Who is Priam? Trojan War

The city of Ilion, or Troy, with whose name the events of the Trojan War were associated, was once the most famous and powerful city in Western Asia. According to Hellenic legends, he, together with his highly strong fortress of Pergamum, stood in a fertile, hilly country, between the spurs of Ida and the Hellespont. Troy was watered on both sides by two rivers: Simois and Scamander; both of them flowed through a wide valley and flowed into the nearest bay of the sea. In immemorial ancient times, long before the construction of Troy, the Teucrian people lived on the slopes of Ida, ruled by King Teucer, the son of the river god Scamander and the nymph Ideas. Teucer kindly sheltered Dardanus, the son of Zeus and the galaxy of Electra: having fled during a famine from his homeland, from Arcadia, Dardanus first settled on the island of Samothrace, and from here he moved to the Phrygian coast of Asia, in the region of King Teucer. All this happened before the construction of Troy.

King Tevkr warmly received him, gave him his daughter Batey in marriage and gave him a strip of land; On that land Dardan built the city of Dardan. The Trojan tribe that settled this city and its surroundings became known as the Dardans. Dardan had a son, Erichphonius: he conquered the entire Trojan land under his rule and was revered by his contemporaries as the richest of mortals. Three thousand silk-maned mares grazed in his meadows. Twelve of them possessed such lightness and speed that the Phrygians called them the creatures of stormy Boreas: they rushed through the wavering fields and did not knock down the ears of corn with their hooves, rushed along the seaside flooded with waves and did not touch the waves, did not wet their fast feet in their foam.

Erichphonius was succeeded by his son Tros, after whom the people began to be called Trojans. Tros had three sons: Il, Assarak and Ganymede. There was no man on earth who could compare with Ganymede in beauty; the father of gods and people, the world ruler Zeus ordered his eagle to kidnap the boy to Olympus: here he lived among the immortal gods and served Zeus - he filled his cup at meals. In exchange for his kidnapped son, Zeus gave King Tros a harness of divine horses. After the death of their father, Il and Assarak divided his kingdom between themselves. Assarak became the ancestor of the Dardanian kings; he had a grandson, Anchises, a young man of such beauty that Aphrodite herself was captivated by him. From the marriage of Anchises with the goddess, the hero Aeneas was born, who was king over the Dardans during the Trojan War. Ilus, the eldest son of Tros, was the ancestor of the Trojan kings. Once Ilus came to Phrygia and defeated all the fighters in a competition; as a reward for the victory, the Phrygian king gave him fifty young men and fifty maidens; he also gave him, at the behest of the oracle, a motley cow and commanded: where the cow stops, there let him build a city. Il followed her and walked to a hill called the Phrygian Ate Hill - here the cow stopped. The goddess Ate, the destroyer of people, the darker of the mind, once dared to confuse the mind of Zeus himself, for which he was cast down from Olympus; she fell to the ground in Phrygia, near a hill that was later named after her. It was on this hill that Il built the famous city of Troy (Ilion). Starting to build Troy, he asked Zeus for a good sign and, waking up in the morning, saw in front of his tent a palladion thrown from heaven to earth by Zeus - a wooden image of Pallas Athena, three cubits high. The goddess was represented with a spear in her right hand, and in her left with a spindle and yarn. The image of Athena was supposed to serve as a guarantee of divine help, a stronghold and protection for the citizens of the emerging city. Joyful, Il then began to build Troy and erected a temple to store the palladion. Having built Troy, he surrounded it with high walls with loopholes. The lower part of the city of Troy was surrounded by a wall later - under the son of Ilus, Laomedon.

Excavations of ancient Troy

One day Poseidon and Apollo came to Laomedon: for some guilt, Zeus sent them to earth and ordered them to spend a year in the service of a mortal. The gods, without revealing their divinity, offered Laomedon - for a certain reward - to surround his city of Troy with a wall. Just as Zetus and Amphion once erected the walls of Thebes, so Apollo and Poseidon worked to build the Trojan walls. Powerful Poseidon put in a lot of effort; he dug up stone blocks from the bowels of the earth, dragged them to Troy and built a wall from them; Apollo set the stones in motion with the sounds of the strings of his lyre: the stones folded by themselves, and the wall was erected by itself. The stronghold built by the gods would be indestructible - the enemies of Troy would never defeat it, but together with the gods, a mortal also participated in the construction of the fortifications - Aeacus, the ancestor of the strong Aeacides, to whose family Telamon and Ajax, Peleus and Achilles belonged; part of the wall of Troy, erected by Aeacus, was destroyed.

The city-state of Troy (or Ilion), the reality of whose existence is still questioned by some historians, was located in the north-west of the Asia Minor peninsula, off the coast of the Aegean Sea. The city was destroyed by the Greeks during the famous Trojan War, presumably in the 13th century BC.

