Deiphobus
In
Description
Deiphobus was described by the chronicler Malalas in his account of the Chronography as " above average stature, keen-eyed, somewhat snub-nosed, dark-skinned, flat-faced, brave, good beard".[2] Meanwhile, in the account of Dares the Phrygian, he was illustrated as ". . .looked like his father [i.e. a handsome face]. He was the man of forceful action".[3]
Mythology
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According to the took the shape of Deiphobus and goaded Hector to make a stand and fight. Hector, thinking it was his brother, listened and threw his spear at Achilles. When the spear missed, Hector turned around to ask his brother for another spear, but "Deiphobus" had vanished. He then looked around for him but he was nowhere to be seen. It was then Hector knew the gods had deceived and forsaken him, and he met his fate at the hand of Achilles.
Some accounts, such as that of
In Virgil's Aeneid, Deiphobus, horribly mutilated during the sack of Troy, appears to Aeneas in the underworld. He tells him the story of his death, which entails Helen's betrayal in signaling Menelaus to Deiphobus's bedchamber. While with Aeneas, he begs the gods for revenge against the Greeks.[5]
Cultural depictions
- Deiphobus is a minor character in William Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida.
- One modern account, The Luck of Troy by Roger Lancelyn Green, depicts him as a particularly unpleasant character.
Namesake
- 1867 Deiphobus, Trojan asteroid
See also
Sources
References
- Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Homer, The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital xLibrary.
- Homer, Homeri Opera in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneid. Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Publius Vergilius Maro, Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics. J. B. Greenough. Boston. Ginn & Co. 1900. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.