PRIAM (last king of Troy)
Figure of myth · the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan war; son of Laomedon
- Parents
- Laomedon, Zeuxippe, Leucippe
- Siblings
- Tithonus, Bucolion, Cilla, Aethilla, Antigone of Troy
- Consorts
- Hecuba, Arisbe, Castianeira, Laothoe, Alexirrhoe
- Children
- Hector, Paris, Cassandra, Antinoos, Deiphobus, Helenus, Polyxena, Idomeneus, Polites, Troilus, Laodice, Lycaon and 65 more
- Haunts and cult places
- Troy, Lesbos
- In the sources
- 332 ancient passages
Priam, son of Laomedon, stood as the aged king of the walled city of Troy, a ruler whose lineage traced back to Dardanus and was marked by immortal blood.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 His white hair and beard marked him as an old man facing the end of his life, yet he possessed sound judgement and a fluency in speech that made him equal to the gods in council.10,11,12,13,14,15,16 The halls of his palace were full of gold and bronze, reflecting the vast wealth he held, which included the territory of Lesbos and surpassed the riches of Phrygia and the Hellespont.17,18,10,19,20,21
He kept horses that he had personally bred, including brood mares cared for by one of his sons, and he possessed Helen, the sister of the divine twins, within his domain.22,19,2,23
During the war against the Amazons, Priam served as an auxiliary to the Phrygians with his own troops, and he later sent Idaeus to the Greek camp to ask if they would pause fighting to burn their dead.24,25,16,26 In the tenth year of the conflict, the city of Ilius was destroyed, and Priam was predicted to perish with it.27,23,9,28 Zeus commanded Hermes to guide Priam to the Achaean ships to ransom the body of his son Hector from Achilles, a task for which Priam carried treasure on his wagon.29,30,31,13,32
Hermes escorted him through the Greek camp gates, hiding him from the Achaean sentinels, where Priam stood as a suppliant within Achilles' tents.29,30,33,34 He touched the hand of the man who killed his son, an unprecedented act, and requested permission to perform proper burial rites for Hector.35,13,36,37 Achilles assured him that he would not be killed, and Priam was indeed spared from death by the warrior.35,31
Accounts differ on his final moments; some say he was killed at an altar by the son of Achilles, while others claim he was dragged from an altar and killed at his palace gate.38,39,40,41,42,43 He died alongside the fall of Troy, left unburied without any friends to tend to him, and the gods punished him with death-pangs for disregarding hospitality.38,44,45,46,47 Though he had failed to grant Aeneas the honor he deserved for his brave actions, Priam’s land was destroyed by the spear of Hellas.48,49,50,51
The codex facts behind this entry
Priam is a descendant of Dardanus. Iliad 13 ¶30 +7 Priam is the King of Troy who became a king of kings. Iliad 13 ¶30 +6 Priam is the son of Laomedon. Aeneid 8.152 +2
In the myths
Priam paid a ransom to Achilles to recover the corpse of Hector. Apollodorus, Epitome 4.7 +5 Priam was killed by Neoptolemus while standing on the altar of Zeus Herkeios. Pausanias 4.17.4 +3 Zeus commanded Hermes to guide Priam to the Achaean ships, where Hermes escorted him through the Greek camp gates to Achilles' dwelling while hiding him from the Achaean sentinels. Iliad 24 ¶24 +2 Zeus commanded Priam to travel to the Achaean ships to ransom the body of his son Hector from Achilles with a large payment and gifts. Iliad 24 ¶13 +1 Lescheos claims Priam was dragged from an altar and killed by Neoptolemus at his palace gate. Pausanias 10.27.2 +1 Priam failed to grant Aeneas the honor he deserved for his brave actions. Iliad 13 ¶34 +1 Heracles granted Priam the kingdom of the Iliadae after capturing Ilium, due to his sense of justice. Apollodorus 3.12.5 +1 Priam sent Idaeus to the Greek camp at daybreak to ask if the Greeks would pause fighting to burn their dead. Iliad 7 ¶27 +1 Priam served as an auxiliary to the Phrygians with his own troops during the war against the Amazons. Strabo 12.3.24 +1 Priam was commanded to travel to the Achaean ships to ransom his son from Achilles. Iliad 24 ¶14 +1
Worship
A specific Zeus was considered a paternal god of Priam, and his people provided regular feasts and burning fat offerings at his altar. Iliad 4 ¶4 +1
Fate
Priam was killed at an altar by the son of Achilles while the city of Troy was burning. Aeneid 2.526 +4 Priam was killed and left unburied without any friends to tend to him. Aeneid 2.526 +4 Priam died alongside the fall of his city, Troy. Aeneid 2.526 +4 Priam was predicted to perish when the city of Ilius was destroyed in the tenth year of the conflict. Iliad 12 ¶2 +3
