Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus was the alternate name of Neoptolemus, meaning "the fiery" or "red-haired" — the name that gave us "Pyrrhic victory."
The Legend of Pyrrhus
Also called Neoptolemus, Pyrrhus was the son of Achilles, raised on Scyros until Odysseus brought him to Troy. He fought with terrifying ferocity — killing Priam at the altar of Zeus, hurling Astyanax from the walls, and taking Andromache as his slave. After the war, he married Hermione, daughter of Menelaus and Helen. At Delphi, he quarrelled with Apollo's priests and was killed — some say by Orestes, who also claimed Hermione. The term "Pyrrhic victory" actually derives from a later King Pyrrhus of Epirus, not from Achilles' son, though both are linked to Hector's fallen Troy.
Parents
Achilles and Deidamia
Children
Molossus
Symbols
Fun Fact
A "Pyrrhic victory" is the most cited example of a battle won at too great a cost — used from military strategy to business.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Neoptolemus
🗡 heroSon of Achilles
Neoptolemus was Achilles' fierce son, brought to Troy because a prophecy declared the city could not fall without him.
Ilioneus
🗡 heroHerding, Troy
Trojan warrior whose name means man of Ilion, killed by Peneleos during the great battles
Bias
🗡 heroCombat, leadership
Trojan or Greek warrior whose name means strength, appearing among fighters at Troy
Parthenopaeus
🗡 heroSeven Against Thebes, Youth, Arcadia
Young Arcadian hero, one of the Seven Against Thebes, who died at the city walls before seeing his homeland again.
Abas
🗡 heroKingship, warfare
King of Argos renowned as a fierce warrior whose very shield could terrify enemies
Heracles
🗡 heroGreatest of all Greek heroes
The son of Zeus and Alcmene who performed twelve impossible labours and was the only hero to achieve full godhood after death.
Lynceus of Argos
🗡 heroSight, Survival, Revenge
Danaid husband with supernaturally sharp sight, sole male survivor of the massacre of the fifty sons of Aegyptus.
Chromios
🗡 heroCombat, defence
Trojan warrior who fought in the defence of Troy during the long Greek siege
Acamas
🗡 heroCombat, diplomacy
Trojan warrior and son of Antenor who fought bravely in the defence of Troy
Meleager
🗡 heroHero whose life was bound to a burning log
The leader of the Calydonian Boar Hunt whose fate was tied to a charred brand — when it burned out, he died.
Hector
🗡 heroChampion of Troy
Hector was Troy's greatest warrior, who fought not for glory but to defend his city, wife, and son.
Helenos
🗡 heroProphecy, combat
Alternative transliteration of Helenus, Trojan prince and seer who foretold the fall of Troy