Hector with his family

Leading.
The great hero of Troy, Hector, was killed today under the walls of the city of Priam. About this with reference to a source in the camp of the Achaeans reports the news agency "Homer". At the same time, conflicting information about the death of the hero comes from the battlefield. So, Hector's brother Paris, told us that the helmet-shining warrior fell in the battle with Achilles, who was greatly helped by the gods.

Paris.
Hector was murdered treacherously and treacherously. Achilles challenged him to a fight, but their duel was by no means fair. We have reliable information that the gods helped the Myrmidon warrior. Pallas Athena lured Hector into a trap, and then disarmed him, as a result of which our glorious hero fell, pierced by the spear of Achilles. So all the statements of the Achaeans that the fight was fair are lies and fiction. Moreover, Achilles, contrary to the laws of war, allowed himself an outrage over the body of Hector. He pierced my brother's legs, put a belt in them, and drove my brother in a chariot around Troy. And then he brought him to the camp, where these cowardly Greeks took turns stabbing Hector's body with a spear. Miserable jackals! None of them, except Ajax, dared to fight him in open battle. But they swooped down like a pack of dogs on his dead body.

Leading.
The Greek leaders claim that the duel between Achilles and Hector was honest and uncompromising. According to the king of Sparta Menelaus, the gods did not help Achilles to defeat the rival. The Myrmidon won thanks to his martial arts.

Menelaus.

Early in the morning Achilles got into his chariot, rode up to the walls of Troy and challenged Hector to battle. He left, and they began to fight. As befits ancient heroes. Then the Trojan prince lost his spear, and Achilles pierced it with his own. The point hit right in the neck, Hector fell and died! He died, I must say, from wounds received earlier. He had terrible bleeding abrasions on both legs. And it was these abrasions that caused his death. And the gods have absolutely nothing to do with it. It's just that Achilles was stronger. As for the body of Hector, which we allegedly disgraced, it is simply put on public display in our camp.

Leading.
Among the gods, as stated in the official message of the press service of Olympus, the news of the death of Hector caused heated discussions. The gods have long been divided into two parties, one of them supports the Achaeans, the other - the Trojans. However, most of the gods are in favor of an end to hostilities. Among them is the lord of the underworld, Hades.

Hades.
Escalating violence will not lead to positive change. The War of Troy has dragged on, and it is obviously not good for anyone. Both camps suffered huge losses. How many glorious heroes fell in this merciless, fratricidal war unleashed by the gods? My servants work seven days a week and without lunch breaks. An endless stream of dead heroes lined the banks of the Styx. Charon, our carrier, is about to go on strike, he says that I am making him work on an inhuman schedule. And now I speak to the gods. Brothers and nephews, that's enough. Stop. Let's end the Trojan War before we lose another hundred great heroes. Let's assume that the Achaeans and the Trojans have played a draw!

Leading.
The queen of the gods Hera called the message about the death of Hector good news.

Hera.

The fate of Hector must be decided by the Achaean people. But in general, it is very cool that the Greeks managed to defeat this proud warrior, whose helmet shone so brightly in the sun. And here's another thing I wanted to say. We, in the sense of the gods, have nothing to do with the death of Hector. We are, in fact, in favor of peace and democracy. We supported the Achaeans only because King Priam, Hector's father, cruelly tyrannized and killed his people. In Troy, neither the government nor even the parliament functioned. We considered it our duty to fit. I do not understand my colleagues who support Troy. And I'm going to remove them from my friends on social networks.

Leading.
Hector was one of the bravest heroes of his time. He led the Trojan troops and almost defeated the Achaeans. The prince almost defeated the Greeks. Details about Hector in the material of our correspondent.

Corr.
Priam and Hecuba had fifty sons. It was they who made up the bulk of the glorious Trojan heroes. But even against their background, Hector stood out for his strength, and courage, and intelligence. It was Elder Priam who instructed him to command his troops, and he defended the city for ten years, inflicting heavy defeats on the Achaeans. Hector was the first to shed blood in this war. With his long spear, he struck down Protiselai, the first Greek hero to set foot on Greek soil. And, who knows, maybe if it weren't for Hector, Troy would have already fallen long ago, and the Greeks would have already dispersed to their kingdoms. But the famous hero did not allow the Hellenes to destroy their hometown. At the same time, he led the troops not standing on the city walls, but fighting in the forefront. Priam's son nearly killed Ajax, the most powerful Greek hero after Achilles. According to the Homer agency, Hector threw a stone at Telomonides so heavy that three men could only lift it with levers. Then, Hector repelled the attack of the Achaeans and launched a counteroffensive. He pushed the invaders back to their camp and even set fire to several ships. In total, no less than thirty Greek heroes fell from the hands of Hector during the campaign. Many experts attributed the success of the prince to the absence of worthy opponents in the Achaean camp. The Greek leaders Menelaus and Agamemnon tried to avoid meeting the Trojan heroes, as did Odysseus. Ajax could not defeat Hector in a fair fight. The strength of the prince was superior only to Achilles, but he quarreled with Agamemnon, retired to his tent and refused to fight. And while Achilles was sitting in the tent, Hector destroyed the Greek camp. It was then that a fatal event happened in the life of the Trojan prince. The young hero Patroclus, confidant of Achilles, challenged him. This young man succeeded in throwing the Trojans away from the Greek camp and pressing them against the gates of the city of Priam. But Patrokol did not manage to break into the city, for he fell, slain by Hector. If his son Priam had not been killed, the victory, most likely, would have remained with the Trojans. But the death of Patroclus angered Achilles. He forgot his grudge against Agamemnon and went into battle. With his return, the Greeks gained confidence in their actions, and the Trojans, who had recently stormed the enemy camp, settled on the defensive. But Achilles wanted revenge and was looking for Hector. The Trojan was brave and could not hide, although his own wife begged him to abandon the duel with Achilles. Many even said that Hector fled from Troy. They were wrong. He stayed. Left to die.

Leading.
And, as the news agencies just reported, King Priam of Troy went secretly to Achilles' tent. He is about to negotiate the return of his eldest son's body.

Troy

Avenge the death of Patroclus! Achilles heard about the death of his friend, and inexpressible sorrow overtook him; he fell to the ground and from grief began to tear the hair on his head. Only one thing now he wanted: to slay Hector, to avenge the death of Patroclus. Thetis came out to him from the sea, persuaded, tried to console him, - Achilles did not listen, his heart longed for revenge.