The events of this war are described in detail in Homer's epic poem The Iliad. If you remove scenes with the participation of gods from it, then the presentation looks quite truthful. The ruler of Troy at that time was King Priam.

Priam was the only surviving son of Laomedon, king of Troy, who incurred the wrath of Hercules. According to ancient legend, in retaliation for his deception, Laomedont and his sons were killed by Hercules. According to one version, Priam was ransomed by his sister, Hesion, after which he was left to reign in Troy.

He ruled for about 40 years and was known as a great and wise politician, but his biography is quite meager. It is known that he had about 50 sons and daughters, but none of them were destined to reign on the throne.

One of Priam's sons, Paris, kidnapped the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, Helen, which was the reason for the start of the Trojan War.

Priam at that time was already very old and could not take part in battles. He appears on the battlefield only once at the request of Menelaus, when there was still a chance to prevent bloodshed and limit himself to single combat between two husbands - Menelaus and Paris. Menelaus asks to call on Priam to take an oath to comply with the agreement on a fair duel, at the end of which peace should be concluded between the Trojans and the Greeks, regardless of who emerges victorious. After making sacrifices to the Olympian gods and taking an oath, Priam returns to Troy, unable to witness his son’s fight with the mighty king of Sparta.

Another son of Priam and leader of the Trojan army, Hector, dies in a duel with the legendary warrior Achilles. The winner ties Hector's corpse to his chariot and drags it several times in front of the walls of Troy. Priam prepares a cart with rich gifts and goes to the Greek camp to ransom his son's body. The Trojans, unable to dissuade him, see him off as if he were going to certain death. However, Priam manages to reach Achilles' tent undetected. Entering the tent, the last king of Troy falls to his knees before the murderer of his son and begs for Hector’s body to be given for burial. Priam evoked the compassion of Achilles. Admiring the courage of the old man, who was not afraid to come to the enemy’s camp, Achilles agrees to give him the body of his son, explaining this gesture as the will of the gods. Hector's body was brought to Troy and, according to tradition, burned on a funeral pyre.

Priam was known as a venerable and wise old man; even his enemies recognized his authority. But even wise men make mistakes.

Priam's fatal mistake, which led to the fall of Troy, was permission to introduce into the city a wooden horse left by the Greeks, supposedly as a gift to the goddess Athena. The cunning trick invented by Odysseus worked flawlessly. Now it is hardly possible to find a person who would not know the story of the Trojan horse, but then this insidious plan was not so obvious and, being unsolved, determined the outcome of the ten-year war.

Death overtook Priam in his palace, at the altar of Zeus. The brave old man tried until his last breath to protect his relatives from the Greek warriors, but the son of Achilles Neoptolemus interrupted the life of the king of Troy with a blow sharp sword. Neither of Priam's sons survived.

Historical events that have come down to us in the tales of ancient poets are closely intertwined with myths and fairy tales, so one can only guess whether King Priam was a real person, or whether he is just a collective image invented by an ancient servant of the muses.

