TITHONUS (mortal prince of Troy)

Eos loved Tithonus and carried him away to be with her, bringing him to Ethiopia.^7,3 He lived with Eos near the streams of Ocean at the earth's edge, located beside her when she rose from her couch.^3,8,9 As the husband of Eos, he was the recipient of her request that Zeus grant him eternal life.^10,11,12,3 Zeus granted Tithonus deathlessness and eternal life but did not grant him eternal youth.³

Tithonus conducted a military campaign against regions east of Troy, pushing his advance as far as Ethiopia.¹ He sent Aethiopians to fight as allies for Troy and was the father of Memnon, the brazen-crested king of the Ethiopians.^13,7,1 He also fathered Phaethon and Emathion, the latter of whom Heracles slew while passing through Arabia.^4,14 Myths state that Eos was the mother of his child.¹

As Tithonus aged, Eos stopped sleeping with him, though she continued to feed him with ambrosia and provide him with rich clothes.³ He was confined in a room with locked doors, and old age prevented him from indulging in his appetites, depriving him of all forms of pleasure.^3,12,15 Tithonus grew old, developed grey hair, became unable to move his limbs, and babbled endlessly while lacking physical strength.³ He was suspended in a basket, and Cerne left him in his bed while Dawn was soaring away.^12,16

His life ended in a state of endless babbling and physical weakness, a poignant contrast to his earlier resemblance to the immortal gods.³ He was considered a juvenile compared to the old man Ptoeodorus, and Clearchus considered Melanthius wiser than Tithonus for his prayer.^17,12 Tithonus was the partner of Eos who slept continuously from morning until evening due to his enslavement by appetites.^15,18