Patroclus is presented in the epic tradition as the son of Menoetius, born in Opus (Locris) and reared in the household of Peleus at Phthia after an incident in youth led to his exile; he becomes Achilles' companion and a leader among the Myrmidons. In the Iliadic narrative his life culminates at Troy, where he enters battle wearing Achilles' armor, is wounded and killed, and later appears as a ghost to demand burial so he may pass into Hades.
Homeric epic emphasizes Patroclus' social and martial roles rather than a fixed portrait, but later classical descriptions provide fuller features: Philostratus records an olive complexion, black ('melas') eyes, moderately long hair, fine eyebrows, a straight nose and flaring nostrils; Dares the Phrygian describes him as handsome, powerfully built, with lively, large eyes and a modest, dependable bearing. Homeric scenes portray him wearing Achilles' armor when he leads the Myrmidons.
Patroclus is portrayed as an experienced warrior and trusted lieutenant: he led the Myrmidons into battle in Achilles' stead, killed many Trojans and allies while impersonating Achilles, and exercised leadership and moral counsel toward Achilles. He has no inherent supernatural powers as a living man; his postmortem shade appears in Homer to demand burial. In the Iliadic account he is vulnerable to divine intervention—Apollo removes his wits before his mortal wounding—and mortal violence: Euphorbus wounds him, and Hector delivers the fatal blow.
Weaknesses
- conditionmortal vulnerability to divine action and weapons
- conditionrequires proper burial/cremation to pass into Hades
Wards
- otherAchilles' armor (narrative protective equipment)
- ritualproper funerary rites / cremation and mourning practices
Achilles
A legendary Greek heroic figure of epic poetry, son of the sea‑nymph Thetis and the mortal Peleus, celebrated as the greatest of the Greek warriors at Troy whose anger and fate shape events in the Trojan War cycle.
Hector
Hector is a Trojan prince and the foremost warrior of Troy in the Homeric Iliad, celebrated as a devoted husband, father, son, and defender of his city. Portrayed as exemplary in duty and martial skill, his mortal fate is shaped by combat, family obligations, and the interventions of gods.
Abas
Abas (Ancient Greek: Ἄβας, gen.: Ἄβαντος) is not a single mythic being but a recurring personal name borne by multiple mortals and minor mythic figures in Greek epic and genealogical traditions — kings, founders, seers, warriors, attendants, a centaur, and a youth transformed by a goddess. The name is glossed in the sources as 'guileless' or 'good-hearted' and appears across Argive, Theban, Trojan, Euboean, and other local cycles.
Achilles
A legendary Greek heroic figure of epic poetry, son of the sea‑nymph Thetis and the mortal Peleus, celebrated as the greatest of the Greek warriors at Troy whose anger and fate shape events in the Trojan War cycle.
Adrastus
Adrastus (Ancient Greek: Ἄδραστος or Ἄδρηστος) is a legendary king of Argos in the Greek mythic-historical tradition, best known as the leader of the expedition of the Seven against Thebes and as a figure tied to oracular counsel, dynastic marriages, and local hero cults.
Aepytus
Aepytus (Ancient Greek: Αἴπυτος, Aíputos/Aípytos, lit. 'steep, high, lofty') is a personal name in Greek myth borne by several legendary kings tied to Arcadian and Heraclid genealogies. The figures named Aepytus function as ancestral/dynastic nodes in literary genealogies and later literary receptions rather than as supernatural beings.
Agenor of Troy
Agenor (Ancient Greek: Ἀγήνώρ) is a mortal Trojan heroic figure in the Greek epic tradition notable for confronting Achilles during a rout in Iliad Book 21; Apollo carries Agenor away in a veil of mist and then impersonates him to distract Achilles, allowing the Trojans to reach safety. Later authors vary about his battlefield kills and his eventual death.
Ajax (Aias)
Ajax (Ancient Greek: Aias) is a human heroic figure of the Trojan-cycle tradition and the tragic protagonist of Sophocles' play Ajax. In the surviving tradition he is a mortal Salaminian warrior celebrated for physical strength and martial reputation whose wounded honor, rage, and resulting suicide are the focus of Sophocles' drama.
Ajax the Great
Ajax the Great (Ancient Greek: Αἴας, Aíās) is a mortal heroic figure of the Trojan War cycle, famed as a towering, steadfast Greek champion and defender of the Achaean ships. Prominent in Homer’s Iliad, he is portrayed as second only to Achilles in martial standing and as a paragon of defensive strength and reliability.
Alcinous
Alcinous (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκίνοος, Alkínoos, "mighty mind") is a legendary human king of the Phaeacians in Greek epic tradition. He is portrayed as an ideal hospitable monarch who receives wandering heroes (notably Odysseus and the Argonauts), presides over feasts and games, adjudicates disputes, and provides ships, gifts, and safe passage. Variant genealogies and island-identifications appear across sources, but his role as a beneficent royal host is consistent.
Alcmeonis
A lost early Greek epic poem (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκμεωνίς / Ἀλκμαιωνίς) traditionally counted among the Theban cycle; known only from a small number of fragmentary references, it narrated the story of Alcmaeon’s killing of his mother Eriphyle in vengeance for the death of his father Amphiaraus.
Amphialus (Amphialos)
Amphialus (Ancient Greek: Άμφίαλος, Amphialus/Amphialos, lit. 'of two seas') is a recurring personal name in classical Greek epic, genealogical tradition, and later pastoral/romance literature. The name is applied to several distinct mortal figures — a Phaeacian athlete in the Odyssey, various seafaring companions and suitors in Homeric summaries, a son of Neoptolemus and Andromache in genealogical accounts, and a noble/warrior character in early modern Arcadian romances — rather than to a single supernatural being.
Amphinomus
Amphinomus (Ἀμφίνομος) is a personal name borne by several human figures in Greek tradition, most notably a princely suitor of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey; other bearers appear in local genealogies, a Catanian civic legend, and a later historical record as a geometer. The sources treat Amphinomus as mortal personages rather than a supernatural being.
Andromache
Andromache (Ancient Greek Ἀνδρομάχη) is a human figure of ancient Greek literary tradition: the wife of Hector of Troy who exemplifies virtuous fidelity, ritual mourning, and the losses suffered by women in war. She appears in Homeric epic and later classical sources as grieving spouse, captive concubine after Troy's fall, and later queen in post-war narratives.
Community Record
- [1]Patroclus - Wikipedia. Wikipedia, entry 'Patroclus'.wiki
- [2]The Iliad by Homer (Book 16 and related passages). Homer, Iliad (translations and summaries as in The Internet Classics Archive).literary
- [3]Philostratus (description cited in summaries). Physical description of Patroclus attributed to Philostratus (as summarized in modern reference entries).literary
- [4]Dares the Phrygian (summary citation). Description attributed to Dares the Phrygian (as summarized in modern reference entries).literary
- [5]Wikidata: Patroclus (modern nomenclatural reuse noted). Wikidata entry noting modern uses of the name (asteroid, taxonomic reuse).other
- [6]Attalus: Patroclus in ancient sources. Collected ancient source references for Patroclus (name, attestations).other