Troy is a famous city that included the entire state. In many historical records, the city was called Ilion. Up to this day, a large number of Scientists are arguing whether he really existed, or all the stories about him are just myths. According to geographical data, the city was located in the northwestern part of Asia Minor, near the Aegean Sea. Troy was destroyed by Greek troops during the famous Trojan War. According to possible historical data, the war took place in the 8th century BC.
All the events that took place during the war were described by Homer in his poem “The Iliad”. It contains a large number of scenes with the participation of gods. If you remove these scenes from the entire poem, then the result will be quite real story military operations in the Trojan state. During the war years, the huge city was ruled by the heir of the royal family - King Priam.
It was believed that this particular king was the only one of the sons of Laomedon who survived. The previous king of the Trojan state incurred the wrath of the God Hercules. This story is fully reflected by the story of how the king deceived God and in return, he killed him and his sons. The surviving heir to the throne, according to some sources, was ransomed from the God Hercules by his sister Hesion. After this, the gods decided to leave him to rule Troy.
Priam was king of Troy for about 40 years. During these long years of rule, he was able to show his qualities as a wise politician. His life biography is quite partially described in history. The only thing that is known about Priam is that he had about 50 children. The daughters and sons were from a large number of wives, but they were never destined to become followers of their father and rule Troy.
The whole great Trojan War began because one of Priam's sons, Paris, fell in love, very much, with the wife of the Spartan king, Helen. He decided to steal it, but Menelaus considered this an insult to himself and his people, and a war began between two famous states. The ruler of Troy, Priam himself, was very old and could not take part in the war. He appeared on the battlefield only once, at the very beginning of hostilities. At that moment, it was still possible not to start bloody battles and stop the entire course of the war with a duel between two men, from whom the beautiful Elena would choose her husband.
The king of Sparta, Menelaus, asked the great Priam to swear an oath that no matter who wins the fierce battle for a woman’s heart, a truce will be concluded between the peoples. After Priam and his retinue made sacrifices to the gods of the Greeks at Olympia and swore an oath of truce, the king himself left for his home. He could not watch how his son would fight the king of the Greeks, Menelaus.
During a duel between the Greek warrior Achilles and Priam's second son Hector, the latter dies. Hector was famous for his leadership abilities and was the leader of the entire army of Troy. The winner of the fight, Achilles, ties the corpse of Priam's son to the chariot with a rope and drags it quite a large number of times around the walls of the city of Troy. Wanting to say goodbye to his son, the king sends many gifts to the Greeks, in return he asks to be given the body of the murdered Hector. He himself goes along with the cart, dressed in other clothes and hiding in it. All the inhabitants of Troy saw off their king as if to certain death, although many tried to dissuade him so that he would not be killed. Despite this, Priam was able to get to the very tent in which the murderer of his son Achilles lived. Making his way unnoticed, he went inside the tent and fell on his knees in front of the Greek warrior. He asked in tears to give his son's body so that he could say goodbye to him and bury him normally. Achilles took pity on Priam, because he was no longer young at all and agreed to give him Hector’s body. He outlined his entire decision as the will of the gods, who had mercy on the king of Troy. Priam took his son's body and took him to his city. It was there, at the stake, according to all the traditions of the Trojan inhabitants, that the body of the commander and the king’s son was burned at the stake.
Priam was a very smart man. His wisdom was spoken about in many countries around the world. Even his enemies recognized his authority. But, as you know, sometimes even the smartest people make mistakes. The most important mistake of the king of Troy was allowing a huge wooden horse into his city. It was provided as a gift to the goddess Athena from the Greek people. Today, almost every person knows about known history with the Trojan horse. In those days, no one could guess that Greek soldiers could be sitting inside the wooden statue. By letting the horse into the city, Odysseus’s plan was fulfilled.
A Greek detachment got out of the horse under the cover of darkness and opened the gate. The entire army rushed into the city, killing almost all the inhabitants. Priam himself was also killed near the altar. He tried as best he could to protect his family from the swords of Greek warriors, but in vain. All the king's sons were killed and his daughters were taken captive. All the stories that have survived to this day may be simple fictions or myths. No one knows for sure whether Priam was a real person, and neither does Troy itself.

The sixth and last king of Troy, he reigned for forty years in total. Son of Laomedont and Strymo.

Priam is the only one of Laomedon's sons left alive by Heracles when he captured the city, taking revenge on Laomedon for his deceit. Hercules left the young man to reign in Troy. Priam rebuilt Troy after its destruction by Hercules.

During this war, Priam lost many of his sons, including the eldest and bravest - Hector.

Heartbroken, Priam secretly, with the help of Hermes, makes his way into Achilles’ tent and begs the hero for the disfigured body of his son. This scene is one of the most famous and moving episodes of the Iliad.

Homer says nothing about the death of Priam; but according to later myths, he was killed by the son of Achilles, Neoptolemus, after the Greeks, having broken into Troy, went on a rampage throughout the city. Priam wanted to rush into battle, but his wife Hecuba persuaded the elderly king to take refuge at the altar of Zeus. Here, at the hands of Neoptolemus, his son Polytus died in front of Priam’s eyes. Priam threw a powerless spear at the murderer, but missed. He was dragged from the steps of the altar and hacked to death on the threshold of his own palace. Neoptolemus dragged Priam's body to Achilles' grave and left him there unburied.

The asteroid (884) Priam, discovered in 1917, is named after Priam.

Burial of Hector

(Homer. Iliad. P. XXIV), retold by Georg Stoll

When the games [according to Patroclus] ended, the Achaeans, having gone to their tents, hastened to refresh themselves with the evening meal and, tired from the labors of the day, rested in a sweet sleep. But Pelid (Achilles) did not close his eyes all night. Tossing about his bed, he remembered his friend, the ill-fated Patroclus, and shed bitter tears; finally, leaving the bed, he got up and went to the seashore; here, sad and lonely, he wandered until the morning star illuminated both the shore and the sea itself with purple. Then Pelides quickly harnessed the horses, tied Hector’s body to the chariot and wrapped it three times around the burial mound of Patroclus; then he threw the body onto the ground again and went into his tent. Phoebus Apollo had mercy on the body of Priam's son, took care of it and covered it with his golden shield so that it would not be damaged while dragging along the ground behind the chariot of Pelides.