In the meantime, the battle continued, it was hard for the Greeks, Ajax barely kept the onslaught of Hector, the Trojans had already completely captured the body of Patroclus. Achilles learned about this and went to the wall of the Greek camp. He was unarmed, but Trojans of one kind were afraid; when he uttered a formidable cry, horror seized the enemies, they turned back and fled. The Greeks carried the body of Patroclus out of the battle, put it on a stretcher and with a loud cry carried it to the tent of Achilles. Patroclus was washed, anointed with expensive incense, and laid on a richly decorated bed. Achilles mourned his friend all night.

Hephaestus forges armor for Achilles. Thetis realized that her son urgently needed armor, rushed to Olympus, to the palace of Hephaestus. He was an unsurpassed blacksmith, he respected and honored Thetis. She once saved this god from the wrath of Hera and knew that he would not refuse her anything. She asked Thetis to forge armor for her son during the night. God agreed, and immediately set to work. By morning the armor was ready; people have never seen anything like it. They shone like a bright flame, and on the shield were depicted earth and sky, sea and stars, cities, people, animals. Only God could create such beauty.

As soon as dawn broke, Thetis brought the armor to Achilles. He decided to immediately go into battle with the Trojans. But before that he gathered the Greeks for a popular meeting, and there they reconciled with Agamemnon. The king admitted that he was wrong before Achilles, gave all the gifts that he had promised, and returned to Briseis.

The beginning of the fight. The Greeks went out into the field, their ranks were formidable and courageous. Achilles rode out into the field in his chariot, his eyes burned with anger, but his heart was filled with sorrow. Allowed Zeus and the gods to participate in the battle: Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes and Hephaestus immediately joined the Greeks; Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares and Apollo sided with the Trojans.

And so the troops came together. There has never been such a battle under the walls of Troy! After all, not only people fought in it - the gods themselves fought with each other! Achilles raged like a raging fire. His hands were covered with blood, shields, helmets, bodies were crushed under the hooves of his horses. He knew no mercy, no one could escape the destructive spear of Achilles. In no way could he meet only with Hector - each time Apollo shrouded the darkness of the Trojan hero and deflected blows from him. But Hector's hour struck, Apollo was unable to change his fate and stepped aside.

Hector was left alone with Achilles. Fear seized the son of Priam, and he rushed to run around the walls of Troy; Achilles followed him like a hawk. Three times the heroes ran around the city, and then Athena Pallas appeared to Achilles, ordered to stop and promised victory over Hector. She took the form of Deiphobus, brother of Hector, and convinced him to fight Achilles, promising to help in battle. Hector stopped, turned to meet his mortal enemy. But before starting the battle, he said, referring to Achilles: “One of us is destined to die in a duel. I promise not to dishonor your body if the Thunderer gives victory. Promise you too! ” Achilles answered him threateningly: “No! An agreement between us is impossible, just as it is impossible between people and lions or sheep and wolves! There is no salvation for you! You will pay me for the shed blood of Patroclus! ”

Achilles wins. Achilles threw a spear at Hector with a mighty hand, but the Trojan hero fell to the ground and escaped a fatal blow. In its turn, Hector's spear flew at Achilles, but bounced off the shield forged by Hephaestus like a light reed. Hector extended his hand to Deiphobus in order to take another spear, but his hand remained empty, there was no one behind him, he found himself alone with a formidable enemy. Hector understood that the gods had doomed him to death, but the mighty hero did not want to die ingloriously; grabbed a sword from its sheath and rushed at Achilles. Achilles rushed to meet him with a spear in his hand. Hit! And the shining helmet Hector falls to the ground. He was wounded to death by the spear of Achilles. Hector only managed to say: "I conjure you, Achilles, with your life and your relatives: do not give my body to the dogs to be torn apart, return it to your father and mother, they will give you an uncountable ransom for it." - “In vain do you beg me! - answered Achilles. “I myself would have torn you to pieces if I had succumbed to the anger burning in me! Nobody will drive away the dogs from your body, your father Priam and mother Hecuba will never pay for it! "

He tied the body of Hector by the legs to his chariot and, with a cry of victory, drove it along the walls of Troy. All the Trojans sobbed loudly, seeing how the stones were torn apart by the body of the one who until recently was the mainstay of Troy, its main hope.

Priam asks for Hector's body. Defeating Hector, Achilles arranged a magnificent funeral for Patroclus. The hero's funeral pyre burned all night, the Achaeans poured a high mound over his ashes. And Hector's body remained unburied. The gods did not like it, - Achilles acted wickedly with the defeated enemy. And so Zeus sent Thetis to his son to convey the will of the immortals, so that he would give the body of Hector to his parents. At the same time, the messenger of Zeus, Iris, went to Priam and ordered to take a rich ransom to Achilles. Hermes himself escorted Priam to the Greek camp, making him invisible to the Greeks. Priam entered the tent of Achilles, fell on his knees in front of him and prayed: “Oh, great Achilles! Remember your father, an old man like me! Maybe his city was besieged by enemies now, and there is no one to defend it. I lost almost all of my sons, and here Hector is smitten with your hand! Have pity on me! I am already killed and humiliated, because there is no torment worse than kissing the hands of the murderer of my children! "

He remembered here Achilles about his father, thought that he himself was soon destined to die. Achilles wept bitterly, and the two of them wept, each about his own grief.

And then he ordered Achilles to wash the body of Hector and dress him in precious clothes. He promised Priam that the Greeks would not resume the battles for as long as the Trojans needed for the burial of their greatest hero, and released the Trojan king in peace. The Trojans sobbed loudly as Priam rode into the city gates with the body of his son in a chariot. Everyone cried, even Elena herself! No one loved her in Troy, only she did not hear a single evil word from Hector, and her only friend died. The Trojans buried their mighty defender, and it became clear that the days of the great city were numbered.

Death of Achilles. Achilles burned with terrible anger, he fought the Trojans every day, sent the souls of many heroes to the gloomy Hades, but he was not destined to take the city. Soon after the death of Hector, when Achilles exterminated the Trojans at the very fortress gates, Apollo appeared to Paris. The prince did not participate in the battle, he was afraid of Achilles. He stood on the city wall with a bow in his hands and from there he struck the Achaeans with arrows. Many fell from the arrows shot by Paris. They did not take only one Achilles: after all, he was invulnerable. Apollo knew that only in the heel it was possible to defeat Achilles, and directed the arrow's flight to the right place. She whistled in the air and stabbed the hero in the heel. Achilles fell to the ground. The Trojans rushed at him, but the hero managed to rise and destroy many more enemies, and then his last strength left him; and again he fell, this time forever. A brutal slash boiled around his body. Just as Patroclus was recently taken out of battle, so now Achilles was also taken out. The mighty Ajax carried it, and Odysseus defended it, fighting off the Trojans.

Achilles was buried in the same place with Patroclus; the Muses themselves sang a funeral hymn in his memory. A burial mound was poured even higher, it could be seen far from the sea, testifying to the glory of the heroes who had died under it.

