ANDROMACHE (wife of Hector)
Figure of myth · wife of Hector in Greek mythology
- Parents
- Eetion
- Siblings
- Podes
- Consorts
- Hector, Neoptolemus, Helenus
- Children
- Pergamus, Astyanax, Molossus, Cestrinus, Laodamas, Amphialus, Pielus, Oxynius
- Haunts and cult places
- Thebe
- In the sources
- 84 ancient passages
She was born in Thebe, the city of her father, which lay under the wooded slopes of Mt. Placus.1,2 Her eyes were often wet with tears that trickled down her cheeks, and her wrists were bound with cords or twisted thongs that caused them to bleed.3,4,5,6
During the war, she stood on the city wall, weeping bitterly with tears flowing like water from a rock, accompanied by her child and one of her maids.5,6 In that moment, she advised Hector to place the troops near the fig-tree where the wall was weakest.1 She clasped Hector's head in her embrace as she wept and took his hand while speaking to him.1,7 She witnessed Hector being killed by Achilles and dragged behind a chariot around the city walls.8,9
When Troy fell, the Achaean chiefs assigned Andromache as a personal prize to Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles.10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 She was dragged from the altar of Thetis by her captors while wearing a garment associated with slavery during her departure.9,18 She was assigned to Neoptolemus as a mistress in Phthia.16,19 Later, she was a slave in the house of Menelaus and Hermione, fearing her status would prevent her from being heard.20,21 She described her life as one of undeserved slavery and misery, stating that her portion became bitterness for all her remaining days.20,22
She held her son tightly against her chest before his death and asked Hecuba to dress the corpse with robes and garlands.23,24 Hector appeared to her later with tangled, bloody hair and a tear-stained face.25 She sent messengers to Peleus multiple times seeking his help, and he promised to raise her child in Phthia to be an enemy.18,20,4
After Pyrrhus was killed at Delphi, Andromache married Helenus, with whom she had a son named Cestrinus.26,27 She was required to live in the Molossian land and was said to have been a queen of the Molossi.28,26 She kept the surviving child of the line of Aeacus, viewing her son as her only remaining comfort and the hope of the conquered Phrygians.16,29,30,26,31 Andromache identified herself as the most unfortunate woman of all time.8
The codex facts behind this entry
Andromache is the wife of Hector, the bravest of the Phrygians who defeated many Argive warriors in battle. Aeneid 3.472 +6 Andromache is the daughter of Eetion, the king of the Cilicians. Apollodorus 3.12.6 +4 Andromache is the mother of Astyanax, the dead child of Hector. Euripides, The Trojan Women 1123-1155 +1
In the myths
Neoptolemus claimed Andromache as his personal prize during the sack of Troy, a decision made by the Achaean chiefs. Apollodorus, Epitome 5.23 +3 Andromache witnessed Hector being killed by Achilles and dragged behind a chariot around the city walls. Euripides, Andromache 1-25 +3 Andromache sent messengers to Peleus multiple times seeking his help. Euripides, Andromache 545-589 +1 Andromache was weeping bitterly while standing on the wall, with tears flowing down her cheeks like water from a rock. Euripides, Andromache 523-536 +1 Andromache is forced to watch her son be killed by the enemy. Euripides, The Trojan Women 740-781 +1
Fate
Andromache describes her life as one of undeserved slavery and misery, stating that her portion became bitterness for all her remaining days. Euripides, Andromache 56-102 +1 Andromache was taken as a prize by the son of Achilles. Quintus 14 ¶2 +1
