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Memnon in Greek Mythology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAccording to Greek legend, Memnon was a powerful warrior whose mother was Eos, the goddess of the Dawn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He appears in the saga of Troy as a would-be savior. He is ultimately killed by the even more powerful Achilles. To understand Memnon\u2019s role in the saga, it\u2019s worth revisiting the story of Troy and what made Memnon such a captivating figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trojan War had its beginnings in a beauty contest. What happened is that Paris, the handsome son of the King of Troy, had the honor of judging a beauty contest between three of the most beautiful Greek goddesses: Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aphrodite, hoping to be declared the winner, promised to provide Paris with the most beautiful woman on earth if he chose her. When he obliges, she brings him to Helen, a stunningly beautiful woman who happens to be the wife of the King of Sparta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paris and Helen soon elope together and run off to Troy.\u00a0 Now, if you know anything about the war-like Sparta<\/a> \u2013 or, for that matter, jealousy \u2013 you know that the King of Sparta wasn\u2019t too happy about his wife being stolen from him. And he didn\u2019t take any half-measures. Instead of negotiating, he sent an army to conquer Troy and bring his wife back.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat followed was a ten-year siege that became the subject of Homer\u2019s epic poem, The Iliad<\/em>. Homer\u2019s description of the final year of the war is perhaps the most famous war story in history. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut it\u2019s another work, the Posthomerica<\/em>, in which the Ethiopian warrior Memnon appears. Just as Troy is losing hope, the Ethiopian king arrives with a vast army of warriors to help liberate the besieged city.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMemnon Comes to the Rescue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn the Posthomerica<\/em>, written by Quintus Smyrneaus sometime in the 3rd century AD, Memnon reaches Troy just as the city\u2019s leaders are discussing surrendering to the formidable Greeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\nUp to that point, the Trojans suffered terrible losses at the hands of their enemies, particularly Achilles. He had slain both Hector, the king\u2019s oldest son, and Penthesileia, the Amazonian daughter of Ares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.historydefined.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1280px-Picart_-_Memnon-836x1024.jpg\")
Memnon by Bearnard PIcart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWith the death of Penthesileia and her fierce Amazonian maidens, the Trojan King Priam was despondent. As an Amazonian warrior, Penthesileia was one of the only people who could have stood a chance against Achilles. Still, the king held out some hope that Memnon would prevail, even though deep down he realized that it was probably too little, too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Memnon finally arrived, the Trojans received a much-needed boost to their morale. King Priam offered to hold a feast in his honor, but Memnon refused, saying he\u2019d prefer to be well-rested for the next day\u2019s battle. At that, Memnon gets up, excused himself, and goes \u201cto a bed that was his last.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next day, the combined army of Trojans and Ethiopians rushed out of Troy\u2019s gates and confronted the Greeks in bloody, close-combat fighting. Memnon slays several important Greek warriors, including Archilochus, the son of Nestor. The killing of Nestor\u2019s son sets off a chain of events that will ultimately result in Memnon\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nestor plays a role in several works of Greek mythology, but in The Iliad<\/em>, he is portrayed as an elderly warrior who offers advice and arbitrates disputes. When he learned that Memnon killed his son, he went to Achilles for help. Achilles, who was a half-god like Memnon, is perhaps the only person who could kill the great Ethiopian warrior.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAchilles is moved by the death of Archilochus and so he and the equally formidable Ajax go out to the battlefield to search for Memnon. They found him near the water, cutting a path through the fleeing Greeks who were heading toward their ships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Final Battle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAccording to the myth, as soon as the pair confront Memnon, Ajax leaves Achilles on his own, sure that Achilles\u2019 skill and strength will win out against the Ethiopian king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ajax has good reason to be confident. Though both Memnon and Achilles have parents who are gods, Achilles was dipped in the River Styx (the mythological river of the underworld) when he was a baby. This made him invulnerable wherever the water touched him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.historydefined.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1920px-Combat_between_Achilles_and_Memnon_Grave_amphora_southern_Italy_330_BC-1024x797.jpg\")
Memnon and Achilles battle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe only part of his body that remained vulnerable were his heels since that was where his mother, the goddess Thetis, held onto him while submerging him in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later on in the battle, Paris would eventually strike him in the heel with a divinely-guided arrow, killing him. But against Memnon, Achilles\u2019 invulnerability meant that for all the prowess of the great Ethiopian king, Memnon stood little chance against his adversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the duel, the gods watched in fascination as Zeus imbued both men with superhuman size and strength. So fierce was the fight between these two warriors that they paid little heed to the slaughter that was going on around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two giants fought tirelessly, driving their spear points into one another\u2019s shields and drawing blood again and again. The fight might have lasted forever if it weren\u2019t for the Fates<\/a>, who intervened on behalf of Achilles.