A controversy over the armor of Achilles. Wonderful armor remained after Achilles. Thetis commanded to give them to the one who distinguished himself the most, protecting his body. But who - Ajax or Odyssey? A dispute arose between the heroes, and they decided to judge it by lot. Menelaus and Agamemnon cheated, changed the lot of Ajax, and received the armor of Odysseus. Ajax was saddened. He went into his tent, planning to take revenge on the offenders.

At night, when the entire Achaean camp was immersed in a deep sleep, he left his tent with a drawn sword in his hand and went to the tents of Agamemnon and Menelaus, intending to kill them. But at that moment the madness of Athena Pallas, who did not want the death of her favorites, unleashed on him, and took the mighty Ajax for his enemies a herd of bulls. Ajax violently attacked the bulls and began to exterminate, thinking that he was tormenting the offenders. When morning came, the hero's mind cleared up. He saw that his tent was filled with killed animals. Ajax was horrified and decided to wash away the shame with blood. He retired to the seashore and there he threw himself on the sword. At first, Agamemnon and Menelaus did not want to arrange a ceremonial burial of Ajax, but Odysseus persuaded them not to conceal evil after the death of the hero who rendered so many services to the Greeks. A new burial mound grew up next to the mound of Achilles and Patroclus, the ashes of the mighty Ajax rested under it.

Hector - in ancient Greek mythology, the eldest son of Priam and Hecuba, the main Trojan hero in the Iliad. Hector enjoyed the special patronage of the god Apollo, from which some ancient authors conclude that Hector was the son of Apollo.
When Achilles demonstratively withdrew from participating in the war after a quarrel with Agamemnon, Achilles' armor was put on by his best friend, Patroclus. Taken by everyone for Achilles, Patroclus crushed many Trojans and reached the very walls of Troy, where Hector killed him and took the armor of Achilles.
When Thetis (mother of Achilles) the next morning brought her son new armor, forged by the god Hephaestus, Achilles challenged Hector and killed him:

Pelida had a sophisticated spear sparkling,
In his right hand he shook, intending life on Hector,
Looking for beautiful places on the body for sure blows.
But the hero's whole body was covered with copper-bound armor,
The magnificent one, which he stole, defeating the power of Patroclus.
There only, where the keys with the ramen are tied, the larynx
A part was exposed, a place where death is inevitable for the soul:
There, having swooped down, Achilles struck Priamides with a spear;
A deadly sting passed right through the white neck;
Only his larynx was not cut by a crushing ash
Just so that the dying man could say a few words;
He burst into dust, - and Achilles cried out loudly, triumphant:
"Hector, you killed Patroclus - and thought to stay alive!
You were not afraid of me either when I retired from battles,
Reckless enemy! But his avenger, incomparably strongest,
If not you, I remained behind the Achaean courts,
I, and the one who crushed your knees! You for shame
Birds and dogs will tear him apart, and the Argives will bury him. "

(Homer, Iliad, Canto 22)

After the victory, Achilles tied the body of the slain Hector to the chariot and dragged it around Troy.

The body of the dead Hector was guarded by Apollo, so neither predatory animals nor decay touched it. At the council of the gods, Apollo was the first to raise his voice in defense of giving Hector's body to Priam, as a result, Zeus ordered Achilles to return Hector's body to Troy.

Hector was married to Andromache. In Homer's Iliad, she is depicted as a faithful and loving wife, anticipating the imminent death of her husband. Before one of the battles, Andromache, at parting, says to Hector:

An amazing husband, your courage is ruining you! no son
You do not regret the baby or the poor mother; soon
I will be a widow, unhappy! the Argives are coming soon,
Having attacked together, they will kill! and abandoned by you, Hector,
It is better for me to go down to the ground: there will be no joy for me,
If, comprehended by fate, you leave me: my lot is
Sorrow! I have neither a father nor a tender mother!
(...)
Hector, you are everything to me now - both a father and a dear mother,
You and my only brother, you and my beautiful husband!

(Homer's Iliad, Canto 6)

After the capture of Troy, the son of Hector and Andromache was killed by the Achaeans, Andromache became the concubine of the son of Achilles - Neoptolemus. After the death of Neoptolemus, Andromache becomes the wife of Elena, Cassandra's twin brother. Andromache and Helen reigned in Epirus, where they were found during his wanderings by Hector's former associate Aeneas.

Astyanact - son of Hector and Andromache... the last descendant of Ila - the founder of Troy. Hector had high hopes for him and dreamed that someday Astyanact would become a mighty ruler of Troy, about whom people would say that he surpassed his father. But neither his dreams, nor Andromache's fears that in the event of his father's death, his son would have to beg for alms at other people's doors did not come true. Astyanact died in the capture of Troy.

According to one version, some Achaean warrior tore him out of his mother's hands and threw him from the city wall, according to another - Astyanakt was killed in front of King Priam by the son of Achilles Neoptolemus. According to Arctinus, Odysseus did it.

According to the version of Gellanicus, Neoptolemus released him from Troy, he came to Askania. According to Gellanicus, he founded Arisba together with Askania. Together with Askania, he resettled the inhabitants from Paleoskepsis to the new Skepsis. Their descendants ruled Skepsis for a long time. According to Xanthus of Lydia, he brought the Phrygians from the Berekinti region and from Askania. According to Anaxicratus, he arrived at Tanais.

Astianact appears on several dozen antique vases with various subjects: "Farewell of Hector to Andromache", "Andromache with Astyanact", "Death of Astyanact". The oldest of them date back to the end. 7 c. BC e. but character identification is not always reliable.

Homer calls Astimakt Scamandrius. The tragedy Action "Astianakt" was dedicated to him. The character in Seneca's tragedy "The Trojan Women". In the cycle of fantasy novels by Philip Farmer "The World of the River", Astyanact, resurrected by an alien civilization, appears as one of the main characters.

Andromache is the wife of the great Trojan hero Hector. During the battle for Troy, Hector dies and Andromache goes to Achilles' son Neoptolemus. She mourns the death of Troy, her beloved husband, the hated new marriage and her slave lot.

Andromache gave birth to a son to Neoptolemus, and the hero's lawful wife hated her. With the help of an insidious plan, she almost killed Andromache, but she is saved by Peleus, the father of Achilles. Neoptolemus dies at the hands of Orestes and Andromache becomes the lawful wife of King Gelen and rules with him in Epirus.

Sources: drevniebogi.ru, www.fanbio.ru, www.symbolarium.ru, lib.liim.ru, dic.academic.ru

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However, a number of authors claim that he was the son of Apollo. Andromache's husband. One of the main characters of the Trojan War, and also one of the main characters in Homer's Iliad.

