Patroclus, friend of Achilles, the noblest hero of the Achaean army. The meaning of the word Patroclus in the dictionary-reference book myths of ancient Greece Patroclus Greek or Trojan
Dirk van Baburen. Achilles preparing to avenge Patroclus.
TROJAN WAR 9. Death of Patroclus
The Trojans, under the auspices of Zeus, pinned the Greeks against their ships. The outcome of the war hung in the balance. But, unexpectedly, help came to the Greeks from where they did not even hope to receive it....
When the young friend of the hero Achilles Patroclus saw that the Trojans were about to burn all the Greek ships, he ran to Achilles' tent, shedding bitter tears.
Seeing a crying friend, Achilles said; “Why are you crying like a little girl who runs after her mother and asks her to take her in her arms?”
Patroclus told him about the catastrophic situation of the Greeks and asked Achilles to give him his armor and weapons. Patroclus was ready to rush into battle in the form of Achilles so that the Trojans would be horrified when they saw the invincible Greek hero. Since Achilles was in deep grief and grief, about the fact that King Agamemnon deprived him of rich booty and took away his mistress Briseis, and he himself was not going to fight anymore, he allowed Patroclus to put on his armor and take his weapons. Achilles came out of his tent and saw that several Greek ships, hurried Patroclus:
"Hurry, Patroclus! I see that the flames are already raging among the ships! Arm yourself soon!"
Patroclus jumped on the golden chariot of Achilles and rushed into battle. The Trojans, seeing the false Achilles, were horrified and fled. Encouraged by the Greeks began to pursue the Trojans, and at their head was Patroclus. Patroclus fought furiously and under his leadership the Greeks drove the Trojans behind the walls of Troy. If not for the god Apollo, Patroclus would have taken possession of Troy and become the greatest hero of this war. But Apollo prevented him. God stopped Patroclus: “Retreat from the walls of Troy, Patroclus! The gods did not salute you to be the conqueror of Troy, but Achilles!” (once again the author is convinced that our life proceeds according to the scenario of powerful alien gods). And Patroclus retreated, not daring to disobey the order of the god Apollo. But Apollo was not satisfied with this. He wished for the death of this hero. He ordered the Trojan Euphorbus to vilely attack Patroclus from behind, for none of the Trojans dared to fight Patroclus face to face. The Trojan hit Patroclus in the back with a spear and cowardly fled from the battlefield. The hero Hector saw the wounded Patroclus and boldly finished him off with his spear and rejoiced that he had killed the hero who threatened to capture Troy. Dying, Patroclus managed to say to Hector:
“You can be proud of your unworthy victory, Hector, which you won with the help of Apollo and the cowardly Euphorbus. If not for the gods, I would have taken Troy, and you know it. But you don't have long to live. Soon you will fall at the hands of Achilles." Having said this, Patroclus died.
And a terrible battle broke out for the body of Patroclus. The Trojans wanted to take possession of the corpse and remove the expensive armor of Achilles from it (this was the practice in those days; in our time it is called looting). Menelaus was the first to defend the body of Patroclus, joined by other Greeks.
The news of the death of Patroclus reached Achilles, and he burst into tears. His crying was heard by his mother Thetis and appeared before her son. Learning about whom the hero shed tears, she told him that he could go into battle, but not before Hephaestus himself brought him new armor. Therefore, Achilles did not rush into battle to take out the body of his beloved friend, but continued to weep bitterly. But then the goddess Hera herself intervened. She ordered Achilles to appear before the Trojans without armor and frighten them with her appearance. Achilles appeared before the Trojans and shouted menacingly: “I will kill everyone!” The Trojans were horrified and fled. The Greeks took the body of Patroclus and brought it to their camp, where they arranged a magnificent funeral for the hero.
Dirk van Baburen. Achilles preparing to avenge Patroclus.
The Trojans seemed to have already gained the upper hand over the Greeks, when Agamemnon sent people to Achilles, begging him to take up arms and promising to return Briseis, giving in addition twenty of the most beautiful Trojan captives and even the hand of one of his daughters. The hero, however, remained adamant, nevertheless sending to the aid of the Greeks his childhood friend, faithful PATROCLES who accompanied Achilles on many of his campaigns.
