Talthybius
Chief herald of the Greek army at Troy whose descendants hereditary maintained his cult as patron of heralds.
The Legend of Talthybius
Talthybius was the chief herald of Agamemnon and the Greek forces throughout the Trojan War. In Greek warfare, heralds (kerykes) were sacred and inviolable — protected by the gods, especially Hermes, and immune from harm even in enemy territory. Talthybius served as the official voice of the Greek command: he delivered Agamemnon's orders to Achilles (including the humiliating demand for Briseis), announced Greek decisions to Trojan envoys, and carried out diplomatic communications throughout the war. In Euripides' Trojan Women and Hecuba, Talthybius appears as a genuinely compassionate man who is deeply uncomfortable with the orders he must carry out — particularly the announcement of Polyxena's sacrifice and the murder of Astyanax. He performs his duties faithfully but without cruelty. The Spartans and the people of Aigion in Achaia both maintained hereditary priestly families claiming descent from Talthybius and honoring him as the patron hero of the herald's profession.
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Unnamed parents
Children
Echembrotos (in some traditions)
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