Troilus - Blog Posts

i was writing for ‘ The Fantastical Olympians’ ( I FINALLY have a name ) and get stuck struggling with a decision :

Should I add Asclepius or Troilus in the story? I will add a child for Apollo ( still seeking a real name for him) anyway.

Troilus design! (ft best dad Apollo) He's around 12 years old here.

Researching Troilus' story is not an easy task because unfortunately most of the ancient texts focused on him didn't survive and others only survived in fragments.

This story is brutal even for greek mythology standards so please keep that in mind if you want to continue reading this or do more research on your own.

Something that all of the versions seems to agree on is that he was a Trojan prince, son of queen Hecuba and was killed by Achilles. His father was either Apollo or Priam (Apollo fits more with the context of the story though).

Most of the versions also focus on Troilus' young age and he's often shown to be visibly shorter than Achilles on the vase paintings depicting his death.

The most popular version of the myth (which is also supported by ancient vase paintings) states that Troilus and his sister Polyxena (she's not preset in every version though) went outside of Troy on their horses and while they were at a fountain Achilles ambushed them.

Achilles then chased Troilus who tried to hide inside of Apollo's temple (possibly seeking his father's protection) but Achilles caught up to him and murdered Troilus either inside or in front of the temple and then brutally mutilated his body.

There 2 alternative reasons given for the murder:

1. There was a prophecy which said that if Troilus reached 21 years of age Troy would never fall.

2. Achilles fell in love with Troilus, tried to force himself on him and was enraged when the boy refused his advances. (This version seems to have more surviving evidence)

It could also be that the only reason that Achilles killed Troilus was the fact that he was a Trojan prince and therefore an enemy but this does not seem to fit with the brutality of the act.

Here are some vase paintings that show Troilus' death at the hands of Achilles

the hate I have for achilles like do I have tsoa yes have I read it yes do I like it yes its a good read do I like achilles out of that book and in it no because I read to much mythology before the book I just can't see him the way so many fans of the book do like he isn't someone ro idolised I feel so much for troilus he went somewhere he knew to be safe and was killed in his father's own temple NO WONDER APOLLO WANTED ACHILLES DEAD I WOULD TO achilles deserved to die a worse death then what he got and I'm not sorry for saying it

Greek Mythology PSA

As much as I love Achilles and Patroclus from TSOA: Achilles is NOT someone to idolize.

The story of Troilus was an extreme reason: when he turned 20, he would supposedly touch the wall of Troy and it would save this. Athena told Achilles this and he went to ambushed Troilus by the well, in fact pulling him by the hair off his horse.

But Troilus was extremely beautiful- so much so that he was said to be the child of Apollo. Achilles was overcome with lust and tried to make advances.

Troilus escaped his grasp and ran to his fathers temple for shelter. There Achilles caught him again, had his way, and beheaded him.

ACHILLES WAS A GROWN MAN AND TROILUS WAS SAID TO BE A CHILD, MOST SPECULATED TO BE AROUND 12.

Was he a great warrior? Yeah. Was he a murder, r**ist, and p3do? Also yes.

Why are there so little stories about Apollo and Hyacinthus?