to war; she disguises him as a girl and hides him in the court of King Lycomeda. Achilles falls in love with the kingï¿½s daughter-Deidamia and they have a son called Neoptolemus. The wily Odysseus discovers Achilles identity and Achilles then joins the Greek contingent with his Myrmidons and fifty ships. From all the writings of Homer it is clear that Odysseus was one of his favourites. He is selectively in the finest sections, showing off his cunning and martial skills; and when popular opinion seemed to portray Odysseus in a negative light, Homer wrote ï¿½The Odysseyï¿½ which recounts his adventures back home to his kingdom Ithaca. During the war, Odysseus uses wisdom, diplomacy and intellect in addition to his martial prowess to fight the Trojans. And in a wrestling match at funeral games he uses cunning draws a wrestling match with the mighty Ajax.

Well into the war, Odysseus discovers that a wounded Greek compatriot left behind on a remote island holds the key to the fall of Troy, and arranges to bring back Philoctetes using any means possible. These traits drove Odysseus to prominence in the war despite his kingdom being a small and out-of-the-way place in the Greek states. Greek military methods: The Iliad is one of the earliest account of warfare, but despite the scale of the story it gives very few clues to the art of warfare. We can tell that tactics and planning were not developed at all, and victory was sourced from personal courage rather than strategy. Also, battles were often decided in individual duels rather than mass formations. Examples of this are found in Hectorï¿½s duels with Ajax and later with Achilles. Greek soldiers were mostly infantry and were heavily armed. The use of chariots was poorly developed and the thrust of pitched battle was shock combat. The cause of the Trojan War could easily have been Agamemnonï¿½s ambition, but it is much more interesting to blame a woman - it certainly makes for a better story-telling.

And so we come to Helen - whoï¿½s allure is legendary and certainly surpasses Cleopatra in the looks department if not in style. Legend has her as a daughter of Zeus and a deity in Sparta before she became a mortal and wife to King Menalaus of Sparta. In the Iliad though she is only human. In Troy she leads a less than perfect life with the deception of her husband always hanging over her head. Her beauty is marveled at by all, and King Priam and Hector give her all the respect and kindness that is due.ï¿½ Her Trojan lover Prince Alexandros (or Paris as he is better known) is the younger brother of Hector; though he is a valiant warrior he is not as warlike as his brother, who makes him feel effeminate. Paris is adept at using the bow, but that is of little help to him during his duel with Menalaus which he loses. Parisï¿½ life is saved by the timely intervention of Hector. Hector on the other hand is one of the Trojanï¿½s best soldiers. A consummate family man, dutiful son and effective warrior, he symbolizes a typical good-guy.

In the war he is defeated in a duel with Ajax but his strength is restored nevertheless, and then is responsible for slaying Achilles cousin Patroclus. Following this he faces the wrath of Achilles in a duel and is himself killed. His body is desecrated by Achilles who drags it across the battlefield. King Priam approaches Achilles and begs him to return the body of his dead son. Achilles is moved to pity seeing a pathetic and broken once-powerful king and returns Hectorï¿½s body for a ransom. A truce is called for a period of eleven days for the funeral games of the dead. In literature Priam is synonymous with a man who has seen both extremes of prosperity and doom. In following battles of the Trojan War Achilles is killed when Paris shoots him with an arrow through the heel - Achilles only weak spot. The mighty Ajax carried Achilles body from the battlefield to Greek defences while Odysseus held back the Trojans. Achilles arms were given to Odysseus as per his wishes but this gesture drives Ajax insane as he thought himself worthy of them. In his madness Ajax goes on a killing spree which ends with him taking his own life. He is denied the burial of a warrior.

