PANDARUS (Trojan archer)

Apollo had taught Pandarus the use of the bow, making him a skilful archer who could not be rivaled by any man in the current ranks or in all of Lycia.^1,9,10 His weapon was a distinctive bow crafted from the horns of a wild ibex he had killed by striking it in the heart with an arrow, the horns being sixteen palms long and fitted with gold tips to accompany his winged arrows.^5,9 He was known to lay his strung bow carefully on the ground before shooting, drawing the wood until it arched into a half-circle so that the string sang as the arrow flew.⁵

In the midst of the conflict, Athena advised Pandarus to shoot an arrow at Menelaus, suggesting he would win honor, while Prince Alexandrus promised to reward him handsomely for the deed.^8,11,2 He selected an unshot arrow from his quiver and aimed it at Menelaus, though the shot ultimately wounded Diomedes, the son of Tydeus, during the battle.^8,11,12,13

After being wounded by Diomedes, who killed Pandarus in retaliation, the fate of the archer was sealed by the consequences of his perjury.^12,13 In another account of his end, Pandarus charged out of the gate to avenge his brother's death, only to be killed by Turnus, who cut his head in half with a sword.¹⁴ It is said that he was wounded in the tongue by a Spartan warrior as a consequence of his perjury, and that he once shut the city gate, trapping some of his own people outside while saving other Trojans by barring them inside as they fled.^15,14

Pandarus is identified as the father of the pale nightingale and is worshipped in the Lycian city of Pinara.¹⁶ He was identified as being from the region of Zelia, and his standing among the stalwart heroes who followed him marked him as a leader of the Lycians, who are described as Trojans in the text.^6,3,2