Son of Hector and Andromache. The meaning of the name Hector: character and fate Brother of Hector in ancient Greek mythology

Hector is the son of Priam and Hecuba, the main Trojan hero in the Iliad. About Hector’s participation in hostilities in the first years of the war, sources only report that Protesilaus, who was the first to enter Trojan soil, fell at the hands of Hector. Hector became famous in the tenth year of the war. As the eldest son of Priam and his immediate successor, he leads the military operations of the Trojans, himself distinguished by strength and heroism. Twice Hector enters into single combat with Ajax Telamonides, the most powerful Achaean hero after Achilles (Homer “Iliad”, VII 181-305; XIV 402-439). Under the leadership of Hector, the Trojans break into the fortified camp of the Achaeans, approach the Achaean ships and manage to set one of them on fire. Hector also manages to defeat Patroclus just before the gates of Troy and remove the armor of Achilles from the killed man. After Achilles enters the battle, Hector, despite the pleas of his parents, remains alone with him in the field and dies in a duel at the Scaean Gate, predicting the imminent death of Achilles himself. The latter, obsessed with the thirst for revenge for Patroclus, ties the body of the murdered Hector to his chariot and drives around Troy, dragging the corpse of the slain enemy. Although Achilles subsequently continues to desecrate Hector’s body, neither beasts of prey nor decay touch him; the dead Hector is protected by Apollo, whose help Hector repeatedly used during his lifetime. God twice restored his strength in fights with Ajax, helped Hector during the fight with Achilles, until the lot of fate indicated the inevitability of Hector’s death.

The support provided to Hector by Apollo served in the post-Homeric tradition as a reason for the assertion that Hector was the son of God himself. Apollo is the first to raise his voice in defense of the murdered Hector at the council of the gods, after which Achilles receives an order from Zeus to hand over the body of the murdered man to Priam, who gives his son an honorable funeral.

Researchers of the ancient Greek epic have long noticed that the name of Hector is not associated with any other events of the Trojan War, except for those depicted in the Iliad. Hector's tomb was shown not in Troas, but in Thebes; this makes it possible to assume that Hector is a Boeotian hero by origin, and his battle with Achilles originally took place on Greek soil. Only relatively late was the image of Hector included in the circle of tales about the Trojan War, in which Hector, more than any other hero, personifies the idea of ​​patriotic duty. This is probably why the image of Hector enjoys great sympathy from the author of the Iliad. Hector is depicted with particular warmth in the famous scene of farewell to his wife Andromache

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 pointedly withdrew from participating in the war after a quarrel with Agamemnon, Achilles' armor was worn by him best friend- Patroclus. Mistaken by everyone for Achilles, Patroclus crushed many Trojans and reached the very walls of Troy, where Hector killed him and took Achilles’ armor.
When Thetis (Achilles' mother) brought her son new armor the next morning, forged by the god Hephaestus, Achilles challenged Hector and killed him:

Pelid had a shining spear, with which
In his right hand he shook, plotting his life on Hector,
Looking for places on the beautiful body for sure strikes.
But the hero's whole body was covered with copper-plated armor,
The magnificent one that he stole, the power of overpowering Patroclus.
Only there, where the keys are connected with ramen, the larynx
A part was exposed, a place where the death of the soul is inevitable:
There, Achilles flew in and struck Priamid with his spear;
A deadly sting passed straight through the white neck;
Only his larynx was not cut by a crushing ash tree
At all, so that, dying, he could say a few words;
He fell into dust, and Achilles cried out loudly, triumphantly:
“Hector, you killed Patroclus - and thought to stay alive!
You weren’t afraid of me either when I was moving away from battles,
The enemy is reckless! But his avenger, incomparably strongest,
Rather than you, I remained behind the Achaean ships,
I am the one who broke your knees! You for shame
Birds and dogs will tear him to pieces, and the Argives will bury him."

