Greek PantheonHero
Hector
Also known as Breaker of Horses
Crown prince of Troy and the city's greatest defender in the Iliad. Killed by Achilles in the poem's climactic single combat.
About Hector
Troy's Shield
Hector, eldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, commands the Trojan army for most of the Iliad and is treated by the poem with unusual sympathy for an antagonist. Unlike many Greek heroes, he fights not for glory or plunder but to defend his city, his wife Andromache, and his infant son Astyanax.
Duels and Doubts
Hector leads the Trojan counter-offensive while Achilles sulks in his tent, at one point fighting Ajax to an inconclusive draw. He kills Patroclus, wearing Achilles' armor, believing he has finally killed Achilles himself, an error that seals his fate. When Achilles returns to battle for revenge, Hector alone stands outside the walls to face him, then loses his nerve and flees three times around the city before turning to fight.
Death and Ransom
Achilles kills Hector and mutilates his body for days, refusing burial. In the Iliad's final book, King Priam risks his life to enter the Greek camp by night and beg Achilles for his son's body. Achilles, moved, relents, and the poem closes with Hector's funeral at Troy.
On parentage: Wholly mortal parentage; his myth has no divine parent.
Key deeds
- Commanded the Trojan army through most of the war
- Fought Ajax to a draw in single combat
- Killed Patroclus, who was wearing Achilles' armor
- Faced Achilles alone outside Troy's walls
- Was killed and his body dragged around Troy before ransom
Fate
Killed by Achilles in single combat outside Troy; his body is mutilated for days before Priam ransoms it, and the Iliad ends with his funeral.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Homer, Iliad
- Homer, Iliad
Appears in
Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.
Troy's chief defender, killed by Achilles (Books 1-24, killed Book 22)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Hero legends were retold for centuries, and the sources often disagree on parentage, deeds and death. This entry follows the best-known versions and notes the main alternatives.
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