Hector's exploits began from the first moments of the Trojan War. According to legend, he struck to death the first Greek who set foot on the land of Troy - Protesilaus.

But Hector especially became famous in the ninth year of the war, having challenged Ajax Telamonides to battle. They promised each other, in case of defeat, not to desecrate the bodies of the defeated enemy and not to take off his armor. After a long struggle, they decided to end the fight and exchanged gifts of mutual respect. Despite Cassandra's predictions, Hector hoped to defeat the Greeks. The Trojans under his leadership broke into the fortified camp of the Achaeans, approached the navy and even managed to set one of the ships on fire.

The next feat of Hector was a victory in a duel with Patroclus. The hero removed the armor of Achilles from the defeated enemy. Apollo himself patronized Hector. Obsessed with revenge for the death of a friend, Achilles fought with Hector and crushed him. He tied the defeated dead Hector to his chariot and dragged him around the walls of Troy, but neither birds nor decay touched the hero's body, since Apollo protected him.

According to myths, at the advice of the Greek gods, Apollo persuaded Zeus to hand over the body of Hector to the Trojans, so that they would bury him with honor. Zeus ordered Achilles to give the body of the deceased to his father Priam.

Hector was a very revered hero in Ancient Greece, which proves the fact that he was depicted in antique plastic and on old vases.

The protagonist of the tragedy of Euripides “Alexander

The asteroid (624) Hector, discovered in 1907, is named in honor of Hector.

Death of Hector

(Homer. Iliad. P. XXI, 521 - X XII)

Retelling by Georg Stoll

The angry Achilles rushed through the ranks of the Trojans, struck them with a spear and sword and put them to flight; they ran in droves to the city gates. The king of Ilion, the aged Priam, stood on the sacred tower; seeing the death and flight of the Trojans, he sobbed and, going downstairs, ordered the guards to open the gates, and then again lock them tightly, as soon as the Trojan fighters rushed into the city. To ward off death from the sons of Troy, Phoebus Apollo raised to battle Agenor, the glorious son of Antenorov: Phoebus filled his heart with courage, and Agenor dared to engage in battle with the formidable Pelidus [Achilles is the son of Pelias, that is, Pelidus]. Holding a round shield in front of his chest, he aimed at Pelida for a long time and finally launched a spear at him: the spear hit the knee, but did not wound the hero, but bounced back, reflected by the divine armor, the gift of the great artisan Hephaestus. Then Achilles threw himself at Agenor, but Apollo covered the Trojan with deep darkness and, unharmed, took him away from the battle; God himself took the form of Agenor and ran from Achilles to the shores of Scamander; Achilles chased after him and left the rest of the Trojans. This is how the god Pelida deceived and helped the Trojans who fled from the field to hide behind the walls of the city. In great confusion the Trojans fled to the city; each thought of his own salvation, no one cared about others, no one inquired whether his comrade was alive or died in battle. Running into the city, the Trojans sighed, wiped the sweat from their faces and quenched their weary thirst. Hector alone remained in the field: as if bound by an evil fate, he stood motionless in front of the Skean gate and did not think to enter the city of Achilles, but at that time he was still chasing Apollo; suddenly the god stopped and, turning to Pelidus, said: “What are you pursuing, mortal, immortal? Or have you not yet recognized the god in me? You will not kill me, I am not involved in death. You scour the field, and the Trojans you stricken have already disappeared beyond the city walls! " Then Pelidas recognized Apollo and, flaring up with anger, cried out: “You deceived me, arrowhead, distracted me from the Trojans! Many of them would fall to dust and bite the ground with their teeth! You stole the glory of victory from me and saved them without labor and danger to yourself: why should you fear the revenge of a mortal! But I would take revenge on you, if only I could! " So the hero exclaimed and quickly ran to the city.

Elder Priam was the first to see Achilles running across the field from the wall: the hero shone brightly with his armor - like that ominous star called the Dog of Orion people: in autumn, between the innumerable stars burning in the darkness of the night, it shines brightest of all, foreshadowing terrible troubles for mortals ... Priam cried out and, sobbing, grabbed his gray head with his hands and began to pray to his son, who was still standing in the field, in front of the Skean gate, and awaiting the approach of Achilles. “Hector, my beloved son! Priam told him. - Do not wait for Achilles in the field alone, without companions: he is stronger than you in battles. O destroyer! If the gods loved him as much as I did, long ago dogs and birds of prey would torment his corpse, and my heart would not languish with sorrow any more! How many mighty sons of mine he killed, how many he sold in captivity to peoples living on distant islands! Enter the city, my son; protect the husbands and wives of Ilion. Have pity on me, the unfortunate one; before the door of the grave Zeus executes me with a terrible execution, makes me endure grave troubles: to see the death of my sons, the captivity of my daughters and daughters-in-law, the destruction of our houses, the beating of innocent, defenseless babies. Having exterminated all the Trojans, the enemies will put me to death, and the dogs, which I myself have nurtured, will torment my body, drink my blood! " So the elder prayed to his son and tore his gray hair. Following her father began to beg Hector and his mother Hecuba; sobbing, she said to her son: “My son, have pity on your poor mother! Do not engage in battle with Achilles: he will overcome you, carry you away, not mourned by either your mother or wife, to his ships, there your body will be torn apart by the Myrmidon dogs! "

But the pleas of his father and mother did not change Hector's intentions: leaning his shield against the base of the tower, he stood and waited for Achilles. And now Achilles ran up to him, menacing and terrible, like Ares himself; he raised his spear high, armor shone on him with a bright, dazzling light. Hector saw him, trembled and, driven by fear, ran away from him; Achilles, on the other hand, chased him like a falcon after a timid dove: the dove rushes to the sides, and the predator, eager to quickly seize the prey, swoops straight at it. The trembling Hector quickly ran away from the enemy; but Achilles pursued him tirelessly. They rushed along the city wall, past the hills overgrown with fig trees, and ran to the springs of the fast-flowing Xanthus. Like a hunter's dog chasing a deer raised by it, so Achilles chased Hector and did not allow him to approach the wall, where the Trojans could defend him from the towers with arrows. Three times they ran around the city and for the fourth time ran up to the Scamander springs. The father of immortals and mortals, the providential Zeus, took the golden scales in his hands, threw on them two lots of death: one lot of Achilles, the other - of Priam's son; Zeus took the scales in the middle and lifted: Hector's lot dropped to the ground. From that moment, Apollo retreated from him, and imminent death approached. Beaming with joy, Athena approached Pelidus and said: “Stop and rest, Pelidus: Hector cannot leave us now; wait, I will bring him together with you, I will inspire him with the desire to attack you himself. " Achilles obeyed the word of the goddess and, full of joy, stood leaning on a spear; Athena, however, quickly caught up with Hector and, assuming the appearance of his brother Deiphobus, addressed him with the following speech: “Poor my brother, how cruelly the cruel Achilles persecutes you! We'd better stop, meet him here and fearlessly fight him. " Hector answered her: “O Deiphobus! I have always loved you more than other brothers, but now you have become even dearer and dearer to me: you alone came to my aid, while others still don’t dare to leave the walls. ” “Hector,” said Athena, “both father and mother, and friends — all begged me to stay with them, but I could not bear it: my heart was crushed with longing for you. Wait, let us fight Achilles, let us spare no more spears; we will see whether Achilles will kill both of us, or he will have to humble himself before us. " So the goddess of the hero of Troy seduced and brought him to battle with Pelidas.

