Polydorus of Troy
heroYoungest son of Priam, sent away from Troy with gold for safekeeping, only to be murdered by his host.
The Myth
His host murdered him for gold — one of the most damning violations of xenia in all Greek myth. Priam sent young Polydorus to King Polymestor of Thrace along with treasure, hoping to protect his youngest son from the war. When Troy fell, Polymestor killed the boy and threw his body into the sea. Hecuba discovered her son's corpse washed up on the shore near the Greek camp. Her revenge was terrible: she lured Polymestor into her tent, blinded him, and killed his children. Euripides made this the climax of his Hecuba, showing how grief transforms a queen into something Agamemnon himself feared.
Symbols
Fun Fact
Virgil gives a different version where Polydorus's blood grows into a bleeding bush that Aeneas accidentally disturbs.
Explore Further
Hecuba
heroHecuba was the queen of Troy who watched her husband, sons, and city destroyed — embodying the...
Hecuba (Revenge)
heroQueen of Troy who survived the fall, witnessed the sacrifice of Polyxena, and took savage revenge...
Aeneas
heroAeneas was a Trojan prince, son of Aphrodite, who survived Troy's fall and became the ancestor of...
Agamemnon
heroAgamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife...
Priam
heroPriam was the aged king of Troy, father of fifty sons including Hector and Paris, whose night...
Cadmus
heroCadmus was the Phoenician prince who founded Thebes, sowed dragon's teeth, and brought the alphabet...
Cadmus and the Spartoi
heroThe Phoenician prince who founded Thebes and introduced the Greek alphabet, whose sowing of dragon...
Polyxena
heroTrojan princess sacrificed on Achilles's tomb after the fall of Troy to appease his ghost.
Thrace
placeThrace was the vast, wild region north of Greece — homeland of Ares, Orpheus, the Maenads, and the...
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...
Troy (Hisarlik)
placeHisarlik in Turkey is the archaeological site identified as Homer's Troy — multiple cities layered...
Harmonia
godHarmonia was the goddess of harmony and concord, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, whose wedding...