In Greek legend, the son of Menoetius; the faithful follower of Achilles at Troy. He went into battle wearing Achilles' armour, but was cut down by Hector. His death made Achilles return to the battle.
In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Pátroklos (Gr.
Patroclus' genealogy
Menoetius was a member of the Argonauts in his youth. Polymele, daughter of Peleus, King of Phthia and older half-sister of Achilles;
Menoetius was a son of Actor, King of Opus in Locris by Aegina.
Actor was a son of Deion, King of Phocis and Diomede.
Life before the Trojan War
While still a boy, Patroclus killed his friend, Clysonymus, during an argument. There Patroclus apparently first met Peleus' son Achilles.
Patroclus was likely somewhat older than Achilles.
At about that time Patroclus killed Las, founder of a namesake city near Gytheio, Laconia, according to Pausanias the geographer. Pausanias reported that the killing was alternatively attributed to Achilles.
Nine years later, Helen fled Sparta with Prince Paris of Troy.
Trojan War activities
When Achilles refused to fight because of his feud with Agamemnon, Patroclus donned his armor, led the Myrmidons and killed many Trojans, including Sarpedon (a son of Zeus), and Cebriones (the chariot driver of Hector).
After retrieving his body, which had been protected on the field by Menelaus and Telamonian Aias, Achilles returned to battle and avenged his companion's death by killing Hector. Achilles then desecrated Hector's body by dragging it behind his chariot instead of allowing the Trojans to honorably dispose of it by burning it. but he was persuaded to do so by an apparition of Patroclus, who told Achilles he could not enter Hades without a proper cremation. Achilles cut a lock of his hair, and sacrificed horses, dogs, and twelve Trojan captives before placing Patroclus' body on the funeral pyre.
Achilles then organized an athletic competition to honour his dead companion, which included a chariot race (won by Diomedes), boxing (won by Epeios), wrestling (a draw between Telamonian Aias and Odysseus), a foot race (won by Odysseus), a duel (a draw between Aias and Diomedes), a discus throw (won by Polypoites), an archery contest (won by Meriones), and a javelin throw (won by Agamemnon, unopposed).
Relationship to Achilles
In the Iliad, the love of Achilles for Patroclus drives the story and contributes to the overall theme of the humanization of Achilles. While in the Iliad this love may be seen as chaste, in later Greek writings, such as Plato's Symposium, the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles is held up as a model of sexual love, usually interpreted as pederastic. The primary disagreement in ancient times was between those, such as Aeschylus, who held Patroclus to be the eromenos (beloved) of Achilles, and that of others, including Plato, who argued that Achilles was the eromenos.
Burial and later reports
The death of Achilles is given in sources other than the Iliad.
In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus meets Achilles in Hades, accompanied by Patroclus, Telamonian Aias and Antilochus.
A general of Croton identified either as Autoleon or Leonymus reportedly visited the island of Leuke while recovering from wounds received in battle against the Locri Epizefiri. He reported having seen Patroclus in the company of Achilles, Ajax the Lesser, Telamonian Aias, Antilochus, and Helen.
Others
Patroclus was also the name of
A Hellenistic admiral, who commanded the expedition of Ptolemy III Euergetes to help Athens in 226 BC A bishop of Arles, who died in 426 AD.Spoken-word myths - audio files
| Achilles and Patroclus myths as told by story tellers |
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| 1. Achilles and Patroclus, read by Timothy Carter |
| Bibliography of reconstruction: Homer Iliad, 9.308, 16.2, 11.780, 23.54 (700 BC); |
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