The Greeks and Trojans had preconceived notions about warrior codes that were not necessarily practical. Old-school warriors preferred battle with swords and spears because it was the traditional way and considered the most noble. The more unorthodox warriors used what weapons were suitable to the occasion, like Odysseusï¿½ and Parisï¿½ use of arrows. While Odysseusï¿½ use of arrows was considered to add to his reputation for good strategy, Parisï¿½ bias towards arrows the bow gave him a reputation as an effeminate fighter. This was because the bow was just one weapon in Odysseusï¿½ arsenal unlike Paris who favoured the bow altogether. Ajaxï¿½ weapon of choice was a massive shield of ox-hide. Projectile were not the obvious weapon of choice during the era of the Trojan War because of the propensity for settling battles through individual combat. With a view to decide the seemingly endless war, the Greeks build the ï¿½Trojan Horseï¿½ to penetrate the walls of Troy. The ploy is simple. Deceive the Trojans by feigning defeat, and leave the wooden horse as an offering to the Greek deities.

The Trojans fell for it hook, line and sinker. They dragged the offering into Troy, bragged about victory and got drunk on wine, women and pride. Meanwhile the Greek warriors that are hiding in the wooden horse bide their time. Among them are Odysseus and Neoptolemus (Achillesï¿½ son). In the dead of night the descend from the belly of the beast and slaughter the Trojans using little discretion. Waiting in the wings, the Greek troops march on Troy, finally broaching itï¿½s legendary defences. Hectorï¿½s family suffers a terrible fate after the fall of Troy. His son - Astyanax is killed, his mother becomes Odesseusï¿½ prize and his wife - Andromache becomes the concubine of Neoptolemus and she goes on the bear him three sons. Later in her life Andromache comes under the protection of Achillesï¿½ father. Priam is killed in his own palace at the altar of Zeus by Neoptolemus. The Aftermath Menalaus once again claims his wife Helen. Their return to Sparta is eventful and includes a stopover in Egypt.

His life thereafter as king is unremarkable, and he remains a pleasant and hospitable king; some legends nevertheless consider him weak for not being able to punish Helen for her infidelity as was customary of the times. In Greek art Menalaus is depicted as unable to kill Helen, and helpless before her beauty. Helen, despite everything, commands a degree of respect as queen on her return to Sparta. Menalaus and Helen share a tomb in Sparta. Agamemnon is killed en route to Mycenae. Neoptolemus returns to Greece a distinguished warrior and marries Hermoine, the daughter of Menalaus and Helen. Paris is killed by the Greek leader Philoctetes. Odysseus survives the Trojan War and sails home to Ithaca. It would be many years that he would finally enter his kingdom to reclaim his throne and wife - Penelope. His adventures are recounted in Homerï¿½s The Odyssey. Crime | Espionage & War | Renderings | Vintage Achilles was the greatest warrior of the Greeks. He was the King of Hellas & Phythia in Thessaly. Achilles was a complex man, who followed a strict warrior code and followed it to the death.

Second only to Achilles in battle, Ajax was the prince of Salamis. Ajax re-appears in The Odyssey where he confronts Odysseus. Odysseus, King of Ithaca is a courageous and resourceful warrior in The Iliad. Though he fights alongside Achilles and Ajax he gets the better of them in competitions. Homerï¿½s Odyssey recounts his adventures on his journey back home. Briseis was Hectorï¿½s cousin who was captured by Achilles and made concubine. When King Agamemnon stole her away Achilles fury lead him to abandon battle. PARIS, Greek Mythology Index The Courtship of Paris and Helen (detail), by Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) Also called Alexander , was the second son of Priam and Hecabe . Previous to his birth Hecabe dreamed that she had given birth to a firebrand, the flames of which spread over the whole city. This dream was interpreted to her by Aesacus , or according to others by Cassandra (Eurip. Androm. 298), by Apollo (Cic. De Divin. i.

