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Greek Mythology Notes

Asteropaios

🗡 heroἈστεροπαῖος
None recorded

Paeonian warrior who fought for Troy and duelled Achilles at the river Scamander‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍

The Legend of Asteropaios

Asteropaios was the grandson of the river god Axios and led the Paeonians as allies of Troy.‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍ He was uniquely ambidextrous, able to hurl two spears simultaneously with deadly accuracy. When Achilles rampaged along the banks of the river Scamander, Asteropaios was one of the few warriors brave enough to stand against him. He cast both spears at once — one grazed Achilles' arm, drawing blood, while the other struck the ground. Achilles then attacked and killed him, mocking his river-god lineage as inferior to the heritage of Zeus. His body was left for the eels and fish of the river.

Parents

Pelegon (son of the river god Axios)

Symbols

twin spearsriver

Fun Fact

One of only a handful of warriors to wound Achilles in combat, drawing blood with a spear cast

Explore Further

Menesthius

🗡 hero

Myrmidon leadership, river god heritage

Son of the river god Spercheius who commanded one of the five Myrmidon divisions at Troy

Ilioneus

🗡 hero

Herding, Troy

Trojan warrior whose name means man of Ilion, killed by Peneleos during the great battles

Tlepolemos

🗡 hero

Rhodian leadership, Heracles heritage

Son of Heracles who led the Rhodian contingent at Troy and was killed by Sarpedon

Diomedes

🗡 hero

King of Argos who wounded gods

Diomedes was the only mortal in the Iliad to wound two Olympian gods in a single day.

Diomedea (albatross genus)

Achilles

🗡 hero

Greatest warrior of the Trojan War

The greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the River Styx as an infant — except for the heel by which his mother held him.

Achilles heelAchilles tendon

Ajax the Lesser

🗡 hero

Swift warrior of the Locrians

Ajax son of Oileus was a fast, fierce, impious warrior whose assault on Cassandra in Athena's temple brought divine wrath upon the Greek fleet.

ajax

Ajax

🗡 hero

The immovable warrior who held the Greek line

The massive warrior from Salamis who carried a shield like a tower wall and held the Greek line when every other defender broke.

Democoon

🗡 hero

Combat, illegitimacy

Illegitimate son of King Priam who came from Abydos to fight at Troy

Dolops

🗡 hero

Combat, lineage

Trojan warrior and son of Lampus who fought bravely before falling at Troy

Meges

🗡 hero

None recorded

Greek warrior from Dulichium who led the Epeians to Troy and fought bravely at the ships

Diomedes

🗡 hero

The hero who wounded two Olympian gods in a single day

The king of Argos who fought at Troy with such ferocity that he wounded both Aphrodite and Ares — becoming one of the only mortals to injure gods.

Scamander

god

river, Troy

River god of the Scamander, the great river of the Trojan plain.