And when both heroes met, Hector was the first to say to Pelidus: “Son of Peleus, I will no longer run from you; my heart commands me to fight with you: let destinies be fulfilled. But before we enter the battle, let us take an oath and call upon the gods to witness it: if Zeus grants me victory over you, I will not dishonor your body - I will only take off your glorious armor from you, but I will give the body to the Danes; do the same. " Achilles looked at him menacingly and replied: “It is not for you, Hector, to offer me the terms of the contract! As agreements are impossible between lions and people, between wolves and lambs, so agreements and agreements between us are impossible: one of us must today saturate the fierce god Ares with his blood. Remember now all your military art: today you must be an excellent, fearless fighter: you have no longer run away. Soon Pallas Athena will tame you with my spear and at once you will pay me for everything that my friends have suffered from you! " And with these words Achilles threw his long-length spear at the enemy; but Hector, leaning to the ground, avoided the blow: flying over him, the spear stuck into the ground. Athena tore the spear out of the ground and gave it to Pelis again; Hector did not see what Athena had done, and, rejoicing, exclaimed loudly: “You have wrongly marked, Pelidas! No, apparently, Zeus did not tell you my fate, as you boasted to me now; you thought you would intimidate me, but you were mistaken, I am not going to run before you. Beware of my spear now! " So Hector spoke to Achilles and threw a spear at him and did not miss: it hit the very middle of Achilles' shield, only it did not break through the shield, but, hitting the copper, bounced far back. Seeing that, Hector was embarrassed and lowered his eyes: he had no other spear; he loudly began to call his brother Deiphobus to him, demanding another spear from him, but Deiphobus disappeared. Here the hero realized that he was deceived by Pallas Athena and that he could not escape death now, and in order not to fall ingloriously, without doing anything great, he drew his sharp and long sword and, swinging it like an eagle, rushed to Pelis. But Pelidus did not stand idle: angry, he rushed towards Hector, shaking his sharp spear and choosing a place on his body for a more sure blow. The entire body of the Trojan was covered with magnificent, strong armor, which he had stolen from the body of Patroclus; only part of the larynx was exposed - near the collarbones. Achilles sent his blow to this place: the spear passed through the whole neck, and the hero fell to the ground. Then the triumphant Achilles cried out loudly: “You thought, Hector, that the death of Patroclus would remain without revenge! You forgot about me, reckless! Dogs and birds of prey will now tear your body to pieces, but the Argovians will bury Patroclus with honor. " With difficulty catching his breath, Hector began to pray to the victor: “At your feet I conjure you with my life and people who are dear to you: do not throw my body to be torn apart by the Myrmidon dogs; take whatever ransom you want, demand as much as you like, copper, gold - all my father and mother will send you; only return my body to Priam's house, so that the Trojans and Trojans can bury me. " Glancing gloomily at him, Achilles replied: “In vain you embrace my legs and conjure me: no one will be given the power to drive away greedy dogs and a bird of prey from your head! You will not be mourned by Hecuba, even if your father agreed to weigh your body in gold! " Emitting groans, then the unfortunate Hector said to him: “I knew you, I knew that you cannot touch you with any prayer: you have an iron heart in your chest! But the anger of the gods trembles: the day will soon come - the arrowhead Phoebus and Paris at the Skean gate will take your life. " So Hector prophesied and closed his eyes: the soul quietly flew out of his mouth and descended into the abode of Hades. Having snatched a spear from the body of the deceased, Achilles exclaimed: "I am not going to run away from my fate and I am ready to meet death when Zeus and other immortals send it!"

And then he threw the spear aside and began to remove his own armor, drenched in blood, from Hector. Meanwhile, other Achaeans ran to the corpse and marveled, looking at Hector, at his gigantic growth and wonderful image. Achilles, exposing the body of the slain, stood among the Achaeans and said to them: “Friends of the Achaeans, fearless servants of Ares! The gods helped me to put to death the one who did us more evil than all the Ilions. Now let us strike at strong-walled Troy, let us taste the thoughts of the Trojans: are they thinking of abandoning their strongholds or do they intend to continue to defend themselves, despite the fact that their leader is no longer alive? But what am I planning, what I tell you! Unmourned, not yet buried, Patroclus lies by the ships! Sing the victory song, Achaean men, and let us go to the ships: we have won great glory, we have defeated a powerful hero whom the Trojans revered as a god! " So spoke Achilles and pierced the tendons on Hector's legs, and, threading the straps, tied his body to the chariot, then, lifting the armor removed from the deceased, stood on the chariot and struck the horses with a whip. Achilles quickly rushed to the ships, dragging Hector's body with him; The black curls of Priam's son were disheveled, his face was covered with black dust: the Olympian allowed the hero to dishonor his native land, which he had defended from enemies for so long and so valiantly. Seeing that, Hecuba sobbed loudly, tore the gray hair on her head, beat herself in the Persian and, in a frenzy, fell to the ground; Elder Priam also sobbed bitterly, and all the citizens of Troy raised a weeping: screams were heard throughout the whole city - as if the whole of Ilion was being destroyed, from edge to edge enveloped in a disastrous flame.