(Homer, Iliad, canto 22)

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

The body of the dead Hector was protected 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 favor of giving Hector's body to Priam, and Zeus eventually 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, when saying goodbye, says to Hector:

Amazing husband, your courage is ruining you! no son
You do not feel sorry for the baby or the poor mother; soon
I will be a widow, unhappy one! Argives will see you soon,
Attacking together, they will kill! and abandoned by you, Hector,
It’s better for me to go to the ground: there will be no joy for me,
If, befallen by fate, you leave me: my destiny is
Sorrow! I have neither a father nor a tender mother!
(...)
Hector, you are everything to me now - both father and dear mother,
You and my only brother, you and my wonderful husband!

(Homer "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 Helen, Cassandra's twin brother. Andromache and Helen reigned in Epirus, where Hector’s former comrade-in-arms Aeneas found them during their travels.

, Gehlen

The protagonist of the tragedies of Euripides “Alexander”, Pseudo-Euripides “Res”, Astydamas the Younger “Hector”, the tragedy of Naevius “Hector the Departing”.

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

In popular culture In medieval France, where modern playing cards(“classical” or “French”), “pictures” (cards with characters - kings, queens and jacks) were associated with certain historical or legendary characters. The Jack of Diamonds matched Hector.

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Excerpt characterizing Hector

Hector, Greek - son of Priam and Hecuba, leader of the Trojan troops in the war with the Achaeans.

The Trojan people called him the shield of their city and revered him as a god. Hector was not only the most powerful and brave Trojan warrior, he was also distinguished by his beauty and nobility of spirit. In everything, Hector was superior to the leader of the Achaean troops, and the hero Achilles surpassed him only in strength.

If Agamemnon brought one hundred thousand Greeks under the walls of Troy, then Hector had fifty thousand at his disposal, and the majority were allies of the Trojans, who fought only for booty or money. The army of the Trojans themselves, defending their hometown, numbered only ten thousand. However, under the leadership of Hector, they successfully resisted the Achaeans for nine years. Hector did not limit himself to defensive battles, knowing full well that an attack was best view protection. During forays, Hector always fought in the front ranks, drawing the entire Trojan army with him by his example. Even his enemies recognized the greatness of his exploits. At the very beginning of the war, he was not afraid of the tenfold superiority of the Achaeans and entered into battle with them in order to prevent them from landing on the shore. If he retreated, it was only in order to preserve his army for new defensive battles. During the nine years of war, the Achaeans suffered such losses that they lost heart and were ready to lift the siege of Troy, conclude an honorable peace and return to their homeland.

Stills from the film Troy: Hector (left) and his brother Paris. Actor Eric Bana plays Hector.

When, in the tenth year of the war, the Trojan ally Pandarus violated the truce, and Hector had to wage war contrary to the oath-sanctified treaty, he did not despair and with his courage again won the favor of the gods. Skillfully taking advantage of the discord between Agamemnon and Achilles, because of which Achilles stopped military operations, Hector pushed the Greeks behind the walls of their camp, broke through the gates, and broke through to the Greek ships to burn them. He was not at a loss even when the Trojans took to their heels, frightened by the appearance of Patroclus in the armor of Achilles. Hector again closed ranks, marched against Patroclus and killed him in single combat.

After the victory over Patroclus, Hector's final feat awaited him: death on the battlefield. Forgetting about past grievances, Achilles was eager to fight to avenge the death of his friend. He put the entire Trojan army to flight, made his way to the city walls and was ready to break into Troy through the Scaean Gate. No one dared to stand in his way except Hector, who obeyed the command of honor and duty. Despite all the pleas of his parents, his wife, and the rest of the Trojans, he was left alone in front of the locked gates and challenged Achilles to a duel to the death, with the condition that the body of the vanquished would be given to his friends for burial. Achilles rejected this condition and rushed at Hector. Fear gripped Hector, and he ran around the city walls three times, fleeing from Achilles, who was relentlessly pursuing him. Not only people, but also the gods watched the fight intently. Finally, Zeus threw two lots of death onto the golden scales of fate; Hector's lot fell - his fate was decided.