The immortal gods were overcome with pity when they saw how Pelid was dragging Hector’s body behind his chariot. Except for Hera, Poseidon and Athena, all the Olympians were indignant at Pelidas and began to convince Hermes to steal the body of the Trojan hero. The quarrel between the immortals continued for a long time, and finally Zeus called the mother of Pelida Thetis to Olympus and ordered her to go to her son and convince him to humble his anger and, taking a ransom for Hector’s body, gave it to the Trojans. Thetis quickly rushed to her son and found him still in deep longing for his friend. She sat down next to Achilles, caressed him with her hand and said: “My dear child! How long will it take you to break your heart? You don’t think about drinking, or food, or sleep. You don't have long to live; The inevitable Death and harsh Fate stand close to you. Hear my word, I proclaim it to you from Zeus. The gods, said the Thunderer, are angry with you: in a frenzy of anger, you, without accepting a ransom, are holding Hector’s body, unburied, at the courts of the Myrmidons. Take a ransom for the body and give it to the Trojans." At the same time, Zeus sent Iris to Priam’s house. The house of Elder Priam was filled with screams and sobs: the royal old man, covering his gray-haired head with dust, lay prostrate on the ground; His sons sat around the elder and drenched their clothes with tears. In the inner chambers of the house, the daughters and daughters-in-law of Priam wept and were tormented; they remembered their spouses and brothers who had fallen at the hands of the Danaans. Approaching Priam, Iris spoke to him in a quiet voice and said: “Do not be afraid of me, Priam; I did not come to you with evil news - Zeus sent me to your house: he cares and his soul aches for you. Take a herald with you and go with him to Pelidus, take him the ransom for your son and bring his body to Ilion. Do not be afraid of death, do not be afraid of anything on the way: Hermes will go with you and will not leave you until you reach the tent of Pelidas; when you enter his tent, neither he himself will raise his hands against you, nor will he allow others to do so. The son of Peleus is not a madman, not a wicked man: he kindly and mercifully accepts everyone who comes to him with prayer.”

Thus spoke Iris to Priam, and, light-winged, she flew away like a swift wind. Priam ordered his sons to harness the mules and tie the box to the cart, then hastily entered the upper room where the treasures were kept, and called his wife Hecuba there. “A messenger of Zeus appeared to me,” Priam told his wife, “she ordered me to go to the ships of the Danaans, take gifts to Achilles and beg him to hand over the body of Hector, our ill-fated son. What do you say about this, my faithful wife? My heart strongly urges me to go to the camp of the Achaeans today.” Hecuba sobbed loudly and answered her husband: “Woe to me, poor one! Or has your mind perished, for which you were famous in the past both among foreign peoples and in your own kingdom? Do you, old man, alone want to go to the ships of the Danaans, do you want to appear before the eyes of the man who destroyed so many of our strong and valiant sons? An iron heart beats in your chest! When the bloodsucker sees you in his hands, will he spare you, respect your sadness and gray hair? No, we’d rather pay for our son here at home; Apparently, it was destined by fate that our son would feed the Myrmidon dogs with his body! Oh, if I could take revenge on his killer, if I could, biting into his chest, tear his fierce heart to pieces!” This is how the sovereign Priam answered his wife: “Do not resist, Hecuba, do not be an ominous bird - I will not change my decision. Zeus himself, who sympathized with us, ordered me to go to Achilles. If I am destined to die before the courts of the Achaeans, I am ready! Let the bloodsucker kill me, if only he would allow me to hug the body of my dear son!” With these words, Priam lifted the roofs of the chests and took out twelve festive, precious clothes, twelve carpets, the same number of thin tunics and outer garments, weighed ten talents of gold on the scales, took out four golden dishes and two expensive tripods, and took out a priceless, beautiful goblet , given to him by the Thracians at the time when he traveled as an ambassador to the Thracian land: so strong was his desire to ransom the body of his dear son. Then going out onto the porch, Priam saw a crowd of Trojans who had come to persuade him not to go to Achilles: angry, he dispersed the crowd with his rod and menacingly shouted at his sons, Helen and Paris, Agathon, Deiphobus and others: “Will you end, you worthless, born Shame on me? It would be better for you all to fall instead of Hector before the courts of the Danaans! Woe to me, poor one: I had many valiant sons, and not a single one remains of them! What remains are these - liars, buffoons, famous only for dancing, despicable predators of the people's flocks! How long will it take you to harness the mules, will you soon put everything that I need to take with me into the box? »

Frightened by the menacing appearance of their father and his angry words, the sons of Priam quickly finished their work: they harnessed the mules, tied a box with expensive gifts, a ransom for Hector’s body, to the cart, and brought out the horses, Priam himself, together with the senior herald, harnessed those horses to the chariot. At this time, sad-hearted Hecuba approached the chariot and gave her husband a golden cup of wine - so that he could make a libation to Zeus. King Priam, having washed his hands with water, stood in the middle of the door; pouring a libation, he looked up to the sky and, praying, exclaimed: “Zeus, our father, possessor from Ida! Help me incline the angry heart of Peleus’s son to mercy! Send me a sign, so that with faith I will go to the ships of the Danaans!” And at that very moment, above Troy, on the right side, a powerful-winged eagle appeared, the prophetic bird of Zeus; Seeing the soaring eagle, the Trojans rejoiced, and Elder Priam, full of hope in the help of almighty Zeus, quickly climbed into his chariot and drove the horses to the city gates; The mules with the cart were sent forward - they were ruled by Ideus, the eldest of the heralds of the Trojan king. All the children of Priam and all his relatives, sad, accompanied the old man to the city gates and mourned him as if he were going to certain death.