Patroclus asked Achilles his weaponry , and only the sight of the famous weapon caught fear in the enemies of the Achaeans: they were convinced that the great Greek hero had again entered the battlefield.
Red-figure antique bowl
depicting Achilles bandaging the wounded Patroclus
Rushing into the thick of the fight, Patroclus forced the Trojans to retreat. Approaching the chariot HECTOR , he killed his charioteer Cebrion. However, at that moment, Apollo intervened in the battle on the side of the Trojans, helping Hector to defeat Patroclus. Enemies entered the fight for possession of the body dead hero; the Trojans have already managed to remove weapons forged from the fallen soldier HEPHAESTOM as a wedding gift to Achilles' mother Thetis.
Antoine Joseph Wirtz
"Battle of the Greeks with the Trojans for the body of Patroclus"
Johann Heinrich Fussel
"Achilles catching the shadow of Patroclus"
Leon Benouville
"Wrath of Achilles"
Achilles, having learned about the death of a friend, fell into despair, and then, seized with blind fury, rushed unarmed at the enemies. His formidable appearance and loud cries terrified the Trojans so much that they fled, leaving the body of the unfortunate Patroclus.
In memory of a friend, Achilles held an unusually magnificent funeral, during which twelve captives, young Trojans, were sacrificed. The funeral was accompanied by traditional funeral games with the participation of all Greek leaders.
Gavin Hamilton
"Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus"
Nikolai Ge
"Achilles mourns Patroclus"
Dirk van Baburen
"Achilles preparing to avenge Patroclus"
"Achilles sacrifices Trojan captives at the burial of Patroclus"
Jacques Douy David
"The Funeral of Patroclus"
Burning with the desire to avenge the death of Patroclus, Achilles came to Agamemnon, announcing that he was ready to fight on his side again. Armed with a miracle weapon obtained by his mother from Hephaestus, the hero again entered the battle, although his horse Xanthus, who for a moment received the gift of prophecy and speech, predicted Achilles a quick death.
Anthony van Dyck
"Thetis orders a new weapon for Achilles from Hephaestus"
Giulio Romano
"Thetis arming Achilles"
Despite the gloomy prediction of the horse and the clouds of arrows flying around him, the brave warrior rushed into the thick of the fight, again putting the Trojans to flight.
Horses of Achilles - Balius and Xanthus:
Henri Regnault
"Automedont with the horses of Achilles"
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
"Achilles and Agamemnon"
Only AENEAS , under the patronage of Apollo, was ready to fight the enraged Achilles. Achilles threw a spear at Aeneas, which he was able to repel with a shield; in response, Aeneas prepared to attack with a battle sling. However, at that moment, Poseidon intervened in the single combat of the enemies, although he supported the Greeks, he also favored Aeneas. He saved both fighters from mortal danger, sending a large cloud onto the battlefield.
Federico Barozzi
"The Flight of Aeneas from Troy"
Indeed, Aeneas had other exploits, in other places of the ancient world... (Perhaps I will write a separate cycle about the adventures of Aeneas).
Achilles, in a frenzy, continued his march towards Troy, crossed the Scamander River and captured numerous Trojans: he ruthlessly sacrificed several prisoners near the tomb of Patroclus.
The frustrated river god, in whose river the bodies of the victims were thrown, decided to punish Achilles. The river overflowed its banks and rushed at the hero, ready to swallow him. However, Hephaestus reacted here, forcing the waters to return to their bed. Achilles continued his bloody path to the gates of the city, trying to cut off the enemies from their native walls.
Then Apollo intervened in the battle, "sick" for the Trojans, and Achilles lost the ability to navigate. The surviving Trojans were able to safely return to their city, and when Achilles came to his senses, he found that the enemies had already locked themselves inside Troy. Only one warrior remained on the battlefield, ready to fight Achilles. He was HECTOR who, despite the pleas of his father, Priam, who called from the fortress walls to flee, stood face to face with the furious Achilles.
Angelika Kaufman
"Hector calls Paris to battle"
Sergei Postnikov
"Hector's Farewell to Andromache"
"Hector"
(image on a red-figure antique bowl)
Achilles, rattling his armor, will approach Hector; the Trojan prince was seized with fear, and he rushed to run. At this moment, Zeus intervened in the fate of the two heroes. The Olympian lord predetermined the death of Hector, even Apollo could not do anything in defense of his ward, despite his appeal to other gods, including Athena, for help.