21), or by a Sibyl (Paus. x. 12. § 1), and was said to indicate that Hecabe should give birth to a son, who should bring about the ruin of his native city, and she was accordingly advised to expose the child. Some state that the soothsayers urged Hecabe to kill the child, but as she was unable to do so, Priam exposed him. (Schol. ad Eurip. Androm. 294, Iphig. Aul. 1285.) The boy accordingly was entrusted to a shepherd, Agelaus , who was to expose him on Mount Ida. But after the lapse of five days, the shepherd, on returning to mount Ida, found the child still alive, and fed by a she-bear. He accordingly took back the boy, and brought him up along with his own child, and called him Paris. (Eurip. Troad. 921.) When Paris had grown up, he distinguished himself as a valiant defender of the flocks and shepherds, and hence received the name of Alexander, i. e. the defender of men.

He now also succeeded in discovering his real origin, and found out his parents. (Apollod. iii. 12. § 5.) This happened in the following manner: -- Priam, who was going to celebrate a funeral solemnity for Paris, whom he believed to be dead, ordered a bull to be fetched from the herd, which was to be given as a prize to the victor in the games. The king's servants took the favourite bull of Paris, who therefore followed the men, took part in the games, and conquered his brothers. One of them drew his sword against him, but Paris fled to the altar of Zeus Herceius , and there Cassandra declared him to be her brother, and Priam now received him as his son. (Hygin. Fab. 91; Serv. ad Aen. v. 370.) Paris then married Oenone , the daughter of the river god Cebren . As she possessed prophetic powers, she cautioned him not to sail to the country of Helen ; but as he did not follow her advice (Hom. Il. v. 64), she promised to heal him if he should be wounded, as that was the only aid she could afford him. (Apollod.

iii. 12. § 6; Parthen. Erot, 4.) According to some he became, by Oenone, the father of Corythus , who was afterwards sent off by his mother to serve the Greeks as guide on their voyage to Troy. (Tzetz. ad Lyc. 57.) Paris himself is further said to have killed his son from jealousy, as he found him with Helen. (Conon, Narr. 23; Parthen. Erot. 34.) It should, however, be mentioned that some writers call Corythus a son of Paris by Helen. When Peleus and Thetis solemnized their nuptials, all the gods were invited, with the exception of Eris . But the latter appeared, nevertheless. but not being admitted, she threw a golden apple among the guests, with the inscription, "to the fairest." (Tzetz. ad Lyc. 93 ; Serv. ad Aen. i. 27.) Hera , Aphrodite and Athena began to dispute as to which of them the apple should belong.

Zeus ordered Hermes to take the goddesses to mount Gargarus, a portion of Ida, to the beautiful shepherd Paris, who was there tending his flocks, and who was to decide the dispute. (Eurip. Iphig. Aul. 1302, 1298 ; Paus. v. 19 § 1; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 986.) Hera promised him the sovereignty of Asia and great riches, Athena great glory and renown in war, and Aphrodite the fairest of women, Helen , in marriage. Hereupon Paris declared Aphrodite to be the fairest and deserving of the golden apple. This judgment called forth in Hera and Athena fierce hatred of Troy. (Hom. Il. xxiv. 25, 29; Schol. ad Eurip. Hecub. 637, Troad. 925, &c., Helen. 23, &c., Androm. 284; Hygin. Fab. 92; Lucian, Dial. Deor. 20.) Under the protection of Aphrodite, Paris now carried off Helen, the wife of Menelaus , from Sparta.

(Hom. Il. iii. 46, &c.; Apollod. iii. 12. § 6.) The accounts of this rape are not the same in all writers, for according to some Helen followed her seducer willingly and without resistance, owing to the influence of Aphrodite (Hom. Il. iii. 174), while Menelaus was absent in Crete (Eurip. Troad. 939); some say that the goddess deceived Helen, by giving to Paris the appearance of Menelaus (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1946); according to others Helen was carried off by Paris by force, either during a festival or during the chase. (Lycoph. 106; Serv. ad Aen. i. 526; Dict. Cret. i. 3; Ptolem. Hephaest. 4.) Respecting the voyage of Paris to Greece, there likewise are different accounts. Once, it is said, Sparta was visited by a famine, and the oracle declared that it should not cease, unless the sons of Prometheus , Lycus and Chimaereus , who were buried at Troy, were propitiated.