Andromache was sitting at that time in the most distant chamber of the house and weaving, not anticipating any trouble; she ordered the servants to light a fire and heat the water: so that the water would be ready for Hector's ablution when he returned from the battlefield. Suddenly, Andromache hears screams and screams on the Skei Tower: she shuddered and, from fright, dropped the shuttle from her hands; Andromache knew that her husband never fights with others, but always flies forward, and she wondered if Achilles had cut Hector off from the Trojans and attacked him, lonely, far from the walls of Ilion? Her heart fluttered, and, like a madwoman, she rushed from the tower to the tower. Entering the wall and seeing how the stormy horses of Pelida rush the body of Hector across the field, Andromache fell on her back and seemed to give up her ghost. Daughters-in-law and sister-in-law gathered around her, lifted her up, and, pale and grief-stricken, held her in their arms for a long time. When she finally came to her senses, the poor woman sobbed and, addressing the crowd of Trojan wives that surrounded her, said: “Oh, Hector, woe to me poor! On the mountain, you and I were both born into the world: you are in Ilion, and I, unfortunate, in Thebes, in the house of king Eethion. You descend, my husband, into the abode of Hades, into the underground abysses, and forever leave me, inconsolable, with a gray and poor baby: a lot of grief lies ahead for the orphan, many needs and insults! With his head bowed, with a tear-stained, downcast gaze to the ground, he will walk among his father's friends and acquaintances and humbly ask for mercy first from one, then from another. Another, shrinking, will hold out the poor cup and let him wet his mouth in it - only the mouth, the palate in the mouth from the cup will not allow to soak. More often than not, the orphan will be driven away from the meal, they will scold and insult with a rude, heartless word: "Go away," the happy family man will tell him, "you see, your father is not between us!" And, crying, the unhappy, hungry baby will return to his mother, a poor widow. Whatever he will experience, whatever Astyanax will endure now, having lost his father! Now his father Hector lies naked by the ships of Myrmidon, worms gnaw his lifeless body, torment his greedy dogs! " So, sobbing bitterly, spoke Andromache; with her the whole crowd of Trojan wives sobbed and groaned.

Burial of Hector

(Homer. Iliad. P. XXIV)

When the games ended, the Achaeans, dispersed to the tents, hastened to refresh themselves with an evening meal and, tired of the day's labors, rested in a sweet dream. But Pelidus did not close his eyes all night. Rushing through the 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, yearning and lonely, he wandered until the day when the day-box lit up the coast and the sea itself with purple. Then Pelidas quickly harnessed his horses, tied Hector's body to the chariot and wrapped it three times around the burial mound of Patroclus; then he threw the body on 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, whipping along the ground behind the chariot of Pelis.

The immortal gods were embraced with pity when they saw how Pelidus dragged the body of Hector behind his chariot. In addition to Hera, Poseidon and Athena, all the Olympians here were indignant at Pelida and began to persuade Hermes to steal the body of the Trojan hero. The strife between the immortals continued for a long time, finally Zeus summoned the mother of Pelis Thetis to Olympus and ordered her to go to her son and convince him to humble his anger and, taking a ransom for the body of Hector, gave it to the Trojans. Thetis quickly rushed to her son and found him still in deep longing for a friend. She sat down beside Achilles, caressed him with her hand and said so: “My dear child! How long will you break your heart? You do not think about drinking, or food, or sleep. You will not live long; the inevitable Death and the harsh Fate are close before you. Hear my word, I proclaim it to you from Zeus. The gods, said the Thunderer, were angry with you: in a frenzy of anger, you, not accepting the ransom, hold the body of Hector, unburied, by the courts of Myrmidon. Take the ransom for the body and give it to the Trojans. " At the same time, Zeus sent Iris to Priam's house. The house of the elder Priam was full of cries and sobs: the royal old man, covering his gray-haired head with ashes, lay prostrate on the ground; around the elder sat his sons and shed their tears on their clothes. In the inner chambers of the house, the daughters and daughters-in-law of Priam wept and tormented, they recalled the spouses and brothers who had fallen at the hands of the Danaans. Approaching Priam, Iris spoke to him in a low voice and said: “Do not be afraid of me, Priam; I did not come to you with bad news - Zeus sent me to your house: he cares and hurts his soul for you. Take the herald with you and go with him to Pelis, bring him the ransom for his 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 Pelis; when you enter his tent, neither he himself will raise his hands against you, nor will he allow others. The son of Peleus is not a madman, not a wicked one: he friendly and mercifully accepts everyone who comes to him with prayer. "

Thus spoke Iris to Priam and, light-winged, flew off like a fast wind. Priam, however, ordered his sons to harness the mules and tie a box to the cart, then hastily entered the upper room where the treasures were kept, and summoned his wife Hecuba there. “The messenger of Zeus appeared to me, Priam told his wife,“ she ordered me to go to the ships of the Danaans, take the gifts to Achilles and pray to him for the release of the body of Hector, our unfortunate son. What do you say about this, my faithful wife? My heart strongly encourages me to go to the camp of the Achaeans today. " Hecuba sobbed loudly and answered her husband: “Woe to me, poor! Or has your mind perished, for which you were famous in the old days both among foreign peoples and in your own kingdom? You, old man, alone do you want to go to the ships of the Danaans, do you want to appear before the eyes of a husband who has killed so many strong and valiant sons of ours? 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 better pay for our son here at home; apparently, it was so destined by fate that our son fed the dogs of Myrmidon with his body! Oh, if I could take revenge on his murderer, if I could, biting into his chest, tore apart his fierce heart! " So the sovereign Priam answered this to his wife: “Do not resist, Hecuba, do not be an ominous bird - I will not change my decision. Zeus himself, sympathizing 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 him to hug the body of his dear son! " With these words, Priam raised the roofs of the chests and took out of them twelve festive, precious garments, twelve carpets, as many fine 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 , presented to him by the Thracians at the time when he went as an ambassador to the Thracian land: so strong was his desire to redeem the body of his dear son. Going out on the porch later, 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 shouted menacingly at his sons, Helen and Paris, Agathon, Deiphobus and others: “Finish you, you worthless, born shame on me? It would be better for all of you to fall instead of Hector before the Danai courts! Woe to me, poor man: I had many valiant sons, and not a single one remained of them! There are only these liars, buffoons, famous only in dancing, despicable predators of the herds of the people! How long will you harness the mules, will you soon put everything that I need to take with me into the box? "

Frightened by the formidable look 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, the ransom for Hector's body to the cart, and Priam himself, together with the senior herald, pulled those horses into the chariot. At this time, a sad-hearted Hecuba approached the chariot and gave her husband a golden goblet 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; making a libation, he raised his gaze to heaven and, praying, exclaimed: “Zeus, our father, possessing from Ida! Help me to incline the angry heart of Peleev's son to mercy! Send me a sign, so that in faith I will go to the ships of the Danaans! " And at the same moment over Troy, on the right side, a powerful-winged eagle appeared, the prophetic bird of Zeus; seeing a soaring eagle, the Trojans rejoiced, and Elder Priam, full of hope for the help of the almighty Zeus, quickly climbed into his chariot and drove the horses to the city gates; mules with a cart were sent ahead - they were ruled by Idey, 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 was going to certain death.