Peter Paul Rubens
"Achilles kills Hector"
"Achilles and Hector"
(image on a red-figure antique bowl)
Having caught up with Hector, Achilles inflicted several fatal blows on him. Dying, Hector turned to an irreconcilable enemy with a single request: to give his own dead body to his old father. Achilles, still enraged at the death of his friend, ignored the last request of the dying enemy and proudly displayed the dead body of their warrior to the Trojans.
Moreover, before returning to the camp, he tied the corpse of Hector to the chariot and circled the walls of Troy several times. Wanting to further hurt the Trojans and punish Hector's father, Achilles repeated this insulting circling around the fortress walls every day.
Roman mosaic
The triumphant Achilles, having driven the horses of his chariot into the galore,
mutilated Hector's body by dragging it around the walls of Troy
before the confused and frightened eyes of the defenders of the city
Painting by Franz Matsch for Achillion in Corfu
William Allan
"Triumph of Achilles"
Twelve days later, Thetis, at the request of Zeus, conveyed to Achilles that the gods were unhappy with his irreverent attitude towards the dead. At that moment, the elder Priam came to Achilles, asking him to give the body of his son for ransom. Achilles was touched by the grief of the unfortunate old man. He also remembered that his father would never see his son alive again and agreed to give Hector's body for burial.
Alesandro Varotari (Padovanino)
"Priam and Achilles"
Alexander Ivanov
"Priam asking Achilles for the body of Hector"
Jacques-Louis David
"Andromache at the Body of Hector"
Thus, to be continued.
Sergei Vorobyov.
PATROCLES PATROCLES
(Πάτροχλος), in Greek mythology, the son of one of the Argonauts Menetia, ally Achilles in Trojan War. By origin, P. is a local Thessalian hero, which explains his friendship with Achilles (Not. II. XI 764-790), who was the son of King Phthia Peleia in Thessaly. The famous art of P. in driving chariots and his concern for the team of Achilles (Not. N. XXIII 280-284) give reason to see in him originally the driver of Peleus. In view of the fact that the genealogy of P. Actor's grandfather was not very stable in the mythological tradition, linking Actor either with Phthia (Thessaly), or with Opuntus (Locrid), there was a desire to link these two geographical points in the legendary biography of P. This is how the version , according to which Menetius first moved from Thessaly to Locris, but eventually had to save his son from here (during the games, P. accidentally killed one of his peers, and he was threatened with the revenge of the relatives of the murdered). Then the father took P. to Phthia and gave it to Pele ”; here P. grew up with Achilles (XXIV 24, 84-90). To bring the two famous heroes even closer, a variant of the myth was used, according to which the nymph Aegina, having given birth to Aeacus, the father of Peleus, from Zeus, then became the wife of Actor (Find. 01. IX 68-70). In this case, Aegina, like Alcmene, gives rise to one kind of divine origin (Achilles belongs to it) and another - mortal (P. belongs to it), and both heroes turn out to be close relatives.
Although sources call P. among suitors Helena(Apollod. Ill 10, 8; Paus. Ill 24, 10), his presence at Troy is explained mainly by friendship with Achilles. When Achilles withdrew from participation in the battles and the position of the Greeks became critical, P. persuaded Achilles to allow him to fight. Dressed in the armor of his friend, on his chariot harnessed by immortal horses, P. put the Trojans to flight and defeated over 20 Trojan warriors, including the famous hero Sarpedon. Fascinated by the battle, P. forgot the covenant of Achilles, who ordered him to return as soon as the enemy was pushed back from the Achaean camp. P. pursued the Trojans to the very walls of Troy and died there by hand Hector helped by Apollo. The description of the exploits and death of P. is dedicated to the 16th book. "Iliad". In the ensuing battle over the murdered P. Hector managed to remove his armor, while the body of P. Achaeans, led by Menelaus and Ajax, recaptured and carried to the camp. Here Achilles gave P. a solemn funeral: 12 captured Trojan youths were sacrificed to the hero over the funeral pyre. Then the funeral games began, in which all the most prominent Achaean leaders took part (Iliad 23). According to one version of the myth (Paus. Ill 19, 13), P. was granted immortality, and he was transferred to the island of Levka, where Achilles also lived after death.