Menelaus accordingly went to Troy, and Paris afterwards accompanied him from Troy to Delphi. (Lycoph. 132; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 521.) Others say that Paris involuntarily killed his beloved friend Antheus , and therefore fled with Menelaus to Sparta. (Lycoph. 134, &c.) The marriage between Paris and Helen was consummated in the island of Cranae, opposite to Gytheium, or at Salamis. (Hom. Il. iii. 445; Paus. iii. 22. § 2; Lycoph. 110.) On his return with his bride to Troy, Paris passed through Egypt and Phoenicia, and at length arrived in Troy with Helen and the treasures which he had treacherously taken from the hospitable house of Menelaus. (Hom. Od. iv. 228, Il. vi. 291; Herod. ii. 113; Dict. Cret. i. 5.) In regard to this journey the accounts again differ, for according to the Cypria Paris and Helen reached Troy three days after their departure (Herod. ii.

117), whereas, according to later traditions, Helen did not reach Troy at all, for Zeus and Hera allowed only a phantom resembling her to accompany Paris to Troy, while the real Helen was carried to Proteus in Egypt, and remained there until she was fetched by Menelaus. (Eurip. Elect. 1280, &c., Helen. 33, &c., 243, 584, 670; Herod. ii. 118, 120; Lycoph. 113; Philostr. Her. ii. 20, Vit. Apoll. iv. 16; Serv. ad Aen. i. 651, ii. 592.) The carrying off of Helen from Sparta gave rise to the Trojan war. When the Greeks first appeared before Troy, Paris was bold and courageous (li. iii. 16, &c.); but when Menelaus advanced against him, he took to flight. As Hector upbraided him for his cowardice, he offered to fight in single combat with Menelaus for the possession of Helen (iii. 70).

Menelaus accepted the challenge, and Paris though conquered was removed from the field of battle by Aphrodite (iii. 380). The goddess then brought Helen back to him, and as she as well as Hector stirred hint up, he afterwards returned to battle, and slew Menesthius (vi. 503, vii. 2, &c.). He steadily refused to give up Helen to the Greeks, though he was willing to restore the treasures he had stolen at Sparta (vii. 347, &c.). Homer describes Paris as a handsome man, as fond of the female sex and of music, and as not ignorant of war, but as dilatory and cowardly, and detested by his own friends for having brought upon them the fatal war with the Greeks. He killed Achilles by a stratagem in the sanctuary of the Thymbraean Apollo (Hom. Il. xxii. 359; Dict. Cret. iv. 11; Serv. ad Aen. iii. 85, 322, vi. 57); and when Troy was taken, he himself was wounded by Philoctetes with an arrow of Heracles (Soph. Philoct.

1426), and then returned to his long abandoned first wife Oenone . But she, remembering the wrong she had suffered, or according to others being prevented by her father, refused to heal the wound, or could not heal it as it had been inflicted by a poisoned arrow. He then returned to Troy and died. Oenone soon after changed her mind, and hastened after him with remedies, but came too late, and in her grief hung herself. (Apollod. iii. 12. § 6; Dict. Cret. iv. 19.) According to others she threw herself from a tower, or rushed into the flames of the funeral pile on which the body of Paris was burning. (Lycoph. 65; Tzetz ad Lyc. 61; Q. Smyrn. x. 467.) By Helena, Paris is said to have been the father of Bunicus ( Bunomus or Bunochus ), Corythus , Aganus , Idaeus , and of a daughter Helena . (Dict. Cret. v. 5; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 851; Parthen. Erot. 34; Ptolem. Hephaest.

4.) Paris was represented in works of art as a youthful man, without a beard and almost feminine beauty, with the Phrygian cap, and sometimes with an apple in his hand, which he presented to Aphrodite . (Comp. Mus. Pio-Clement. ii. 37.) EXTERNAL LINKS King Priam of Troy: Mythology, Kingdom & Death | Study.com King Priam of Troy: Mythology, Kingdom & Death Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today Instructor: Jennifer Williams Jennifer has taught various courses in U.S. Government, Criminal Law, Business, Public Administration and Ethics and has an MPA and a JD. Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson.