Having left the field, the travelers soon arrived at Ila’s grave and stopped their horses and mules at the clear-water river, wanting to give them water; The evening twilight was already falling to the ground. Looking around, Idea saw a husband not far from him, a terrible-looking man, as Idea thought. The frightened messenger pointed him out to Priam and said: “Look here, king: trouble threatens you and me! Do you see this husband: he will kill us both! Let’s hit the horses and gallop away as quickly as possible, or let’s go and fall at his feet and beg for mercy!” The old man was embarrassed and numb with fear; his gray hair stood on end. But the stranger, a handsome, noble-looking young man, approached the travelers in a friendly manner, affectionately took the old man by the hand and asked him: “Where are you going, father, at such an hour when all people are sleeping? Or are you not afraid of the Danaans? If one of them sees you in the field at night and with such luggage, trouble will come to you: you yourself are weak and frail, and your guide is an old man like you; The first person we meet will offend us. Don’t be afraid of me, I won’t insult you, I would have repelled anyone else from you: very much, old man, you remind me of the appearance of my parent.” “You speak rightly, my son,” answered the young man Priam. “But apparently the gods haven’t given up on me yet if they send a companion like you.” “Tell me the truth,” the young man continued. - Do you, wanting to save your wealth, send them to a foreign land? That's right, do you want to leave Troy? After all, her defender, your dear son, who was not inferior in valor in battle to any of the Achaeans, has fallen!” - “Who are you, good young man? - Priam exclaimed. - Where you're from? Your speeches about the fallen Hector, my ill-fated son, bring joy to the old man’s sorrowful heart!” “My father’s name is Poliktor,” answered the young man. “I am a servant of Achilles, a Myrmidon by birth, I often saw your son in battles in those days when Achilles, angry with King Agamemnon, did not let us into the battlefield: we looked at Hector from afar and marveled at how he crushed the Achaeans with destructive copper.” “If you are truly a servant of Pelidas Achilles,” Priam prayed, “tell me, I beg you: does the body of my son still lie in the courts, or did Achilles cut it into pieces and scatter it to the greedy dogs of the Myrmidons?” - “Neither dogs tormented Hector’s body, nor mortal decay touched him: he lies unharmed to this day at the courts. True, every day at dawn Pelid drags the body around the tomb of his friend Patroclus, but the dead man is unharmed; you yourself will be amazed when you see: your son lies fresh and clean, as if washed with dew, there is not a spot of uncleanness on him. The gods are so merciful about your son, even when he’s dead: he was always close to the hearts of the immortal Olympians.” The old man rejoiced here and, joyful, exclaimed: “My son, blessed are those who bring due tribute to the inhabitants of heaven. My son always honored the gods, and that is what the immortals remembered now, after his ill-fated death.” Priam took a golden cup from the box and, handing it to the young man, asked him to take them under his protection and escort them to Achilles’ tent. The young man was afraid to accept the gift secretly from his leader Pelid, but he willingly agreed to guide the travelers, quickly jumped into the chariot and, grabbing the reins with his powerful hands, drove the horses to the Myrmidon camp. Elder Priam rejoiced that the gods had sent him a kind, strong young man to protect and guide him: that young man was Hermes, sent from Olympus to help Priam by his father Zeus.

