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 ...

'', Asteropaios (; ; ) was a leader of the Trojan-allied

Paeonians Paeonians () were an ancient Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people that dwelt in Paeonia (kingdom), Paeonia. Paeonia was an old country whose location was to the north of Ancient Macedonia, to the south of Dardania (Roman province), Dardania ...

along with fellow warrior

Pyraechmes In Greek mythology, Pyraechmes (; ) was, along with Asteropaeus, a leader of the Paeonians in the Trojan War. Mythology Pyraechmes came from the city of Amydon. Although Homer mentions Pyraechmes as the leader of the Paeonians early on in th ...

Family

Asteropaios was the son of

Pelagon There are several figures named Pelagon (Ancient Greek: Πελάγων, -ονος) in Greek mythology. * Pelagon, king of Phocis and son of Amphidamas. He gave Cadmus the cow that was to guide him to Boeotia. * Pelagon, also called Pelasgus,Diodor ...

, who was the son of the river god

Axios Axios commonly refers to: * Axios (river), a river that runs through Greece and North Macedonia * ''Axios'' (website), an American news and information website Axios may also refer to: Brands and enterprises * Axios, a brand of suspension produ ...

and the mortal woman Periboia, daughter of Akessamenos.

Mythology

Asteropaios was a newcomer to the war at the start of the ''Iliad''; he had only been in Troy for less than two weeks. Asteropaios had the distinction in combat of being

ambidextrous Ambidexterity is the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well. When referring to objects, the term indicates that the object is equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed people. When referring to humans, it indicates that ...

and would on occasion throw two spears at once. In Book XII of the ''Iliad'', as the Trojans attacked the Achaean wall, Asteropaios was a leader of the same division as the Lycian warriors

Sarpedon Sarpedon (; ) is the name of several figures in Greek mythology * Sarpedon, a son of Zeus, who fought on the side of Troy in the Trojan War. Although in the ''Iliad'', he was the son of Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Gre ...

and

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 ...

, the division which pressed hard enough to allow

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

and his division to breach the wall. In Book XXI, as

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

is mercilessly slaughtering Trojan warriors alongside the river god

Scamander Scamander (), also Skamandros () or Xanthos (), was a river god in Greek mythology. Etymology The meaning of this name is uncertain. The second element looks as though it is derived from Greek (), meaning "of a man", but there are sources w ...

and polluting the waters with dead bodies (including one of

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 ...

's sons, Lycaon). While the river god pondering how he might stop Achilles, Achilles in turn attacks Asteropaios (himself the grandson of a river god) whom Scamander instills with courage to make a stand against Achilles. Achilles and Asteropaios thus engage in one-on-one combat, Asteropaios throwing two spears at the same time at Achilles. One spear hit Achilles' shield, while the other reached his right forearm and drew blood. Asteropaios was the only Trojan in the ''Iliad'' who was able to draw blood from Achilles. However, he fails to kill Achilles, and is slain. And Achilles boasts that though Asteropaios may be descended from a river-god, that he, Achilles, is descended from a mightier god, Zeus. Later, in the funeral games for the slain

Patroclus In Greek mythology, Patroclus (generally pronounced ; ) was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and an important character in Homer's ''Iliad''. Born in Opus, Patroclus was the son of the Argonaut Menoetius. When he was a child, he was exiled from ...

, the bronze and tin

corslet A corslet or corselet is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "a piece of defensive armour covering the body" and is first attested around 1500. Such pieces of armour have existed in various forms under various names throughout much of hi ...

and the silver-studded swordHomer, ''Iliad''
23.805–809
/ref> of Asteropaios are awarded as prizes. The

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

4805 Asteropaios 4805 Asteropaios is a Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 13 November 1990, by American astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California. The dark Jovian asteroid is one of t ...

is named after the hero.

Notes

References

*Homer. ''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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Asteropaios Paeonian kings People of the Trojan War Mythological Paeonians Kings in Greek mythology