From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective. Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to assign. Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the entire course. Like this lesson Share In this lesson we will learn who King Priam of Troy was. Together, we will take a closer look at his history, his personal life and his legacy. We will analyze his role in the Trojan War and how his decisions may have resulted in his death. Background King Priam was the King of Troy during the Trojan War. It was originally believed that Troy was a fictional kingdom that existed only in ancient literature.

However, it is now believed that there may be a historical basis for believing Troy and King Priam, also believed to be King Piyama-Radu, existed based on letters and ancient documents that have been discovered. King Priam was the last king of Troy. History King Priam was originally named Podarces. His sister, Hesione, later changed his name to Priam. Priam was the son of King Laomedon. All of Priam's brothers were killed by Hercules when Troy was first attacked. The second attack - known as the Torjan War - later resulted in Priam's death. Priam had many wives and over fifty sons and daughters throughout his lifetime. Priam reigned as king during the ten years of the Trojan War. His daughter, Cassandra, was able to see into the future and warned of the destruction of Troy. Priam ignored this warning. His eldest son, Arisbe, died before the Trojan War started. Hector, his second son, was therefore the next in line for the throne and Hector's brother, Paris, was the cause of the Trojan War. Trojan War Hercules, a Greek, had kidnapped Priam's sister Hesione and brought her to Greece.

Priam sent his son, Paris, to rescue her. Instead of rescuing her, he brought back Helen who was the wife of the Greek king of Sparta. This greatly angered the Greece and thus began the Trojan War. Priam's son Hector was killed during the Trojan War by Achilles, the Greek warrior. Achilles treated Hector's body badly by dragging it in circles in front of the city. Priam secretly entered the Greek camp to plead with Achilles to return the body. The Greeks and Trojans agreed to a temporary truce in order to allow Priam to bury Hector with an appropriate funeral. After this brief funeral truce, the war resumed. After some time, the Trojans thought they had won and began celebrations. They then discovered that the Greeks had seemingly fled Troy and left behind a large wooden horse outside of the city gates. Trojan authorities debated whether there were Greek troops hidden inside or whether it was a relic of Athena left behind. Cassandra agreed with the theory of the hidden troops and warned again about destruction of Troy she was seeing in her dreams. The relic theory won and the Trojans brought the large object into the city walls.

During the night, the Greeks snuck out of the horse and opened up the Trojan gate for more Greek troops to enter. The Greeks burned Troy to the ground and Priam was murdered on the altar of Zeus in the middle of the city by Achilles' son Neoptolemus. × Paris, in Greek mythology Encyclopedia > Literature and the Arts > Classical Literature, Mythology, and Folklore > Folklore and Mythology Paris Paris or Alexander, in Greek mythology, son of Priam and Hecuba and brother of Hector. Because it was prophesied that he would cause the destruction of Troy, Paris was abandoned on Mt. Ida, but there he was raised by shepherds and loved by the nymph Oenone . Later he returned to Troy, where he was welcomed by Priam. Paris was chosen to settle a dispute among the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, all of whom claimed possession of the apple of discord, a golden fruit inscribed "to the fairest." It had been thrown among the guests at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis by Eris, who sought revenge because she had not been invited.

Hera tried to bribe Paris with royal greatness and riches, and Athena offered him success in war, but Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite, who promised him Helen, the most beautiful of women. With Aphrodite's help he abducted Helen from King Menelaus of Sparta; thus he brought on the Trojan War. In the war Paris killed Achilles, but was himself fatally wounded by Philoctetes. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. Badass of the Week: Hector of Troy The Badass of the Week. Hector of Troy "Daughter of Zeus, can you and I look on, without a final effort, while the Achaeans perish? For that they will, and miserably too, mowed down by a single man. See what he has done to them already. Hector son of Priam rages with intolerable fury and there is no stopping him in his mad career." - Hera, Queen of the Gods Hector was the Prince of Troy, the son of King Priam and heir to the Trojan throne.