While Priam and his two companions rode up to the Achaean camp, the soldiers standing guard at the gate were having supper. Hermes, touching them with his miraculous rod, plunged them all into a deep, sweet sleep, pulled back the bolt at the gate and brought Priam and his cart with gifts inside the camp. Soon they reached the tent of Pelidas. His tent, built from a strong spruce forest and covered with mossy, thick reeds, stood in the middle of the camp, in a wide courtyard, surrounded by a high palisade; The gate leading to the courtyard was locked with a thick spruce bolt: three strong men could barely move the bolt, but Pelid easily pushed it back and closed it alone. Hermes opened the gates for the old man and brought him with gifts into the courtyard of Achilles, then, turning to Priam, said: “Before you, old man, not a mortal youth - before you stands Hermes, who descended from Olympus: my father sent me to you as a leader; Go quickly to Pelidus, fall at his feet and pray that he give you the body of his son.” Following this, Hermes disappeared from the eyes of Priam and ascended to the high-peaked Olympus. Priam hastily descended from the chariot and, leaving Idea by the cart with gifts, entered the tent. Achilles was sitting at the table that time, having just finished his evening meal; Some distance away, at another table, his friends were sitting and having dinner. Unnoticed by anyone, the old man quietly approached Pelidus, fell at his feet and began to cover his hands with kisses - the terrible hands that killed so many of Priam’s sons. “Remember, immortal Achilles,” the old man began, “remember your father, an old man like me: perhaps at this very moment he is being oppressed by evil enemies, and there is no one to save the decrepit old man from grief. But your father, nevertheless, is happier than me: he gladdens his heart with the hope that his son will soon return to him from near Troy, unharmed, covered in glory; I have the Wrath of Achilles, the unfortunate one, there is no hope! I had fifty sons, and most of them were destroyed by the man-killer Ares; One son remained with me, an old man: he was the support and protection of all the Trojans - you killed him too. I came to you for him, Pelid: I brought you a ransom for Hector. Almost gods, Pelid, fear their anger, take pity on my misfortunes, remember your father. I am even more pitiful than he, I endure something that no mortal on earth has experienced: I kiss the hands of the murderer of my children!” The speeches of the grief-stricken old man aroused sad thoughts in Pelida; Taking Priam by the hand, he quietly turned him away from him and cried bitterly: the hero remembered his elderly father, whom he was not destined to see, and he also remembered young Patroclus, who had gone to an untimely grave. Elder Priam wept along with Pelid, mourning the death of his dear son, who was the protection of Ilion. Then Pelid quickly stood up and, touched by the elder’s grief, lifted him by the hand and said: “Poor thing, you have experienced many sorrows! How did you decide to come alone to the camp of the Achaeans, to the man who destroyed so many of your strong, flourishing sons? You are not timid at heart, old man! But calm down, sit here; Let's hide our sorrows in the depths of our hearts; sighs and tears are useless now. The omnipotent gods destined people to live on earth in sorrow: only the gods are carefree. In the abode of Zeus, before his threshold, there are two great urns: one filled with sorrows, the other with gifts of happiness; the mortal for whom Kronion draws from both urns experiences alternately grief and happiness in life; the one who is given gifts only from the first, from the urn of sorrows, wanders, unhappy, on the earth, rejected by the gods, despised by mortals, chased everywhere need is behind him, sorrows gnaw at his heart. So Peleus - the gods showered him with gifts: happiness, wealth, power, but one of the immortals also sent him grief: the old man has only one son, and even he is short-lived, and he does not rest Peleus in his old age, but fights on the battlefields in the distance from the homeland, under the high walls of Troy. So you, old man, prospered before: you shone among people with wealth, and power, and the valor of your sons; but the gods also sent trouble to you, raised a war against Troy and visited your family with sorrow. Be patient, do not destroy yourself with sadness: sadness will not help trouble, and crying will not raise the dead.”