Athena, who stood on the side of the Achaeans, descended from Olympus to earth and, taking the image of Deiphobus, Hector’s beloved brother, began to persuade the Trojan hero to single combat with Achilles. But as soon as Hector threw his spear at Achilles, Athena disappeared, making it clear to Hector that he had been abandoned by the gods. Hector did not shy away from his fate: “Woe! The almighty gods have called me to death!../But I will not perish in vain, I will not fall into dust without glory;/I will do something great that my descendants will hear!” In a fierce battle worthy of the greatest of heroes, Hector finally fell at the hands of Achilles. Finding a place not protected by armor, Achilles pierced him with a spear.

Further sad events are described in the article “”.

"Of all characters“In the Iliad, Hector evokes the greatest sympathy, both by his character and by his actions,” say the researchers of the Iliad, and they are right. The best episodes of the Homeric epic are dedicated to him: Hector’s farewell to his son, Hector’s duel with Achilles and Priam’s plea for the release of Hector’s body are among the highest peaks of world poetry.

Even the best depictions of Hector in sculpture and painting are far from the expressiveness of the image of this hero as presented by Homer. The following subjects were common in ancient sculpture and vase painting: “Hector’s farewell to Andromache,” “Hector’s duel with Achilles,” “Duel with Ajax,” “Achilles dragging Hector’s body.” Among the works of European masters, noteworthy are Thorvaldsen’s marble relief “Hector’s Farewell to Andromache” (1837) and the painting by J.-L. David's "Dead Hector" (1788).

At the end of the 18th century. The tragedy “Hector” was written by Ya. B. Knyazhnin, in 1780 I. F. Schiller wrote the poem “Farewell to Hector”.

Despite the greatness and tragedy of his fate, Hector did not become the main character of either ancient drama or poetic work. And among modern authors this happened less often than the image of Hector deserves. Nevertheless, for almost three thousand years he has been acting as a true knight without fear or reproach in all works dedicated to Trojan War, - from Homer to the present day.

The name of this Trojan princess is translated as “at war with her husband,” although in ancient Greek mythology she is glorified as an example of a faithful and loving wife. Her difficult fate was described by the ancient playwright Euripides in the tragedies “The Trojan Woman” and “Andromache”. Homer admired the power of this woman's love in his famous Iliad. The scene when Hector and Andromache say goodbye is considered one of the most emotional moments of the poem. The tragic story of lovers and Homeric style have inspired more than one generation of artists. Such ancient masters as Virgil, Ennius, Ovid, Naevius, Seneca and Sappho also wrote about Andromache. And the tragedy of Jean Baptiste Racine has long become a favorite work of theater playwrights.

Political union

Ancient myths tell that Andromache, the daughter of the Cilician king Eetion and the wife of Hector, heir to the throne of Troy, lived in those distant and cruel times when the world was torn apart by wars of conquest. In order to defend their independence, many states had to enter into political alliances with other stronger kingdoms and principalities. And the marriage of heirs to the throne, which also binds states by blood ties, was one of the most common political instruments. The union of the daughter of Eetion and the heir to the throne of King Priam, who was the ruler of the influential state of Troy, gave the people of Cilicia hope for the support of the famous Trojan army in the event of aggression from another state.

Fall of Cilicia

Myths tell that the illustrious heir of Priam immediately became inflamed with passion for his chosen one, and now Andromache, as Hector’s wife and his beloved, had the opportunity to influence the politics of Troy in the interests of her homeland. This was the case until the famous hero Achilles appeared on the military scene with his Myrmidon warriors. He accepted the Greek's offer and joined his army, making him invincible. Cilicia fell and was plundered, and King Eetion himself and his seven sons died at the hands of Achilles. Despite the fact that Andromache influenced the political mood of King Priam as the wife of Hector, Troy was unable to come to the aid of Cilicia, since the new balance of power called into question her own safety. Priam was forced to look for serious allies to resist Agamemnon.