He is known as one of the greatest warriors in all of antiquity, the first among Troy, and the leader of the city's defenses during one of the most epic wars ever fought. Throughout his life he was admired by friend and foe alike for his courage, his strength, his nobility and his devotion not only to his people, but to his family, his friends and his deities. Hector was hanging out in the kickass city of Troy just minding his own business when one day all of a sudden his asshole loser brother Paris decided it would be really cool to travel to Sparta and kidnap the wife of the Spartan King, a super omega-hottie babe known as Helen. Well if you know anything about Classical Greece, you fucking know that the Spartans were probably the last people anyone in their right minds would want to fuck with because they're the sort of folks who would stop at nothing to kill you and break all of your stuff. So Paris and Helen showed up at Troy and went off to some foofy linen harem-style bedroom to eat grapes, sit on chaises-lounges and get busy while Hector all of a sudden found himself in the middle of a motherfucking gigantor war.

Not long after Paris and Helen started flitting around town hitting up the trendy nightclubs and drinking Appletinis, about ten billion black-hulled Greek ships crashed onto the beach D-Day style, deploying a massive army of pissed-off motherfuckers hell-bent on kicking Paris' ass, burning Troy to the ground and killing everyone they can get their hands on. Hector didn't start any shit with anyone, but all of a sudden he was the one who's had to defend his people against one of the most formidable armadas ever assembled. For nine years Hector lead his people against the Greeks, protecting the city and keeping the Achaeans at bay. In the tenth year, Hector's arm was starting to get sore from killing like eight hundred people a day so he decided to set up a duel to the death between Paris and Helen's husband Menelaus. Mano-e-mano, winner gets Helen, loser goes home. This is the way that true badasses would settle this shit. Unfortunately, Paris wasn't exactly a fucking Bronze Age Charles Bronson, and he was being a total whiny bitch about the prospect of having to duke it out with the goddamned King of Sparta.

Hector told him to suck it up and get his shit together: "Can you be the man who carried off a beautiful woman from a distant land and warlike family, to be a curse to your father, to the city, and to the whole people? Are you too cowardly to stand up to the brave man whom you wronged? You will soon find out the kind of fighter he is whose lovely wife you stole." This is a good indication of why Hector rocks. He knows his own brother is in the wrong here, and he's making an effort to put things right in an honorable and just manner. Sure, he's spent nine years killing Greeks on her behalf, but he really doesn't even give a fuck about Helen. He just wants to keep the invaders from burning his city to the ground. He does what any chivalrous cavalier worth his armor would do and protects his people. Anyways, Paris and Menelaus fought, but the battle ended in a draw when Paris got wounded and ran away like a bitch. The war was back on, so Hector once again kissed his wife and son goodbye and returned to the field of battle.

Now the Greeks had badasses like Odysseus fighting on their side, but all told their secret weapon was the invincible warrior Achilles. Now a lot of people familiar with Trojan War are probably wondering why I have Hector here but not Achilles. Well the truth is that Achilles was a fucking bitch. Sure, his armor and his weapons were forged by the god Hephaestus and he was unequivocally the strongest and toughest of all the Greek warriors, but he honestly spends like two-thirds of the fucking Iliad sulking in a corner pouting about some stupid shit or another. Like when some jerk stole his girlfriend, Achilles decided he didn't want to fight for the Greeks anymore so he just rand back to his tent and pouted while listening to Third Eye Blind. What the fuck? If you're that pissed, just kick the fucking dude's ass and get your girl back. As a military commander you've got an obligation to your people, and instead you're sitting around smoking pot with your thumb up your ass while your compatriots are out there getting spears jabbed in their eye by real badasses like Hector. Sheesh.

