The Death of Troilus
The young Trojan prince Troilus encounters Achilles outside Troy and is killed in a tradition closely associated with Apollo's sanctuary.
The Story
Troilus was one of the younger sons associated with Priam and Hecuba.
Homer remembers him among Priam's dead sons, but does not tell the story of his death.
Other ancient traditions developed the episode in much greater detail.
In the account preserved by Pseudo-Apollodorus, Achilles ambushed Troilus and killed him in the sanctuary of Thymbraean Apollo.
Later traditions vary over the precise circumstances.
Troilus may be represented riding or exercising horses when Achilles attacks him, while other versions place greater emphasis on his flight toward Apollo's sanctuary.
Some traditions also preserve an unusual uncertainty about his parentage, making Apollo rather than Priam his father.
The death of such a young Trojan prince became an especially powerful image of the destruction surrounding Troy.
It also added another layer to the complicated relationship between Achilles and Apollo, the god who would later be closely associated with Achilles' own death.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Troilus belongs to an important body of Trojan War tradition outside the Iliad and provides another example of the younger generation of Priam's family being destroyed by the war.
Traditions & Variations
The surviving traditions differ considerably over Troilus' age, parentage, the location of his death and the circumstances of Achilles' attack.