Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Antenor (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

: Ἀντήνωρ ''Antḗnōr'') was a counselor to

King Priam ''King Priam'' is an opera by Michael Tippett, to his own libretto. The story is based on Homer's ''Iliad'', except the birth and childhood of Paris, which are taken from the ''Fabulae'' of Hyginus. The premiere was on 29 May 1962, at Coventry. ...

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

during the events of the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

Description

Antenor was described by the chronicler Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "tall, thin, white, blond, small-eyed, hook-nosed, crafty, cowardly, secure, a story-teller, eloquent". Meanwhile, in the account of Dares the Phrygian, he was illustrated as "...tall, graceful, swift, crafty, and cautious."

Family

Antenor was variously named as the son of the Dardanian noble

Aesyetes In Greek mythology, Aesyetes ( ; Ancient Greek: Αἰσυήτης) was a Trojan hero and father of Alcathous. He was also given as the father of Assaracus and Antenor by Cleomestra. Aesyetes' tomb was the vantage point which Polites, son of Pri ...

Cleomestra In Greek mythology, Cleomestra was a Trojan princess as daughter of King Tros and probably, Callirrhoe, daughter of the river god Scamander, or Acallaris, daughter of Eumedes.Dionysius of Halicarnassus''Antiquitates Romanae'' 1.62.2/ref> She w ...

or of Hicetaon. He was the husband of

Theano In Greek mythology, Theano (; Ancient Greek: Θεανώ) may refer to the following personages: * Theano, wife of Metapontus, king of Icaria. Metapontus demanded that she bear him children, or leave the kingdom. She presented the children of M ...

, daughter of

Cisseus In Greek mythology, Cisseus (Ancient Greek: Κισσεὺς means "wreathe with ivy") may refer to the following personages: *Cisseus, an Egyptian prince as one of the sons of King Aegyptus. His mother was the naiad Caliadne and thus full brothe ...

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

, who bore him at least one daughter,

Crino In Greek mythology, the name Crino (; means "white lily") may refer to: *Crino, one of the many consorts of King Danaus of Libya, mother of the Danaïdes Callidice, Oeme, Celaeno and Hyperippe. These daughters wed and slayed their cousin-husban ...

, and numerous sons, including

Acamas Acamas or Akamas (; Ancient Greek: Ἀκάμας) was a name attributed to several characters in Greek mythology. The following three all fought in the Trojan War, and only the first was not mentioned by Homer. * Acamas, son of Theseus, mentioned ...

Agenor Agenor (; ) was in Greek mythology and history a Phoenician monarch, king of Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre or Sidon. The Greeks, Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484–425 BC), born in the city of Halicarnassus under the Achaemenid Empire, estimated that Agen ...

Antheus In Greek mythology, Antheus (Ancient Greek: Ἀνθεύς derived from ἀνθέω ''antheō'' "to blossom, to bloom") may refer to: *Antheus of Lyctus, son of Agelaus and a soldier in the army of Dionysus, killed by Deriades. *Antheus, a yout ...

Archelochus In Greek mythology, Archelochus (Ancient Greek: Ἀρχέλοχος) was a son of Antenor and Theano. Along with his brother, Acamas, and Aeneas, he shared the command of the Dardanians fighting on the side of the Trojans. Family Archelochus wa ...

Coön In Greek mythology, Coön (, gen. Κόωνος), also known as Cynon (Κύνων), was the eldest son of Antenor and Theano. Like most of his brothers, he fought and fell in the Trojan War. Family Coön was the brother of Crino, Acamas, Agenor ...

Demoleon In Greek mythology, Demoleon (Ancient Greek: Δημολέων) was a Trojan warrior, son of Antenor and Theano. His father was a counselor to King Priam and his mother was a priestess of Athena. Family Demoleon was the brother of Crino, Acam ...

Eurymachus The name Eurymachus or Eurymachos (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύμαχος ''Eurúmakhos'') is attributed to the following individuals: Mythology * Eurymachus, son of Hermes and father of Eriboea, mother of the Aloadae. *Eurymachus, a prince of ...

Glaucus In Greek mythology, Glaucus (; ) was a Greek prophetic sea-god, born mortal and turned immortal upon eating a magical herb. It was believed that he came to the rescue of sailors and fishermen in storms, having earlier earned a living from the ...

