Was Achilles king of the Myrmidons?
In Homer’s Iliad, the Myrmidons are the soldiers commanded by Achilles. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of Phthiotis who was a son of Zeus and “wide-ruling” Eurymedousa, a princess of Phthiotis. She was seduced by him in the form of an ant….
| Myrmidons | |
|---|---|
| Type | Nation |
| Leader | Achilles |
Who was the best of the Myrmidons?
Patroclus
The gods say that the “best of the Myrmidons” (Achilles’s kinsmen) will die soon, and while many assume that this means Achilles, the prophecy actually refers to Patroclus who is the best of them due to his kindness.
Is the story of Achilles true?
There is no proof that Achilles existed or that any of Homer’s other characters did. The long answer is that Homer’s Achilles may have been based, at least in part, on a historical character; the same is true of the rest of Homer’s characters.
What happened to the Myrmidons after Achilles died?
Thus, it was, that when Achilles withdrew from the battlefield after his argument with Agamemnon, so did the Myrmidons; and it was during this time that the war went particularly badly for the Achaeans. After the death of Achilles, the Myrmidons became the loyal troops of Neoptolemus.
Why did the Myrmidons fight against the Achaeans?
The Myrmidons were also intensely loyal to their leaders, and for the majority of the Trojan War this meant Achilles. Thus, it was, that when Achilles withdrew from the battlefield after his argument with Agamemnon, so did the Myrmidons; and it was during this time that the war went particularly badly for the Achaeans.
Who were the commanders of the Myrmidons at Troy?
Named commanders of the Myrmidons at Troy include Alcimedon, Bathycles, Epigeus, Eudorus, Menesthius and Pisander.
Who were the Myrmidons?
The 12th-century Byzantine poet John Tzetzes also identified the Myrmidons with the Bulgars, whom he also identified with the Paeonians, although the latter may be intended in a purely geographical sense. In the 11th century, Michael Attaleiates called the Rus’ Myrmidons, but this usage did not catch on.