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith the mothers of both warriors looking on in fearful anticipation, a bright Fate took Achilles\u2019 side while a dark Fate invaded Memnon\u2019s heart. With the fight all but decided, Achilles finally dealt Memnon a mortal blow by plunging his sword straight through Memnon\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Legacy of Memnon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nLong before the Posthomerica <\/em>was written, two monumental statues were built that would later become associated with Memnon in ancient Egypt. These two statues, built outside of Amenhotep III\u2019s mortuary temple, were originally meant to honor the great pharaoh who was buried there. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCenturies later, however, as Greek immigrants and travelers came into the country, they saw a striking resemblance between the statues of Amenhotep III and another great African \u2013 Memnon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What followed was a ten-year siege that became the subject of Homer\u2019s epic poem, The Iliad<\/em>. Homer\u2019s description of the final year of the war is perhaps the most famous war story in history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s another work, the Posthomerica<\/em>, in which the Ethiopian warrior Memnon appears. Just as Troy is losing hope, the Ethiopian king arrives with a vast army of warriors to help liberate the besieged city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Posthomerica<\/em>, written by Quintus Smyrneaus sometime in the 3rd century AD, Memnon reaches Troy just as the city\u2019s leaders are discussing surrendering to the formidable Greeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Up to that point, the Trojans suffered terrible losses at the hands of their enemies, particularly Achilles. He had slain both Hector, the king\u2019s oldest son, and Penthesileia, the Amazonian daughter of Ares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the death of Penthesileia and her fierce Amazonian maidens, the Trojan King Priam was despondent. As an Amazonian warrior, Penthesileia was one of the only people who could have stood a chance against Achilles. Still, the king held out some hope that Memnon would prevail, even though deep down he realized that it was probably too little, too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Memnon finally arrived, the Trojans received a much-needed boost to their morale. King Priam offered to hold a feast in his honor, but Memnon refused, saying he\u2019d prefer to be well-rested for the next day\u2019s battle. At that, Memnon gets up, excused himself, and goes \u201cto a bed that was his last.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The next day, the combined army of Trojans and Ethiopians rushed out of Troy\u2019s gates and confronted the Greeks in bloody, close-combat fighting. Memnon slays several important Greek warriors, including Archilochus, the son of Nestor. The killing of Nestor\u2019s son sets off a chain of events that will ultimately result in Memnon\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nestor plays a role in several works of Greek mythology, but in The Iliad<\/em>, he is portrayed as an elderly warrior who offers advice and arbitrates disputes. When he learned that Memnon killed his son, he went to Achilles for help. Achilles, who was a half-god like Memnon, is perhaps the only person who could kill the great Ethiopian warrior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Achilles is moved by the death of Archilochus and so he and the equally formidable Ajax go out to the battlefield to search for Memnon. They found him near the water, cutting a path through the fleeing Greeks who were heading toward their ships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the myth, as soon as the pair confront Memnon, Ajax leaves Achilles on his own, sure that Achilles\u2019 skill and strength will win out against the Ethiopian king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ajax has good reason to be confident. Though both Memnon and Achilles have parents who are gods, Achilles was dipped in the River Styx (the mythological river of the underworld) when he was a baby. This made him invulnerable wherever the water touched him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only part of his body that remained vulnerable were his heels since that was where his mother, the goddess Thetis, held onto him while submerging him in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later on in the battle, Paris would eventually strike him in the heel with a divinely-guided arrow, killing him. But against Memnon, Achilles\u2019 invulnerability meant that for all the prowess of the great Ethiopian king, Memnon stood little chance against his adversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the duel, the gods watched in fascination as Zeus imbued both men with superhuman size and strength. So fierce was the fight between these two warriors that they paid little heed to the slaughter that was going on around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two giants fought tirelessly, driving their spear points into one another\u2019s shields and drawing blood again and again. The fight might have lasted forever if it weren\u2019t for the Fates<\/a>, who intervened on behalf of Achilles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the mothers of both warriors looking on in fearful anticipation, a bright Fate took Achilles\u2019 side while a dark Fate invaded Memnon\u2019s heart. With the fight all but decided, Achilles finally dealt Memnon a mortal blow by plunging his sword straight through Memnon\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long before the Posthomerica <\/em>was written, two monumental statues were built that would later become associated with Memnon in ancient Egypt. These two statues, built outside of Amenhotep III\u2019s mortuary temple, were originally meant to honor the great pharaoh who was buried there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Centuries later, however, as Greek immigrants and travelers came into the country, they saw a striking resemblance between the statues of Amenhotep III and another great African \u2013 Memnon. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMemnon Comes to the Rescue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Final Battle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Legacy of Memnon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n