Helicaon In Greek mythology, Helicaon or Helikaon (Ancient Greek: Ἑλικάων) was a Trojan warrior and son of the elder AntenorHomer, ''Iliad'' 3.123 and the priestess Theano. He was the brother of Crino, including Acamas, Agenor, Antheus, Archelochu ...

Iphidamas In Greek mythology, the name Iphidamas (Ancient Greek: Ἰφιδάμας, gen. Ἰφιδάμαντος) may refer to: * Iphidamas, also known as Amphidamas, son of Aleus and counted as one of the Argonauts. * Iphidamas (or Amphidamas), a son of B ...

Laodamas Laodamas (; ) refers to five different people in Greek mythology. * Laodamas, son of Eteocles, inherited Thebes from his father. Pausanias, 9.5.13 In one version of the myth (different from the one recounted in Sophocles' ''Antigone''), he was re ...

Laodocus In Greek mythology, the name Laodocus (; Ancient Greek: Λαόδοκος or Λαοδόκος means "receiving the people") or Leodocus (Λεωδόκος) may refer to: *Laodocus, the Aetolian son of Apollo and Phthia, brother of Dorus and Polypo ...

, Medon,Virgil, ''Aeneid'' 6.484 Polybus and

Thersilochus In Greek mythology, Thersilochus () may refer to three different figures: * Thersilochus, the Trojan son of AntenorVirgil, ''Aeneid'' 6.484 and Theano. His siblings were Crino, Acamas, Agenor, Antheus, Archelochus, Coön, Demoleon, Eurymachus, ...

(most of whom perished during the

). He was also the father of a bastard son, Pedaeus, by an unknown woman. According to numerous scholars, Antenor was actually related to Priam.

Mythology

Antenor was one of the wisest of the Trojan elders and counsellors. In the

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

ic account of the

, Antenor advised the Trojans to return Helen to her husband and otherwise proved sympathetic to a negotiated peace with the

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

. In later developments of the myths, particularly per

Dares Dares Phrygius (), according to Homer, was a Trojan priest of Hephaestus. He was later thought to have been the author of an account of the destruction of Troy. A work in Latin, purporting to be a translation of this, and entitled ''Daretis Phry ...

and

Dictys Dictys (, ''Díktus'') was a name attributed to four men in Greek mythology. * Dictys, a fisherman and brother of King Polydectes of Seriphos, both being the sons of Magnes (mythology), Magnes and a Naiad, or of Peristhenes and Androthoe,Scholia ...

, Antenor was made an open

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

, unsealing the city gates to the enemy. As payment, his house—marked by a panther skin over the door—was spared during the sack of the city. His subsequent fate varied across the authors. He was said to have rebuilt a city on the site of

; to have settled at Cyrene; the shore of the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

; or to have founded

Patavium Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

(modern

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

Korčula Korčula () is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The populat ...

, or other cities in eastern Italy.

In literature

* Antenor appears briefly in

's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

''. In Book 3 he is present when Helen identifies for

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; , ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology Most scholars take the e ...

each of the Greek warriors from the wall of Troy; when she describes

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

, Antenor confirmed her account, alluded to how he entertained

and

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; ) was a Greek king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', the Trojan war began as a result of Menelaus's wife, Helen, fleeing to Troy with the Trojan prince Paris. Menelaus was a central ...

and got to know both. In the same book, he accompanied

to the front line and bore witness of the King's speech before the duel between

and his son,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In Book 7, as mentioned above, he advises the Trojans to give Helen back, but

refuses to yield. * Antenor is mentioned in

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ...

's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'' in book 1, line 243, when Venus tells Jupiter that Antenor had escaped from the fall of

and founded Patavium, modern Padua. * In

Dictys Cretensis Dictys Cretensis, i.e. Dictys of Crete (, ; ) of Knossos was a legendary companion of Idomeneus during the Trojan War, and the purported author of a diary of its events, that deployed some of the same materials worked up by Homer for the ''Iliad'' ...

' ''Ephemeris belli Troiani'', Antenor and Aeneas betray the Trojans to help the Greeks, ruling over the remains of Troy once the Greeks have left. * In

Dares Phrygius Dares Phrygius (), according to Homer, was a Trojan priest of Hephaestus. He was later thought to have been the author of an account of the destruction of Troy. A work in Latin, purporting to be a translation of this, and entitled ''Daretis Phry ...

' ''de excidio Trojae historia'', Antenor betrays Troy to the Greeks. * In

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...