Having left the field, the travelers soon arrived at the grave of Eli and stopped their horses and mules by the clean-flowing river, wishing to give them water; the evening gloom was already falling to the ground. Looking around, Idey saw not far from him a husband, a terrible, as it seemed to Idea, kind. The frightened messenger pointed to him to Priam and said: “Look here, king: trouble is threatening you and me! You see this husband: he will kill both of us! Let us hit the horses and gallop away as quickly as possible, or let us fall at his feet and pray for mercy! " The old man was embarrassed, numb with fear; his gray hair stood on end. But the stranger, a handsome, noble-looking youth, approached the travelers in a friendly manner, gently took the elder by the hand and asked him: “Where are you going, father, at such an hour when all people rest in sleep? Or are you not afraid of the Danaans? If any of them sees you in the field at night and with such clutches, you will be in trouble: you yourself are weak and frail, and your guide is as old as you; the first person we meet will offend us. Do not be afraid of me, I will not offend you, I would also repel another from you: strongly, old man, you remind me of my parent by the look of you, "-" You say justly, my son, "Priam answered the young man. - But, apparently, the gods have not abandoned me yet, if they send such a companion as you. “Tell me the truth,” the young man continued. - You, wanting to save your riches, are sending them to a foreign land? Right, you want to leave Troy? After all, her defender fell, your dear son, who was not inferior in valor in battles to any of the Achaeans! " - “Who are you, kind young man? Priam exclaimed. - Where you're from? Your speech about the fallen Hector, my unfortunate son, pleases the mournful heart of the elder! " “My father’s name is Poliktor,” the young man answered. - I am a servant of Achilles, a Myrmidian by birth, your son I often saw in battles in those days when Achilles, angry with the king Agamemnon, did not let us into the battlefield: from afar we looked at Hector and marveled at how he crushed the Achaeans with destructive copper. “If you are truly the servant of Pelis of Achilles,” Priam pleaded, “tell me, I beg you: does the body of my son still lie at the courts, or did Achilles cut it into pieces and scattered the greedy dogs of Myrmidon?” - “Neither the dogs tormented the body of Hector, nor the mortal decay touched him: to this day he lies unharmed by the courts. True, Pelidas daily at dawn drags a body around the coffin of his friend Patroclus, but the dead man is unharmed, you yourself will be amazed when you see: your son lies fresh and clean, like one washed with dew, there is not a spot of uncleanness on him. So the gods have mercy on your son, even the dead one: he was always close to the heart of the immortal Olympians. " The elder rejoiced here and, joyful, exclaimed: “My son, blessed are those who bring tributes to the celestials. My son has always respected the gods, and that is remembered by the immortals now, after his unfortunate death. " Priam took out a gold goblet from the box and, handing it to the young man, asked him to take them under his protection and escort them to the tent of Achilles. The young man was afraid to accept the gift secretly from his leader Pelidas, but willingly agreed to accompany the travelers, quickly jumped into the chariot and, seizing the reins with his mighty hands, drove the horses to the camp of the Myrmidons. Elder Priam rejoiced that the gods had sent him a kind, strong youth to be his defenders and counselors: the youth 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 who stood guard at the gates were having supper. Hermes, touching them with his miraculous wand, plunged them all into a deep, sweet sleep, pushed the lock at the gate and led Priam and his cart with gifts inside the camp. They soon reached the tent of Pelis. His tent, built of 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 strongmen could barely move that bolt, while Pelid easily pushed and slid it alone. Hermes opened the gate in front of the elder and brought him with gifts to the court of Achilles, then, turning to Priam, he said: “Before you, old man, not a mortal youth - in front of you stands Hermes, descended from Olympus: my father sent me to you as a counselor; go quickly to Pelidus, fall at his feet and pray to give you the body of your son. " Following this, Hermes disappeared from the eyes of Priam and ascended to the high-summit Olympus. Priam hurriedly got off the chariot and, leaving Idea at the wagon with gifts, entered the tent. At that time Achilles sat at the table, having just finished his evening meal; at some distance, at another table, his friends sat and dined. Unnoticed by anyone, the old man quietly walked up to Pelidus, fell at his feet and began to cover his hands with kisses - the terrible hands that ruined so many of Priam's sons. “Remember, Achilles like immortals,” the old man began, “remember your father, an old man like me: maybe at this very moment evil enemies are pressing him too, 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 under Troy, unharmed, covered with glory; I have the Wrath of Achilles, the unfortunate, there is no hope! I had fifty sons, and most of them were destroyed by the man-killer Ares; One son remained with me, the old man: he was the support and protection of all the Trojans - you killed him too. I have come to you for him, Pelidas: I have brought you a ransom for Hector. Almost gods, Pelid, fear their wrath, take pity on my misfortunes, remember your father. I am even more pitiful than he, I endure what no mortal on earth has experienced: I kiss the hands of the murderer of my children! " The speeches of the old man killed by grief aroused sad thoughts in Pelida; Taking Priam by the hand, he quietly pushed him away from himself and wept bitterly: the hero remembered his aged father, whom he was not destined to see, he also remembered the young Patroclus, who had gone untimely to the grave. Elder Priam sobbed with Pelidas, mourning the death of his dear son, who was the protection of Ilion. Then Pelidas got up quickly and, touched by the elder's grief, raised him by the hand and said: “Poor, you have experienced many sorrows! How did you decide to come alone to the camp of the Achaeans, to the man who killed so many strong, flourishing sons in your country? You are not shy at heart, old man! But calm down, sit here; We hide our sorrows in the depths of our hearts, sighs and tears are now useless. Omnipotent gods lent people to live on earth in sorrow: some gods are carefree. In the monastery of Zeus, in front of his threshold, there are two great urns: one is filled with sorrows, the other - with the gifts of happiness; the mortal, for whom Cronion draws from both urns, experiences alternately grief and happiness in life, the same one who is given gifts only from the first, from the urn of sorrows, he wanders, unhappy, on the earth, rejected by the gods, despised by mortals, chases everywhere after him need, grief gnaws at his heart. So Peleus - the gods showered him with gifts: happiness, wealth, power, but one of the immortals sent him grief: only the elder's son, and he is short-lived, and he does not rest the old age of Peleus, but beats on the battlefields in the distance from the homeland, under the high walls of Troy. Here you too, old man, prospered before: shone among people and wealth, and power, and the valor of your sons; but the gods also sent trouble on you, raised war against Troy and visited your family with sorrow. Be patient, do not crush yourself with sorrow: sorrow cannot help trouble, crying cannot raise the dead. "

