Greek PantheonHero
Patroclus
Closest companion of Achilles in the Iliad. His death at Hector's hands, while wearing Achilles's armor, drives Achilles back into the war.
About Patroclus
The Companion
Patroclus grew up alongside Achilles after his own father sent him into exile as a boy, following an accidental killing, and he became Achilles's inseparable companion at Troy, older but subordinate to him in status and famed skill. The Iliad's account of their bond, whether read as close friendship or something more, is one of the most discussed relationships in ancient literature; later Greek writers, including the historian Herodotus's contemporaries and the tragedian Aeschylus, generally read them as lovers.
Wearing Achilles's Armor
With the Greeks pushed back to their ships and Achilles still refusing to fight, Patroclus begs to be allowed to lead the Myrmidons into battle wearing Achilles's own armor, hoping the Trojans will mistake him for Achilles and lose heart. The plan works almost too well: Patroclus routs the Trojans and nearly takes the city before overreaching, killing the god Apollo's favorite Sarpedon and pressing his luck too far.
Death and Consequence
Apollo strips Patroclus of his armor and stuns him in the fighting; Hector then delivers the killing blow, taking Achilles's armor as a trophy. Patroclus's death is the emotional turning point of the Iliad: it breaks Achilles's anger at Agamemnon and replaces it with an even greater rage against Hector and the Trojans, driving the poem's final books.
On parentage: Wholly mortal parentage; sent to Phthia as a boy after accidentally killing another child in a dice-game quarrel.
Key deeds
- Grew up as Achilles's closest companion in Phthia and at Troy
- Led the Myrmidons into battle wearing Achilles's armor
- Routed the Trojans and killed Sarpedon, son of Zeus
- Was killed by Hector after Apollo stripped him of his armor
Fate
Killed by Hector in battle after the god Apollo stunned him and stripped away his borrowed armor; his death drives Achilles back into the war.
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
Appears in
Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.
Achilles' companion, killed by Hector (Book 16)
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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