's , Antenor and his followers were banished from Troy, and settled on the shore of the

;

Brutus of Troy Brutus, also called Brute of Troy, is a mythical British king. He is described as a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, known in medieval British legend as the eponymous founder and first king of Britain. This legend first appears ...

later discovers several nations descended from them living there, led by

Corineus Corineus, in medieval British legend, was a prodigious warrior, a fighter of giants, and the eponymous founder of Cornwall. ''History of the Kings of Britain'' In Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudo-history '' History of the Kings of Britain'' ...

. * In

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

's ''

Troilus and Criseyde ''Troilus and Criseyde'' () is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer which re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Cressida, Criseyde set against a backdrop of war during the siege of Troy. It was written in ''rhyme ro ...

'', Antenor appears as a minor, non-speaking, character who has been taken prisoner by the Greeks but is returned by them in exchange for

Criseyde Cressida (; also Criseida, Cresseid or Criseyde) is a character who appears in many Medieval literature, Medieval and Renaissance literature, Renaissance retellings of the story of the Trojan War. She is a Trojan woman, the daughter of Calchas, a ...

. * The circle ''Antenora'' is named after him in the poem '' Inferno'' in

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

's ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...

''. It is located in

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

's Circle of Treachery which is reserved for traitors of cities, countries, and political parties. * Antenor is one of the characters in

Jan Kochanowski Jan Kochanowski (; 1530 – 22 August 1584) was a Polish Renaissance poet who wrote in Latin and Polish and established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language. He has been called the greatest Polish poet before ...

's tragedy The Dismissal of the Greek Envoys, set before the Trojan War. * Antenor appears as a character in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play

Troilus and Cressida ''The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida'', often shortened to ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ), is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forc ...

, set during the Trojan War. * Antenor is ironically misidentified by Albert Bloch, a bumbling, pretentious character in

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

's novel ''The Guermantes Way'' (''Le Côté de Guermantes'') as the son of the river god Alpheus, probably confusing him with

Antinous Antinous, also called Antinoös, (; ; – ) was a Greek youth from Bithynia, a favourite and lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Following his premature death before his 20th birthday, Antinous was deified on Hadrian's orders, being worshippe ...

, with whom Alpheus is associated.

In history

Mikhail Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (; , ; – ) was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer, who made important contributions to literature, education, and science. Among his discoveries were the atmosphere of Venus and the law of conservation of ...

in his "Ancient Russian History" deduced Antenor as a progenitor of the Slavs and Russians: " Cato has the same in mind when the Venetians, as Pliny testifies, are descended from the

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

tribe. All this the great and authoritative historian

Titus Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

shows and carefully explains. "Antenor," he writes, "came after many wanderings to the inner extremity of the Adriatic gulf with a multitude of the Enenites, who had been driven out of

Paphlagonia Paphlagonia (; , modern translit. ''Paflagonía''; ) was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus (region), Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia (later, Galatia ...

and at Troy had lost their king Pilimenes: to move to that place they sought a leader. After the expulsion of the Euganeans, who lived between the sea and the Alpine mountains, the Henites and Trojans occupied these lands. That is why the name of the settlement was Troy, and the whole nation was called the Venetians".Ломоносов М.В. Древняя российская история. Ч. I. Гл. 3.

Eponym

The

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

2207 Antenor, discovered in 1977 by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

astronomer

Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh ( rus, Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х, , nʲɪkɐˈlaj sʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕ tɕɪrˈnɨx, links=yes; 6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К. Памяти Николая Сте ...

, is named after him.

Notes

References

Apollodorus Apollodorus ( Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: :''Note: A ...

, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
* * *

'', from The Trojan War.'' ''The Chronicles of Dictys of Crete and Dares the Phrygian'' translated by Richard McIlwaine Frazer, Jr. (1931-). Indiana University Press. 1966
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
*

, ''The Iliad'' with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
* Homer, ''Homeri Opera'' in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
* Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
*

Publius Vergilius Maro Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ...

, ''Aeneid.'' Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
*Publius Vergilius Maro, ''Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics''. J. B. Greenough. Boston. Ginn & Co. 1900
Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* * Tzetzes, John, ''Allegories of the Iliad'' translated by Goldwyn, Adam J. and Kokkini, Dimitra. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, Harvard University Press, 2015. {{Authority control People of the Trojan War Trojans Mythological city founders