Sparta as an ally of Troy

Despite the family tragedy, Andromache was happy with her beloved Hector. She was expecting the birth of her first child and hoped that her husband, famous in battle, would not have to take up arms in defense of Troy. The news that Hector and his younger brother Paris would soon have to go to Sparta to negotiate a military alliance saddened her with the inevitable separation from her beloved. But wise Andromache, as the wife of Hector, the future king of Troy, understood the importance of this mission, so she released her husband with a heavy heart and promised to meet him with her son in her arms. And perhaps an alliance with Sparta could have stopped the invasion of Troy, but love intervened. Prince Paris and the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, Helen, fell in love with each other. Paris secretly took his beloved out of Sparta, and instead of an ally, Troy received a fierce enemy in the person of King Menelaus, who sided with the Greeks.

Trojan War

King Priam did not abandon the son of Paris and Helen, despite the impending war, and Troy prepared for a siege. Hector’s wife knew what the Greeks were capable of, and fearing for his life, her son Astyanax asked her husband to influence Priam and hand over the lovers to the Spartans, but Hector refused. Meanwhile, the troops of Agamemnon and Menelaus approached the indestructible walls of Troy. The chances of Priam’s troops to survive were quite high, and besides, the discord between Agamemnon and Achilles played into their hands, because of which the latter refused to participate in the war.

An incident changed everything: Achilles’s best friend Patroclus decided to take part in the battle against Troy and, wearing the armor of the famous hero, led the Myrmidons into battle. Before the battle, Andromache, with her son in her arms, begs Hector, who leads the troops of Troy, to pay off and give Paris and his beloved into the hands of the Spartan king. After all, it was Helen’s flight to Troy that was put forward by Agamemnon as the main reason for the war. Hector does not heed his wife’s pleas and entrusts the fate of the kingdom and his own to the gods. In the first battle, the Trojans win, and Hector kills Potroclus in the duel, mistaking him for Achilles because of the latter’s armor.

Having lost his friend, Achilles returns to the banner of Agamemnon with the intention of destroying Hector, which he does by challenging the heir of Priam to a duel. Having killed Hector, Achilles, to further humiliate the Trojans, tied his body to his chariot and stretched it along the walls of Troy in front of King Priam and the grief-stricken Andromache, and then three more times around the tomb of Potroclus. In order to bury Hector with the honors due to a prince, Priam had to come to an agreement with Achilles and pay large ransoms. During the funeral, hostilities ceased, which gave the Greeks the opportunity to come up with a cunning plan to penetrate the walls of the city. Using wood from some of their ships, they built a huge horse figure, which went down in history as the Trojan Horse.

Fall of Troy

After the funeral, the Trojans found the enemy camp empty, and in its place - a huge statue of a horse. Taking this as a gift from the gods, they dragged her into the city, thereby dooming themselves to death. Inside the statue there was a Greek strike force, which at the first opportunity killed the guards and opened the gates of the city to Agamemnon’s troops. Troy fell, and those of its citizens who did not die became slaves. Hector's wife, taken prisoner, also did not escape this fate. The Trojan princess became the slave of Achilles' son Neoptolemus, and her son Astyanax was thrown from the city walls.

The further fate of the Trojan princess

The unfortunate Andromache wished for death, but instead was forced to eke out the existence of a concubine and give birth to sons to her fierce enemy. It must be said that Neoptolemus, who ruled Epirus, was very fond of his slave and the sons of Molossus, Piel and Pergamon, which aroused terrible jealousy of his legal but childless wife Hermione. She tried to destroy Andromache and her children, but Achilles’ father Peleus, who had affection for his great-grandchildren, came to the rescue. After the death of Neoptolemus at the hands of Ores in the battles of Delphi, Hermione went over to the side of her husband's enemy. Andromache remarried to Hector's relative Helenus and remained to rule Epirus as queen and mother of the legitimate heirs to the throne.