This is how the sovereign elder Priam answered Pelidus: “No, favorite of Zeus, I will not sit down while Hector lies unburied in your tent! Give me the body and accept the ransom - the gifts that I brought you! Looking menacingly at Priam, Achilles said to him: “Elder, do not anger me! I myself know what must return your son; Zeus commanded me to give you the body, I know that you were brought here with the help of the gods, where could you go into our camp, guarded by a vigilant guard, where could you move the bolts on my gate? Be silent and don’t disturb my heart.” So said Achilles, and Priam, frightened by his anger, fell silent. Pelides, however, quickly, like a lion, rushed to the door, followed by two of his friends: Alcimus and Automedon, whom he honored and loved more than anyone else after Patroclus. They quickly unharnessed the horses and mules, brought Idea into the tent, then selected from the cart all the gifts brought by Priam, leaving only two vestments and a thin tunic - they wanted to dress Hector in them. Pelid called the slaves and ordered them to wash and smear the body with fragrant oils, dress him in the vestments left behind, but to do this secretly and away from the tent, so that Priam would not see his son naked and would not flare up with anger: Achilles was afraid that he himself would not be able to restrain himself then out of anger, he will raise his hand against the old man and violate the will of Zeus. When the slaves washed the body of Priamid, dressed him in a tunic and covered him with vestments, Achilles himself laid him on a bed and ordered the bed to be placed on the chariot. Then, entering the tent again, Pelid sat down on a magnificently decorated seat, opposite King Priam, and said to him: “Your son has been returned to you, as you wished, old man; Tomorrow at dawn you can see him and take him to Ilion, but now let’s think about the meal: Niobe, the unfortunate mother who lost twelve children at once, could not forget food; You will have time to mourn your son when you bring him to Troy.” So spoke Achilles and, getting up, killed a white-fleeced sheep and ordered his friends to prepare dinner. And when the old man Priam was full of food, he sat silently for a long time and marveled at the appearance and majesty of Achilles: it seemed to the old man that he saw a god in front of him, and Achilles was equally amazed at Priam: he fell in love with the venerable old man, and he also fell in love with his reasonable speeches. So they sat and looked at each other, finally the old man broke the silence and said to Pelidus: “Let me now rest, beloved of Zeus: from the day my son fell from your hand, my eyes did not close for a single moment: tormented by grief, I groaned I lay prostrate in the dust, today for the first time since then I tasted food.” Pelis immediately ordered his friends and slaves to make two beds on the porch, cover them with carpets and put woolen cloaks with which the elders could cover themselves during the night, then, turning to Priam, he said: “It’s better to lie down in my yard, old man: The Danaan leaders sometimes come to me for advice at night: if one of them sees you here, he will immediately inform King Agamemnon about it, and he will delay, perhaps, by handing over the body of your son. But tell me one more thing: how many days will you bury your son? During all these days I will not go out into battle, and I will also keep my squad from battle.” Priam answered Pelidus: “If you stop fighting for these days and allow me to honor my son with burial, you will show me great mercy: we, as you know, are confined within the walls, the wood for the fire must be transported from afar - from the mountains, and the Trojans are terrified and they are afraid to go into the field. I would like to mourn Hector in my house for nine days, to begin the burial and arrange a funeral feast on the tenth, to build a burial mound on the eleventh, and on the twelfth, if necessary, we will take up arms in battle.” “It will be done as you wish, venerable old man,” said Pelid. “I’ll stop swearing for as long as you ask.” With these words, he took Priam by the hand, squeezed it affectionately and peacefully released the old man from him.

All immortal gods and all the people on earth rested in sleep; Only Hermes did not sleep: he thought and cared about how to get Priam out of the Achaean camp. Standing over the head of the sleeping old man, Hermes addressed him with the following speech: “Why are you sleeping, old man, and not thinking about the danger that threatens you? You brought Pelida many gifts as a ransom for your son, but your children will have to pay three times as much for you, unless King Agamemnon or another of the Achaeans finds out about your presence here.” Priam was horrified, woke up from sleep and raised his herald. Hermes in an instant harnessed the horses and mules and himself led them through the Achaean camp into the field; none of the Achaeans saw Priam. When they reached the ford of the Skamandra River, dawn broke in the sky. Here Hermes disappeared from the eyes of travelers and ascended to Olympus. Priam, groaning and weeping, directed the horses and mules to the city gates. At that time, everyone in Troy - husbands and wives - was resting in sleep, only Cassandra, the beautiful daughter of Priam, similar in beauty to Aphrodite, left her bed at that early hour: she climbed the tower and from afar saw her father, and the messenger Idea, and the body of her brother, carried mules. Cassandra sobbed loudly and, walking around the wide streets of Troy, exclaimed: “Go, men and wives of Troy, look at Hector, stretched out on his deathbed, meet and greet the dead man, all of you, accustomed to greet him with joy, the winner coming from battles: joy was he and protection for Ilion and his children.” The Trojan men and wives all rushed from the city to the field and stood in crowds at the city gates. In front of everyone stood Andromache, the young wife of Hector, and his mother Hecuba; and when the dead man was brought to the gate, they both burst into tears, tore their clothes and hair and, rushing to the body, hugged Hector’s head with screams and watered it with streams of tears; The Trojan people also wept bitterly, mourning the death of Priamid, who had been an indestructible stronghold for Ilion. And all day long, until sunset, sobs and groans would have continued over the valiant Hector, if Priam had not called out from his chariot to the people: “Make way, friends, let the mules pass; then be satisfied with weeping when I bring the dead man to my house.” The crowd parted and opened the way.

