Memnon and Achilles
Memnon arrives to defend Troy and becomes one of Achilles' greatest opponents in the traditions that continue beyond the Iliad.
The Story
After the death of Hector, Troy continued to receive powerful allies.
Among the most important was Memnon, king of the Aethiopians.
Memnon came to Troy with his warriors and entered the fighting against the Greeks.
He was the son of Eos, goddess of Dawn, and belonged to a divine family much as Achilles did through Thetis.
Memnon proved a formidable warrior.
In the lost epic tradition of the Aethiopis, he killed Antilochus, the son of Nestor.
Achilles then entered battle against him.
The confrontation between the two heroes became one of the great duels of the later Trojan War tradition.
Memnon was killed by Achilles.
His mother Eos mourned him, and ancient traditions developed the story of honours or immortality granted to her fallen son.
The episode also moved Achilles one stage closer to his own death.
The hero had defeated another extraordinary opponent, but his own fate was approaching.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Memnon expands the Trojan War beyond the surviving Iliad and was one of the principal opponents of Achilles in the lost Epic Cycle.
Traditions & Variations
The Aethiopis itself is lost and survives only through summaries and fragments. Later authors preserve and expand different details of Memnon's death.