Lit.: Scheliha R. von, Patroklos, Gedanken über Homers Dichtung und Gestalten, Basel, 1943.
V. N. Yarkho.
(Source: "Myths of the peoples of the world".)
PatroclusHero, participant in the Trojan War. Son of Menetius, king of Opuntus, and his wife Sthenel (or Polymene). As a child, during the game, he quarreled with Clytomim and killed him. After that, he fled with his father from Opunt and settled with King Peleus in Phthia. There Patroclus became the closest friend of Achilles, the son of Peleus. Together with him, he went to Troy, where he spent his courage. In the tenth year of the war, after the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, the Greeks, pressed by the Trojans to their ships, were close to defeat. Then Patroclus, on the advice of Nestor, begged Achilles to give him his armor and weapons in order to inspire his comrades with his appearance. Patroclus led the army of the Myrmidons, allies of Agamemnon, and drove the Trojans to the walls of Troy. Here he mortally wounded the Lycian hero Sarpedon, an ally of the Trojans. At the walls of Troy, Patroclus entered into battle with Hector, but Apollo helped Hector, who hit Patroclus on the back and shoulders and removed Achilles' armor from him. The defenseless hero was wounded by Euphorbus and finished off by Hector. Around the body of Patroclus, a fierce battle began between the Greeks and the Trojans, which ended with the flight of the Trojans at the sight of an angry Achilles. Achilles avenged his friend's death by killing Hector and many other Trojans. Achilles arranged a magnificent funeral for Patroclus, which ended with games involving all the Achaean heroes. After his death, Achilles was buried in the same grave as Patroclus.
(Source: "Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary Reference." EdwART, 2009.)
3rd-2nd centuries BC e.
Paris, Louvre.
Fragment of an engraved drawing on a bronze cist.
3rd-2nd centuries BC e.
Paris, Louvre.
Fragment of painting of the Apulian crater.
340-330 BC e.
Naples.
National Museum.
Fresco of the tomb of François at Vulci.
II-I centuries. BC e.
Synonyms:
See what "PATROCL" is in other dictionaries:
And husband. Star. redk.Otch.: Patroklovich, Patroklovna. Derivatives: Patroklushka; Patria; Patya. Origin: (Greek Patrokles is the name of the hero of the Trojan War. From pater (genus p. patros) father and kleos glory.) Name day: 30 Aug. Dictionary of personal names. Patroclus Glory ... ... Dictionary of personal names
In the myths of the ancient Greeks, a friend and ally of Achilles in the Trojan War. Dressed in the armor of his friend, Patroclus on the chariot of Achilles put the Trojans to flight. Fascinated by the battle, he forgot the covenant of his friend: to return as soon as the enemy was pushed back. ... ... Historical dictionary
In the Iliad, one of the heroes of the Trojan War, a friend of Achilles. Killed by Hector... Big encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Greek Patrokh ^ oO the hero of Homer's poem "The Iliad" (between the 10th and 8th centuries BC). In Greek mythology, the son of one of the Argonauts Menetius, which is why he is called in the "Iliad" Menetiades or Menetides. P. closest friend of Achilles, one of the main characters ... ... literary heroes
Hector - in ancient Greek mythology the eldest son of Priam and Hecuba, the main Trojan hero in the Iliad. Hector enjoyed the special patronage of the god Apollo, from which some ancient authors conclude that Hector was the son of Apollo.
When Achilles defiantly withdrew from participating in the war after a quarrel with Agamemnon, Achilles' armor was worn by his best friend, Patroclus. Mistaken by everyone for Achilles, Patroclus crushed many Trojans and reached the very walls of Troy, where Hector killed him and took the armor of Achilles.
When Thetis (mother of Achilles) the next morning brought her son new armor forged by the god Hephaestus, Achilles challenged Hector and killed him:
Pelid's spear sparkled, with which
In his right hand he shook, contemplating life on Hector,
Places on the body are beautiful looking for true blows.
But the hero's whole body was covered with copper-forged armor,
Lush, which he stole, having defeated Patroclus with his might.
