Sinon
heroGreek soldier who volunteered to stay behind at Troy and convince the Trojans to accept the wooden horse.
The Myth
He was the greatest liar in the Trojan War — and that is saying something in a conflict involving Odysseus. Sinon allowed himself to be captured and told the Trojans a fabricated story: that the Greeks had left, that Athena was angry with them, and that the wooden horse was an offering. Even Priam believed him. When Laocoon tried to warn the Trojans and was killed by sea serpents, Sinon's lie seemed confirmed by the gods themselves. That night, Sinon opened the horse and signalled the Greek fleet with a torch. Virgil portrays him as Odysseus's protege — cunning, tearful, and utterly without conscience.
Parents
Aesimus
Symbols
Fun Fact
Dante placed Sinon in the eighth circle of Hell alongside other fraudsters.
Explore Further
Trojan Horse
conceptThe hollow wooden horse used by the Greeks to infiltrate and destroy Troy. Devised by Odysseus, it...
Laocoon
heroLaocoon was the Trojan priest who tried to warn Troy about the Wooden Horse — "I fear Greeks even...
Laocoon (Warning)
heroTrojan priest of Apollo who warned against the wooden horse and was killed with his sons by sea...
Odysseus
heroThe cleverest of the Greek heroes, whose ten-year journey home from Troy is one of the greatest...
Odysseus (Trickster)
heroOdysseus was the most cunning of all Greek heroes — the man of polytropos (many turns), whose...
Priam
heroPriam was the aged king of Troy, father of fifty sons including Hector and Paris, whose night...
Trojan War
conceptThe Trojan War was the central event of Greek mythology — a ten-year siege of Troy by a Greek...
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...
Athena
godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, born fully armored from the head of Zeus. Patron deity of...
Athena (Warrior)
godAthena was the goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and craftsmanship — born fully armoured from...
Athena Promachos
godAn epithet of Athena meaning "the Champion" or "who fights in front," represented by a colossal...
Troy (Hisarlik)
placeHisarlik in Turkey is the archaeological site identified as Homer's Troy — multiple cities layered...