Protesilaos
heroThe first Greek to die at Troy, who leapt ashore knowing a prophecy decreed the first to land would perish.
The Myth
An oracle declared that the first Greek to touch Trojan soil would be the first to die. When the fleet reached Troy, every warrior hesitated — except Protesilaos, who leapt from his ship and was immediately killed by Hector. His sacrifice broke the paralysis and the invasion began. His wife Laodamia was so grief-stricken that the gods granted Protesilaos a brief return from the dead. When he died a second time, Laodamia chose to follow him, either killing herself or being taken by the gods in pity.
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Fun Fact
Protesilaos received a hero cult at his tomb on the Gallipoli peninsula — the same stretch of coast where soldiers would again be the first ashore in 1915.
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