There, only where the keys are tied with ramen, the larynx
A part was exposed, a place where the death of the soul is inevitable:
There, flying in, Achilles struck Priamid with a spear;
A deadly sting passed right through the white neck;
Only the crushing ash did not cut his larynx
At all, so that the dying man could say a few words;
He collapsed into dust, and Achilles cried out loudly, triumphant:
"Hector, you killed Patroclus - and you thought to stay alive!
You were not afraid of me either when I moved away from the battles,
Reckless enemy! But his avenger, incomparably the strongest,
Rather than you, I remained behind the Achaean courts,
I am the one who crushed your knees! you for shame
Birds and dogs will tear him apart, and the Argives will bury him."
(Homer, "Iliad", song 22)
After the victory, Achilles tied the body of the murdered Hector to a chariot and dragged it around Troy.
The body of the dead Hector was guarded by Apollo, so neither predatory animals nor decay touched him. At the council of the gods, Apollo was the first to raise his voice in defense of giving Hector's body to Priam, as a result, Zeus ordered Achilles to return Hector's body to Troy.
Hector was married to Andromache. In the Iliad by Homer, she is depicted as a faithful and loving wife, anticipating imminent death husband. Before one of the battles, Andromache said to Hector when parting:
Husband is amazing, your courage is ruining you! no son
You do not regret the baby, nor the poor mother; soon
I'll be a widow, unfortunate! soon you Argives,
If they attack together, they will kill! and abandoned by you, Hector,
It is better for me to descend into the earth: there will be no consolation for me,
If, comprehended by fate, you leave me: my inheritance -
Sorrow! I have neither a father nor a tender mother!
(...)
Hector, you are everything to me now - both father and kind mother,
You and my only brother, you and my wonderful husband!
(Homer "Iliad", song 6)
After the capture of Troy, the son of Hector and Andromache was killed by the Achaeans, Andromache became the concubine of the son of Achilles - Neoptolem. After the death of Neoptolemus, Andromache becomes the wife of Helena, Cassandra's twin brother. Andromache and Helen reigned in Epirus, where Aeneas, a former associate of Hector, found them during their wanderings.
When the Trojans broke into the camp of the Greeks, Patroclus, who was sitting at that time with the wounded Eurypylus, jumped up in horror, cried out loudly and hurried to Achilles' tent. Shedding bitter tears, Patroclus came to Achilles. Achilles asked him:
Why are you crying, Patroclus, like a baby girl who runs after her mother and asks her to take her in her arms? Have you received bad news from Phthia? Or do you weep that the Greeks are perishing near their ships? Tell me your sadness, don't hide anything.
O son of Peleus! Patroclus answered. - Great grief befell the Greeks! The bravest of them are wounded. Won't you help the Greeks? If you don't want to help, then let me go with your Myrmidons. Give me your armor. Maybe the Trojans will take me for you and stop the battle. With fresh forces, we will repel the Trojans from the ships.
So Patroclus prayed to Achilles, not knowing that he himself was begging for his own death.
Achilles saw how hard it was for the Greeks. He heard only Hector's voice. Does not participate, which means that no one is in the battle great hero Greece. Achilles did not want the death of the Greeks. He agreed to give Patroclus his weapons and allow him to engage in battle with the Trojans, but only if the alarm was heard in front of his ships; then let Patroclus repulse the Trojans and prevent them from burning their ships. But Achilles forbade Patroclus to lead the Myrmidons to the walls of Troy, he was afraid that his beloved friend might die.
That's what friends said. Suddenly Achilles saw how one of his ships, lit by Hector, was on fire. He exclaimed in anger:
Hurry, Patroclus! I see the flames are already raging among the ships. Arm yourself soon! I myself will build the Myrmidons into battle!
Patroclus quickly armed himself with the armor of Achilles, he did not take only his spears; Achilles alone could fight with this spear, it was so hard. Harnessed to the chariot of Achilles' horses, his charioteer Automedon. Achilles lined up his Myrmidons. They, like predatory wolves, ready to rush at a deer, eagerly rushed into battle. Achilles inspired his soldiers to feat of arms and ordered them to fight bravely, so that King Agamemnon would understand how recklessly he acted, insulting the most glorious of Greek heroes. The Myrmidons rushed into battle with a loud cry, their formidable cry resounded throughout the camp. The Trojans saw Patroclus in the armor of Achilles and thought that it was Achilles himself, forgetting about the enmity with Agamemnon, in a hurry to help the Greeks. Every Trojan began to think about running away. Patroclus rushed into the thick of the battle and smashed with his spear the Trojans who fought near the ship of Protesilaus. The frightened Trojans retreated.
