PROTESILAUS (ancient Greek hero)
Figure of myth · ancient Greek hero
- Parents
- Iphiclus, Diomedea
- Consorts
- Laodamia, Polydora
- Haunts and cult places
- Phylace, Antron
- In the sources
- 52 ancient passages
His nature was defined by the strongest desire to fight among the assembled heroes, a fervor that often eclipsed his duty to his bride.1,2 He ruled the coastal region extending to Antron and held command over the place called Phylace, where his house remained only half finished at the time of his death.3,4,5,6,7
Before the great war, Protesilaus traveled to Sparta to seek Helen's hand in marriage, sending messages to Tyndareus in Lacedaemon and offering many bridal gifts.8,9 He struck the threshold with his foot when leaving his father's gate for Troy, an act that caused his wife to groan and pray for his safe return.10 During a council of the princes, he publicly rebuked the prophet Calchas, questioning why the seer hid the secret things of Fate from the group.1 Destined to be the first Greek to set foot on Trojan ground, he was also fated to be the first to suffer death in the war.10,1
Commanding forty ships and serving as the military leader of the troops from Phylace and Pyrasus, he led Menippus into the war, while his younger brother Podarces took over leading their people.3,7,11,12 He made a rash leap from the fleet to the shore, becoming the first Greek warrior to disembark from his ship at Troy.2,13 Cycnus was the first person to strike him in combat, and he killed several barbarian soldiers before Hector slew him in battle.14,13,4 The ship that carried him to Troy never returned him to his homeland, and Hector seized its stern.15
She had been separated from him by a departing ship, carried away by a north wind that filled the sails, and he remained visible to her until the ship's sails disappeared from sight.16 In the underworld, Protesilaus requested Hades to grant him one day of life to see his bride, claiming his love prevailed over his dose of Lethe.4 Hermes was commanded to touch him with his wand, temporarily restoring him from the underworld to be young and fair again for his wife.17,13 He hoped to persuade his bride to return to the underworld with him, though he was referred to as a temporary bridegroom.4,17
A god granted Protesilaus the power to take vengeance even after his death, and he punished the Persian Artayctes at Elaeus for stealing his treasure.18,19,20 Artayctes had stolen Protesilaus's treasure from the precinct and removed it as a gift from the king, attempting to signify a portent regarding his vengeance.19,20 The people of Elaeus sought to kill Artayctes as revenge, and Xanthippus was inclined to execute him.21 Buried beneath the earth, his tomb held a precinct of gold, silver, bronze, and clothing, while trees growing over it would wither when tall enough to see Ilium, only to flourish again.18,7,20,22 A city in the Chersonnesus was dedicated to his memory, honoring the hero who fell so swiftly at the start of the war.23
The codex facts behind this entry
In the myths
Protesilaus punished the Persian Artayctes at Elaeus for stealing his treasure and removing it from the precinct as a gift from the king, attempting to signify a portent regarding his vengeance. Herodotus 9.116.1 +3 He was the first Greek to land on the Trojan shore, where he was slain by Hector while the Greeks attempted to land at Ilium. Iliad 2 ¶55 +3 Protesilaus was the first Greek warrior to disembark from his ship at Troy. Apollodorus, Epitome 3.30 +2 He traveled to Sparta to seek Helen's hand in marriage, sending messages to Tyndareus in Lacedaemon and offering many bridal gifts. Apollodorus 3.10.8 +1 Protesilaus led Menippus from Phylace to fight in the war against Troy, serving as the military leader of the troops from Phylace and Pyrasus. Iliad 2 ¶55 +1 Fire was thrown onto the ship belonging to Protesilaus. Apollodorus, Epitome 4.6 +1 His house is described as imperfect because his widow was left bereaved. Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead 19 ¶1 +1
Fate
Protesilaus was killed by Hector in battle. Apollodorus, Epitome 3.30 +2 Protesilaus is dead and buried beneath the earth. Herodotus 9.120.2 +1 Hermes temporarily restored Protesilaus from the underworld to be young and fair again for his wife. Apollodorus, Epitome 3.30 +1 Protesilaus was destined to be the first Greek to set foot on Trojan ground and the first to suffer death in the war. Ovid, Heroides 13.63 +1
