Neoptolemus Comes to Troy
After Achilles' death, his son Neoptolemus is brought to Troy because prophecy declares that the city cannot be captured without him.
The Story
Achilles did not survive to see the fall of Troy.
After his death, the Greeks still could not capture the city.
Prophecy revealed that another member of Achilles' family was needed.
His son Neoptolemus had to come to Troy.
The young warrior was therefore brought into the conflict that had already killed his father.
Neoptolemus became one of the important figures in the final phase of the war.
Later tradition places him among the warriors who entered Troy during its destruction.
His reputation was very different from the compassion Achilles eventually showed Priam in the Iliad.
Neoptolemus became associated with some of the most brutal acts of the sack.
Most famously, later tradition connects him with the killing of the elderly Priam.
The son of Achilles therefore arrived only near the end of the war, but became deeply connected with Troy's destruction.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Neoptolemus extends Achilles' story into the final destruction of Troy and represents the next generation inheriting the violence of the war.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient sources vary considerably in their presentation of Neoptolemus and his conduct during the sack. His later adventures after Troy also developed into a substantial independent tradition.