But the Trojans did not immediately leave the camp, they moved away at first only from the ships. The Greeks pursued the Trojans, and many Trojan heroes fell. But the Trojans did not stay in the camp. Like ferocious wolves, the Greek heroes rushed at them. The Trojans rushed across the ditch into the field, and many died. The hero Telamonides Ajax was eager to slay Hector. Hector, although he saw that victory was slipping out of the hands of the Trojans, did not retreat yet, he tried with all his might to delay the Greeks pursuing the Trojans. Finally, Hector also retreated, the horses quickly carried him across the ditch into the field.
Exciting the Greeks to pursue the fugitives, Patroclus quickly drove the horses to the moat. The immortal horses of Peleus jumped over the ditch along with the chariot and rushed across the field. Patroclus was looking for Hector, but he escaped in his chariot. Dust rose across the field from the fleeing crowds of Trojan warriors. The Trojans hurried to hide behind the walls of Troy. But Patroclus cut off the retreat of many. He drove them back to the ships and cut down many of them with his heavy spear. Sarpedon saw the death of so many heroes at the hands of Patroclus and appealed to his Lycians, urging them to stop. Sarpedon wanted to fight Patroclus. He jumped off the chariot and began to wait for Patroclus. Achilles' friend also got off the chariot. The heroes rushed at each other, like two kites fighting with a cry for prey on a high cliff. Zeus saw this duel. He felt sorry for Sarpedon, he wanted to save his son. Hera heard the lamentations of Zeus. She did not advise him to save his son. She reminded Zeus that the sons of many gods are fighting under Troy, that many of them have already died. If Zeus saves Sarpedon, then other gods will wish to save their sons. Zeus must allow the death of Sarpedon at the hands of Patroclus, if fate is destined to do so. Zeus took Hera's advice. He sent bloody dew to the Trojan fields, honoring his son, who was to fall at the hands of Patroclus.
Patroclus was the first to throw a spear and killed the faithful servant of Sarpedon. Sarpedon also threw a spear, but did not hit Patroclus; a spear flew past and killed one of the horses harnessed to the chariot of Achilles' friend. The second time the heroes collided. Sarpedon missed again. Patroclus struck Sarpedon right in the chest. The king of Lycian has fallen, as an oak falls, cut down to the very root by a woodcutter. Sarpedon called loudly to his friend Glaucus:
Friend Glaucus, incite the Lycians to fight bravely for their king Sarpedon and fight for me yourself. It will be your eternal disgrace that the Greeks will remove the armor from me.
A moan of death escaped from Sarpedon's chest, and the god of death Tanat closed his eyes. Sorrow took possession of the Commander-in-Chief when he heard the voice of a friend. He was tormented by the fact that he could not help him, since he himself suffered from a wound. He called to God and begged him to heal the wound. Apollo heard the prayer of Glaucus and healed his wound. Glaucus gathered the Lycians and the heroes of Troy, Aeneas and Agenor, Polydamant and Hector himself, to fight for the body of Sarpedon. The heroes gathered and hurried to the aid of Glaucus. He called on the help of Greek heroes and Patroclus; Ajax came first. A battle broke out around Sarpedon's body. Zeus, however, spread darkness over the body of his son, so that the battle would be even more terrible.
There was such a terrible roar of weapons, as if a crowd of woodcutters were cutting down trees in the upland forests. The corpse of Sarpedon lay covered with dust and blood, all covered with arrows. Zeus did not take his eyes off the battlefield; he pondered whether to destroy Patroclus at the body of his son, or to let him perform even greater feats and drive the Trojans to the very walls. Zeus decided to prolong the life of Patroclus. He sent fear into Hector. He was the first to flee, followed by other warriors. The Greeks tore off the armor from Sarpedon, and Patroclus ordered them to be carried to the ships. The Thunderer Zeus then called Apollo and ordered him to take the body of Sarpedon, wash it from dust and blood, anoint it with fragrant oil and dress it in magnificent clothes. Then the gods-brothers - Sleep and Death - had to take the body of Sarpedon to Lycia, so that Sarpedon's brothers and friends would be buried there with great honors. Apollo fulfilled the command of Zeus.