When the train arrived at the home of King Priam, Hector's body was placed on a magnificent bed and carried inside the house; singers were placed near the deathbed, singing mournful, funeral songs; the women echoed them with sobs and groans. Andromache was the first to cry, hugging her husband’s head with her hands and sobbing bitterly, she said: “You died early, my husband, you left me a widow early, you left your baby son helpless! I will not see the son of young men: Troy will soon fall to dust, for you have fallen, its vigilant guardian, you, the stronghold of the people, the protector of women and babies. Soon the Danaans will drag the Trojan wives to their ships and take them with them into captivity, they will take me and my baby away: we will exhaust our strength in shameful works, we will tremble from the wrath of the stern ruler; or, perhaps, on the day of the fall of Troy, a Dane will take the baby by the hand and throw him from a high tower to the ground.” Thus spoke Andromache, weeping, and after her the Trojan women wept and groaned. After her, Hecuba began to cry: “Hector, most trembling of my sons! And alive you were dear to me to the gods, they did not leave you even after death: the fierce Achilles tore out your soul with a spear, he mercilessly dragged you along the ground around Patroclus, how many days did you lie by the Myrmidon ships, prostrate in the dust, and now you rest in my father’s house - unharmed and clean, as if washed with dew, as if struck down by a light arrow from the silver-bowed Apollo.” So Hecuba cried, and the crowd shed bitter tears. The third cry is raised by Elena: “Oh, Hector, of all relatives dearest to the heart! This is already the twentieth summer since I arrived with Paris in Ilion, and in all these years I have never heard a bitter, offensive word from you; even when another member of the household reproached me - whether my brother-in-law, sister-in-law or mother-in-law - you stopped them, softened their anger with a meek, reasonable word and made everyone kinder to me. Now I have no friend, no protector and comforter in all of Ilion: I am equally hated by everyone!” So Helen mourned Hector, and the whole countless crowd of the Trojan people groaned with her.

Finally, Elder Priam turned his word to the people and said: “Now, Trojans, go to the mountains behind the forest, do not be afraid of ambushes and attacks of the Achaeans: Achilles himself, releasing me from the courts, promised not to disturb us for eleven days.” The Trojans quickly harnessed horses and oxen to carts and carried the timber to the city for nine days; on the tenth day, at dawn, they carried out Hector’s body, laid it on the fire and fanned the flames. On the morning of the eleventh day, the whole city gathered around the fire: they extinguished the flame, and poured crimson wine into the entire space through which the fire was spreading; Hector's brothers and friends, weeping bitterly, collected the white bones of the hero from the ashes and, having collected them, put them in a precious urn, wrapped the urn in a thin purple cover and lowered it into a deep grave. Having filled the grave with earth and densely covered it with stones, the Trojans built a high mound over Hector. During all this time, guards stood around the workers and looked into the field so that the Danaans would not attack them by surprise. Having poured a burial mound, the people dispersed, but a little later they gathered again - for a funeral feast, in the house of Priam, dear to Zeus.

This is how the Trojans buried the valiant Hector.

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Priamble, Priam and Akhil
Priam(Latin Priamus, ancient Greek Πρίαμος) - the last king of Troy, the son of Laomedon and Strymo, the sixth king of Troy; reigned for 40 years. “The name of Priam is reliably an epithet of Hittite-Luvian origin with the meaning “first”, “best”. … the name “Paris” reflects a variant of the same Indo-European basis.”

1 Family
2 Role in the Trojan War
3 astronomy
4 Notes
5 See also

Family

Priam is the only one of Laomedon's sons left alive by Hercules when he and a detachment of volunteers captured the city, taking revenge on Laomedon. According to one version, when Hercules sailed to Troy, Priam freed Telamon and Iphicles, who had been thrown into prison by Laomedon, for which Hercules spared him. According to another version, Hercules bought him from Troy, his neighbors who had captured him.

By his first wife, Arisba, Priam had only one son, Esacus, and by his second wife (Hecabe or Hecuba) the sons of Hector, Paris (otherwise called Alexander), Deiphobus, Helen and six others, as well as daughters: Creusa, Laodice, Polyxena, Cassandra, Ilione . Together with children from other women, he had 50 sons and 50 daughters (or 50 children in total). According to Hyginus, 41 sons and 14 daughters. Or 50 sons, 17 of them from Hekabe. According to Virgil, 100 daughters and daughters-in-law.

According to Demetrius of Skepsis, his wealth came from the gold mines at Astyrae near Abydos.

Role in the Trojan War

During the Trojan War, Priam was already so old that he did not take part in battles. He appears on the battlefield only once, to negotiate with the Greeks regarding the duel between Paris and Menelaus.

After Hector's death, Priam secretly, with the help of Hermes, sneaks into Achilles' tent and begs the hero for the disfigured body of his son. Homer says nothing about the death of Priam.

During the capture of Troy by the Achaeans, he resorted to the defense of the altar of Zeus Otradny (Herceus), and was killed by Neoptolemus. On this altar stood a wooden statue of Zeus with a third eye on his forehead. According to Leshey's poem, he was dragged away from the altar and killed by Neoptolemus at the palace gates. According to version, he was killed by Neoptolemus at Cape Sigea on the grave of Achilles.

Depicted in the painting of Polygnotus at Delphi. Mentioned in the Odyssey (III 107). The protagonist of the tragedy of Aeschylus “The Phrygians, or the Ransom of the Body of Hector” (fr. 263-267 Radt), the tragedies of Sophocles “The Phrygians” (fr. 724-725 Radt), “Priam” (not a single line survived), Philocles the Elder “Priam” ", Timesitheus, Dionysius of Syracuse, Ennius "Ransom of Hector".

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