This is how the sovereign elder Priam answered Pelida: “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 that I must return the son to you; Zeus commanded me to give you the body, I know that you were also brought here by the help of the gods, where would you go to our camp, guarded by watchful guards, where would you open the bolts on my gates? Be quiet and don’t worry my heart. ” Achilles said so, and Priam, frightened by his anger, fell silent. Pelidus quickly, like a lion, rushed to the door, followed by two of his friends: Alcimus and Automedon, whom he respected and loved more than anyone after Patroclus. They quickly unharnessed the horses and mules, brought the Idea into the tent, then they took out of the cart all the gifts brought by Priam, left only two vestments and a thin tunic - they wanted to dress Hector in them. Pelidas summoned the slaves and ordered them to wash and smear the body with fragrant oils, clothe him in the left vestments, but do this secretly and far from the tent, so that Priam would not see his son naked and flare up with anger: Achilles was afraid that he himself would not hold out then out of anger, will raise his hand against the elder and transgress the will of Zeus. When the slaves washed the body of Priamides, dressed him in a tunic and covered it with robes, Achilles himself put him on a bed and ordered him to put the bed on the chariot. Then, entering the tent again, Pelidas sat down on a magnificently decorated seat opposite King Priam, and said to him: “Your son has been returned to you, as you wished, elder; 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 had lost twelve children at once, could not forget the food; you will have time to mourn your son when you bring him to Troy. " So spoke Achilles and, standing up, stabbed a white fleece sheep and told his friends to cook supper. And when the elder Priam was satisfied with food, he sat for a long time in silence and marveled at the sight and majesty of Achilles: it seemed to the elder that he saw God in front of him, equally Achilles marveled at Priam: he fell in love with the venerable elder, and he loved his rational speech. So they sat and looked at each other, finally the elder broke the silence and said to Pelida: “Let me sleep now, beloved of Zeus: since the day my son fell from your hand, my eyes did not close for a single moment: tormented by grief, I groaned I was lying prostrate in the dust, today for the first time since then I have also tasted food. " Immediately Pelidas ordered his friends and slaves to make two beds on the porch, cover them with carpets and put on woolen cloaks, which the elders could hide behind during the night, then, turning to Priam, he said: “It's better to lie down in my yard, old man: sometimes the Danaan leaders come to my advice at night: if any of them sees you here, he will immediately inform King Agamemnon of this, and he will slow down, perhaps by handing over the body of your son. Tell me one more thing: how many days will you bury your son? All these days I will not go out to battle, I will also keep the squads from battles. " Priam replied to 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 enclosed within the walls, the wood for the fire must be transported from afar - from the mountains, and the Trojans are horrified and afraid to go to the field. For nine days I would like to mourn Hector in my house, on the tenth to proceed to the burial and arrange a funeral feast, to fill the grave mound on the eleventh, on the twelfth, if necessary, we will take up battle. “It will be done as you wish, venerable old man,” said Pelidas. "I will stop swearing for as long as you ask." With these words, he took Priam by the hand, gently squeezed it and peacefully let go of the elder.

All immortal gods and all people on earth rested in sleep; Hermes alone did not sleep: he thought and cared about how to get Priam out of the Achaean camp. Standing over the head of the sleeping elder, Hermes addressed him with the following speech: “Why are you sleeping, old man, and will not think about the danger that threatens you? You brought many gifts to Pelida as a ransom for her son, but your children will have to pay three times more for you, if only King Agamemnon or some other of the Achaeans will find out about your presence here. " Priam was horrified, awakened from sleep and raised the herald. Hermes in an instant harnessed the horses and mules and himself led them through the Achaean camp in the field; none of the Achaeans saw Priam. When they reached the ford of the Scamandra River, dawn broke in the sky. Then 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, all in Troy - husbands and wives - rested in sleep, only Cassandra, the beautiful daughter of Priam, similar to the beauty of Aphrodite, left the 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, bypassing the wide streets of Troy, exclaimed: “Go, men and women of Trojans, look at Hector, prostrated on his deathbed, meet and greet the dead man, all of you who are accustomed to meet him with joy, the victor who comes from battles: he was joy and the protection of Ilion and his children. " Trojan husbands and wives - all rushed from the city into the field and crowds stood at the city gates. Ahead of all 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 off their clothes and hair, and, rushing to the body, with cries embraced Hector's head and watered it with streams of tears; The Trojan people also wept bitterly, grieving over the death of Priamides, who was the invincible stronghold of Ilion. And the whole day, until sunset, the sobbing and groaning over the gallant Hector would have continued, if Priam had not called from his chariot to the people: “Give way, friends, let the mules pass; afterwards, be satisfied with weeping, when I bring the dead man to my house. " The crowd parted and opened the road.

When the train arrived at the dwelling of King Priam, the body of Hector was laid on a magnificent bed and carried inside the house; singers were placed near the deathbed, singing lamentable, funeral songs; the women echoed them with sobs and groans. The first raised Andromache's weeping, embracing her husband's head with her hands and sobbing bitterly, she said: “You died early, my husband, you left me early as a widow, left helpless and a baby son! I will not see the son of young men: soon Troy will fall to the dust, for you fell, its vigilant guardian, you, the stronghold of the people, the defender of wives and babies. Soon the Danaans will drag the Trojan wives to their ships and take them with them into captivity, they will also take me and my baby away: we will exhaust our strength in shameful works, we will tremble from the wrath of a stern ruler; or, perhaps, on the day of the fall of Troy, the Danes will take the baby by the hand and throw him down from a high tower. " So spoke Andromache, sobbing, and after her the Trojans sobbed and groaned. After her, Hecuba started crying: “Hector, trembling of my sons! And alive you were dear to the gods, they did not abandon you even after death: the fierce Achilles plucked out your soul with a spear, he mercilessly dragged you along the earth around Patroclus, how many days you lay by the ships of Myrmidon, prostrate in the dust, and now you are at rest in his father's house - unharmed and clean, as if washed with dew, as if struck down by the light arrow of the silver-bowed Apollo. " Thus cried Hecuba, and the crowd shed bitter tears. Elena raises the third cry: “Oh, Hector, of all relatives, the dearest to the heart! It has been the twentieth summer since I arrived with Paris in Ilion, and in all these years I have never once heard a bitter, hurtful word from you; even when another family member reproached me - be it 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 innumerable 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 for the forest, do not be afraid of ambushes and attacks of the Achaeans: Achilles himself, releasing me from the ships, promised not to disturb us for eleven days." The Trojans quickly harnessed the carts of horses and oxen and drove the forest to the city for nine days, on the tenth day at dawn they carried Hector's body, laid it on the fire and fanned the flames. On the morning of the eleventh day, the whole city gathered for the fire: they extinguished the flame, poured crimson wine over the entire space over which the fire was spreading; brothers and friends of Hector, sobbing bitterly, gathered from the ashes the white bones of the hero and, having collected them, put them in a precious urn, wrapped the urn with a thin purple cover and lowered it into a deep grave. Having filled the grave with earth and densely covered it with stones on top, the Trojans poured 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 after a little, they gathered again - for a funeral feast, in the house of the dear Zeus Priam.

This is how the Trojans buried the valiant Hector.