In
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 ...
, Asius (, ''Asios'') refers to two people who fought during the
Trojan War:
*Asius, son of
Hyrtacus, was the leader of the
Trojan allies that hailed from, on, or near the
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
. He was a son of
Hyrtacus and
Arisbe, the latter being first wife of King
Priam and daughter of
Merops. Asius led the contingent from a cluster of towns on both sides of the
Hellespont, including
Arisbe,
Percote,
Abydos and
Sestus. This last town was the only one to lie on the European (northern) side of the Dardanelles; the rest were situated on the Asian (southern) side. Asius himself lived in the town of Arisbe, by the river Selleis. Asius had two brothers, named
Nisus and
Hippocoon, according to
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
. All three men fought at
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 ...
as allies of King Priam. During the assault on the
Achaean wall, Asius was the only soldier not to listen to
Hector and
Polydamas, and did not dismount from his chariot. Asius was killed by the Cretan king
Idomeneus during the assault.
*Asius, a
Phrygia
In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River.
Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...
n leader and son of King
Dymas, and brother of Queen
Hecuba of Troy. Asius, son of Dymas, belonged to a tribe of Phrygians who lived by the River
Sangarius. He had two sons,
Adamas and
Phaenops. In the ''
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 ...
'', Apollo is said to have taken Asius's shape to encourage Hector to fight
Patroclus. This Asius does not die in the narrative of the Iliad, but
Dictys Cretensis says he was killed by
Ajax.
*Asius, son of
Imbrasus and companion of
Aeneas in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
, ''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 ...
'' 10.123
Notes
References
*
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 ...
,
''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
*
Publius Vergilius Maro, ''
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 ...
.'' 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
{{Characters in the Iliad
Trojan Leaders
Kings in Greek mythology
Characters in the Aeneid
Characters in the Iliad