In the Greek Mythology, Hector (in Greek old Ἕκτωρ / Héktôr ) is a Trojan hero of the Trojan War.

Ancient myth

Wire of the king Priam and Hécube, he is the brother of Pâris, the husband of Andromaque and the father of Astyanax. Priam, incompetent to fight because of his age, makes of it the general-in-chief of Troyens. It is most valiant of the warriors present at the time of the war, except for Achille. He demolishes many Greek heroes and of keep silent 28, figure record among the warriors (Achilles of keep silent who 24).

The Destiny issues that as long as he will live, the walls of Troy will not fall. After it killed Patrocle, companion of Achilles, the Greek takes again the weapons. They clash first once after Achille killed his brother Polydore: Hector launches its small swath towards Achille, but Athéna diverts the course of them. When Achilles street towards the Trojan, Apollon intervenes to hide it in a cloud.

In spite of the admonitions of his/her parents, Hector is again involved with the combat by Athéna having taken the features of his/her preferred brother, Déiphobe. Of the beginning of the duel, apogee of Iliade , it requires of Péléide to respect its corpse, but Achille refuses. Hector launches its spear to him, without success, then itself is reached with the clavicle by the lance of Achilles. Its corpse is attached to the tank of its winner, and is trailed towards the Greek camp, then around the tomb of Patrocle. According to Virgile, he is also trailed three times around the walls of Troy (the detail probably comes from the Trojan Cycle).

His/her Priam father must come to beg Achille in the Greek camp to obtain his skin. Hector is incinerated in large pump, and its ashes are placed in a gold ballot box, wrapped crimson, buried not far from the ramparts. Last the worms of Iliade concludes as follows:

Ὣς οἵ γ' ἀμφίεπον τάφον Ἕκτορος ἱπποδάμοιο.
“Thus Hector with the good horses was honoured. ”
(transl. Frederic Mugler)

Good father, good husband, of a great wisdom, Hector is often regarded as the true hero of Iliade .

Posterity

The Middle Ages and Rebirth

The character of Hector remains very popular until the Rebirth through two forgeries, the accounts apocryphal books of Darès de Phrygie and Dictys of Crete. The Middle Ages pay to him homage in the Novel of Troy (1160-1170) of Benoît of Holy-Moor but especially in the Vœux of the Peacock (1312-1313) of Jacques de Longuyon, where it appears for the first time in the group of the Last nine Valiant knights, reason which will know a durable vogue, in particular in the iconography. Thus one finds still today Hector in the plays of charts under the features of the knave of diamonds. Ideal of the courteous knight, it is with him that thinks Christine de Pisan when it writes the epistre of Othea goddess of enuoyée prudence has lesperit chevaleureux Hector of troyes (1400-1401). The text is appeared as a letter which wisdom would have composed for the Hector young person, fifteen years old, so that it becomes more the valiant knight of the valiant knights .

The popularity of Hector inspires to the poets the desire to continue his history through that of its sons. A Roman of Landomatha , whose oldest manuscript probably goes back to 1335-40, has as a hero Landomatha, wire of Hector and Andromaque, conqueror of Asia. In XVIe century, Jean Lemaire of Belgians invents a son, Francus, ancestor to him founder of the Francs which, saved by Jupiter at the time of the fall of Troy, would have fled towards the west and founds the town of Paris in homage to his/her uncle. Ronsard will take again this whimsical filiation in the Franciade .

Era baroque at the XIXe century

Certain episodes of the life of Hector knew a great popularity near the painters, in particular that of the good-byes of Hector with Andromaque already evoked with the theater by Jean Racine ( Andromaque ), or that of the deploration of Andromaque. It is besides thanks to its table the Pain and the regrets of Andromaque on the body of Hector her husband that Jean-Louis David is received with the Académie.

Sources

• (III, 12,5-6), (IV, 2).

• ( passim ).
• .

See too

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