Anyways, the renewed round of combat came at the time when Achilles has locked himself in his bedroom with his fingers stuck in his ears screaming, "I can't hear you! I can't hear you!" whenever Odysseus or somebody tried to reason with him. Well with Achilles out of the picture, Hector and the Trojans started whipping asses all over the place. There are seriously like two entire books of the Iliad dedicated to in-depth descriptions of Hector slaughtering every warrior he meets using everything from his spear and his sword to cleverly executed headbutts with his helmet and shield charges that busted jerks' heads open. He flipped out like a ninja and pushed the Greek army back to the ocean, where he went to work trying to set the Greek ships on fire. Defending the Greek ships were the Myrmidons, an elite unit that served as Achilles' personal bodyguards. While Achilles cried into his beer, his men did battle with Hector, and he crushed their balls up and down the coast. Finally Achilles' best friend/gay lover Patroclus put on Achilles' magical armor and went to try and stop the Trojans.

Now Patroclus was a badass warrior, so he rallied the Myrmidons and went kicking asses and slaughtering Trojans all over the place, eventually coming face-to-face with Hector himself. After a brutal steel-cage Hell in a Cell duel Hector put him down like a Kenny Loggins record and stole the Armor of Achilles (Bronze Plate Mail +5, +3 STR, Damage Reduction 50%) for himself. This really pissed off our friend Achilles. Achilles came back to the Greek Army, rallied his forces and went marching towards the gleaming spires of Troy, driving the Trojan army before him and riding over peoples' nuts with his chariot. Eventually the entire Trojan army was pushed back within the walls of the city except for one man - Hector of the Flashing Helm, the Pillar of Troy. Achilles dismounted from his ball-crushing chariot and advanced towards his enemy. Now I haven't said much about it up to this point, but back in the Classical Age the Gods were total cockburglars to everyone. They fucked with guys on both sides, and poor Hector was no exception.

They basically showed up and told him that Achilles was going to fuck his shit up and leave him in a bloody heap outside the city gates, so when Hector saw the super pissed blood-lusted Achilles coming at him he started running away at top speed. This isn't meant to show that Hector is a pussy however - it's a way of showing that even the bravest of the brave sometimes succumb to the fear of their own mortality, especially when they're in a battle they have no chance of winning. After being chased around the walls of the city, Hector decided to stand and face his fate head-on, be a man about it and do battle with the invincible Achilles. The battle more or less went down like the first time you run into Lu Bu in Dynasty Warriors 4. No matter how badass you think you are, there's pretty much no way to win, especially considering that fucking Hera, Zeus and Athena were all using their powers to give Achilles more of an unfair advantage than an entire syringe full of HGH. Achilles also knew that there was a weakness at the neckline of his old armor and took advantage of it, planting a spear right into Hector's throat.

After Hector crumpled to the floor dead, Achilles strung him up by his heels and dragged him around behind his chariot, screaming insults at everyone and giving Jesus the finger. Achilles was a fucking dick. Eventually King Priam went to the Greeks and recovered the body of Hector, and he was given a hero's funeral by the Trojan people. His burial marks the end of the Iliad, as it's pretty obvious that without Hector Troy doesn't stand a fucking chance. Sure, Paris was eventually able to avenge his brother by killing Achilles with an arrow, but that didn't stop the Greeks from sacking Troy, throwing Hector's son Astyanax off the roof of the castle and taking his wife Andromache back to Greece as a slave. His death marked the beginning of the end for his people, as they were hopeless without the strong guidance of their fearless leader. Hector is one of those badasses who commands respect not only from his own people but from those he fights against. He's like Saladin in that even his hated enemies had nothing but kind words about his valor, his skill, and his courage.

He was one of the strongest, bravest, and most noble man in history and his memory would be carried on through the epic journey of his half-brother Aeneas, final heir to the throne of Troy. "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

Question: In Greek legend, who, the last king of Troy, was the father of Hector and Paris?
Answer: Priam