Patroclus at this time was driving the Trojans to the city walls. He raced towards his death. He killed many heroes. Patroclus would have taken Troy if the god Apollo, having fulfilled the command of Zeus, had not stood on the high tower of Troy. Three times Patroclus climbed the wall, and three times Apollo reflected him. When Patroclus threw himself on the wall for the fourth time, Apollo shouted menacingly to him:
Step back from the wall, brave Patroclus! Not you, but Achilles is destined to destroy the great Troy!
Patroclus retreated, he did not dare to anger the god Apollo, who was striking far away with his golden arrows.
Only at the Scaean Gate did Hector stop his horses; he hesitated whether to attack Patroclus or command everyone to take cover behind the walls of Troy. Then Apollo appeared to him under the guise of Hekaba's brother and advised him to attack Patroclus in an open field. Hector obeyed the advice and ordered his charioteer, Cebrion, to turn the horses. Seeing Hector on a chariot, Patroclus jumped to the ground, and, grabbing a huge stone in his right hand, and waving a spear with his left, began to wait for his approach. When Hector was already close, Patroclus threw a stone and struck it on the head of the charioteer Cebrion. Like a diver throwing himself into the sea, Cebrion fell headlong from the chariot. Patroclus exclaimed with mockery:
How fast did Cebrion dive! If it was at sea, he would get a lot of oysters diving from the ship. There are, I see, divers among the Trojans!
So exclaiming, Patroclus rushed to the body of Cebrion. Hector jumped off the chariot and entered into battle with Patroclus for the corpse of his charioteer. The bloody slaughter began again around the body of Kebrion. The Greeks and Trojans fought as the Eastern and South wind, Evre and Not, in a wooded valley; then the trees bend with noise, hitting each other with branches, and the crackling of breaking oaks, pines and firs is heard around. Trojans and Greeks fought for a long time. The sun was already setting in the west. Three times Patroclus rushed at the Trojans, three times he fought with a spear of nine heroes, when he rushed at the Trojans for the fourth time, the god Apollo, dressed in great darkness, opposed him. He stood behind Patroclus and struck him on the back and shoulders. Darkened in the eyes of Patroclus. The god Apollo tore off the helmet from the head of Patroclus, which had once shone on the head of the great Peleus, and the helmet rolled on the ground. The spear broke in the hands of Patroclus, and his heavy shield fell to the ground. Apollo unfastened the armor of Patroclus, and he, deprived of strength and unarmed, stood before the Trojans. But the hero Euphorbus did not dare to attack the unarmed Patroclus from the front either - he hit him from behind with a spear between his shoulders and disappeared into the crowd of Trojans. Avoiding death, Patroclus began to retreat to the ranks of the Greeks. Hector saw the wounded Patroclus and struck him to death with a spear. Like a lion who kills a wild boar in a fight for a watering hole on the banks of a shallow stream, so Hector killed Patroclus. The son of Priam rejoiced; he killed a friend of Achilles who threatened to destroy the great Troy. Patroclus fell to the ground and, dying, said to Hector:
Now you can be proud, Hector, of victory. With the help of Zeus and Apollo, you won her. The gods defeated me, they stripped me of my armor. It's easy for the gods. But if twenty like you attacked me, I would cut you all down with my spear. The god Apollo and Euphorbus killed me, but you are the third of those who struck me down. Remember, then, what I will tell you: you have not long to live, and death stands near you. Severe fate determined you to fall at the hands of Achilles.
Having said this, Patroclus died. Quietly his soul flew off to the kingdom of gloomy Hades, lamenting that she had left her young, strong body.
Already dead, Hector shouted:
Why do you foretell death to me, Patroclus? Who knows: maybe Achilles, slain by my spear, will part with his life earlier.
Hector wrested his spear from the body of Patroclus and rushed at Automedon, wanting to take possession of the horses of Achilles.
