Telephus and the Greeks in Mysia
Before reaching Troy, the Greek expedition lands in Mysia, fights King Telephus and discovers that Achilles' wound will become part of the route to Troy.
The Story
The Greek expedition did not simply sail directly to Troy.
In an important tradition from the wider Trojan War cycle, the Greeks first landed in Mysia.
They mistook the country for Trojan territory and attacked it.
Mysia was ruled by Telephus, a son of Heracles.
Telephus fought against the invading Greeks.
During the battle he was wounded by Achilles.
The wound would not heal.
Telephus eventually learned that the same source that had caused the wound was connected with its cure.
He therefore sought Achilles and the Greeks.
The episode brought former enemies into an uneasy relationship.
Telephus was healed and became important to the continuation of the expedition, since the Greeks needed guidance or knowledge that would help them reach Troy.
The story therefore belongs to the events before the famous fighting described in the Iliad.
Even before Troy itself was reached, Achilles had already fought and wounded a king whose fate became tied to the Greek expedition.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Telephus connects Heracles' family with the generation of the Trojan War and preserves an important episode from the lost wider Trojan cycle: the Greeks' mistaken expedition to Mysia before reaching Troy.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient traditions differ over how Telephus was healed and precisely how he assisted the Greeks afterward. A famous form of the story interpreted the oracle concerning the wound through rust or scrapings from Achilles' spear.