List of children of Priam

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In Greek mythology, Priam, the mythical king of Troy during the Trojan War, supposedly had 18 daughters and 68 sons. Priam had several wives, the primary one Hecuba, daughter of Dymas or Cisseus, and several concubines, who bore his children. There is no exhaustive list, but many of them are mentioned in various Greek myths. Almost all of Priam's children were slain by the Greeks in the course of the war, or shortly after.

The three main sources for the names of the children of Priam are: Homer's Iliad, where a number of his sons are briefly mentioned among the defenders of Troy; and two lists in the Bibliotheca and Hyginus' Fabulae. Virgil also mentions some of Priam's sons and daughters in the Aeneid. Some of the daughters taken captive at the end of the war are mentioned by Pausanias, who in his turn refers to paintings by Polygnotus in the Lesche of Delphi.

These are summarized by author below.

Sons[edit]

Name Sources Mother, if known Notes
Homer Apollodorus[1] Hyginus[2] Virgil Others
Hector ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Central Trojan hero in Trojan War; heir apparent; killed by Achilles, who attached Hector's body to carriage and dragged it around city.
Paris ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Raised as a shepherd; his abduction of Helen launched the Trojan War; killed by Philoctetes.
Deiphobus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Maybe the most cunning of Trojan princes, married Helen after Paris' death. He was slain during the sack of Troy by Odysseus and/or Menelaus.
Helenus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba The twin of Cassandra and, like her, a seer. Lost out to Deiphobus in competition for the hand of Helen after Paris's death. Later marries Andromache.
Polydorus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Youngest of the sons. Killed by King Polymestor of Thrace during or after the Fall of Troy
Troilus ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Possibly fathered by Apollo. Killed by Achilles
Polites ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Killed by Neoptolemus when Troy was sacked
Hippothous ✓ ✓
Kebriones ✓ ✓ ✓ Killed by Patroclus with a stone
Gorgythion ✓ ✓ ✓ Castianeira Killed in battle by Teucer, whose arrow was aimed at Hector
Agathon ✓ ✓ ✓ One of the last surviving princes during the Trojan War
Mestor ✓ ✓ ✓ Killed by Achilles
Chromius ✓ ✓ ✓ Killed by Diomedes
Doryclus ✓ ✓ ✓ Killed by Ajax
Democoon ✓ ✓ ✓ Killed by Odysseus in his rage of a lost comrade at the spear of Antiphus
Antiphus ✓ ✓ Hecuba Killed by Agamemnon
Lycaon ✓ ✓ Laothoe Killed by Achilles
Pammon ✓ ✓ Hecuba Killed by Neoptolemus when Troy was sacked
Dius ✓ ✓
Isus ✓ Killed by Agamemnon
Antiphonus ✓ Killed by Neoptolemus when Troy was sacked
Echemmon ✓ Killed by Diomedes
Archemachus ✓ ✓
Aretus ✓ ✓ Killed by a spear from Automedon
Ascanius ✓ ✓
Deiopites ✓ ✓ Killed by Meges when Troy was sacked
Dryops ✓ ✓ Killed by Achilles
Evagoras ✓ ✓
Evander ✓ ✓
Polymedon ✓ ✓
Aegeoneus ✓
Aesacus ✓ Arisbe or Alexirhoe Turned into a diving bird
Astygonus ✓
Atas ✓
Bias ✓
Chersidamas ✓ Killed by Odysseus
Clonius ✓
Echephron ✓
Glaucus ✓
Hippodamas ✓ Killed by Achilles
Hipponous ✓ Hecuba Killed by Achilles just before the latter's death
Hyperion ✓
Hyperochus ✓ ✓
Idomeneus ✓
Laodocus ✓
Lysithous ✓
Melanippus ✓ [3] Shot to death by Teucer
Mylius ✓
Philaemon ✓
Telestas ✓
Antinous ✓
Astynomus ✓
Axion ✓ Killed by Eurypylus
Biantes ✓
Brissonius ✓
Cheirodamas ✓
Chrysolaus ✓
Dolon ✓
Eresus ✓
Hero(n) ✓
Hippasus ✓
Hipposidus ✓
Ilagus ✓
Lysides ✓
Palaemon ✓
Polymelus ✓
Proneos ✓
Protodamas ✓
Chaon ✓
Idaeus [3]

Daughters[edit]

Name Sources Mother, if known Notes
Homer Apollodorus[1] Hyginus[2] Pausanias Virgil
Cassandra ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Helenus' twin, Priestess of Apollo and by him given the gift of prophecy, but cursed never to be believed
Laodice ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Homer calls her the most beautiful of Priam's daughters
Medesicaste ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ An illegitimate daughter; was married to Imbrius
Creusa ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Married to Aeneas
Medusa ✓ ✓ ✓
Aristomache ✓ Was married to Critolaus, son of Hicetaon
Aristodeme ✓
Lysimache ✓
Polyxena ✓ ✓ ✓ Hecuba Captured by the Greeks, and later sacrificed on Achilles' tomb to cause a wind back to Greece
Demnosia ✓
Demosthea ✓
Ethionome ✓
Henicea ✓
Iliona ✓ ✓ Hecuba Eldest daughter
Lysianassa ✓
Nereis ✓
Phegea ✓
Philomela ✓

Pausanias enlists several more Trojan captive women, who may or may not be daughters of Priam: Clymene, Xenodice, Deinome, Metioche, Peisis, Cleodice. He remarks, however, that of these only Clymene and Deinome were mentioned in literary sources known to him, and that the rest of the names could have been invented by Polygnotus.

Footnotes[edit]

  • Aeneas - who later led the survivors of Troy - was not a son of Priam, but his father Anchises was Priam's first cousin, making Aeneas Priam's first cousin once removed. Aeneas did, however, marry Priam's daughter Creusa, making him a son-in-law of Priam. Ascanius, the son of Aeneas and Creusa, was himself the ancestor of Romulus and Remus.
  • According to Homer:
    • Lycaon is the son of Laothoe.
    • Gorgythion is the son of Castianeira.
  • According to Apollodorus:
    • Aesacus's mother is Arisbe, daughter of Merops.
    • Hecuba, daughter of Dymas is the mother of Hector, Paris, Deiphobus, Helenus, Pammon, Polites, Antiphus, Hipponous, Polydorus, Troilus (Troilus may be the son of Apollo), Laodice, Polyxena, Cassandra and Creusa.
  • In Mozart's opera, Idomeneo, Ilia is mentioned as another daughter of Priam.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3.12.5
  2. ^ a b Hyginus, Fabulae 90
  3. ^ a b Photius, Bibliotheca 190.37

References[edit]

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