Deiphobus

Deiphobus was a Trojan prince in Greek mythology, the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. He belonged to the royal house of Troy and was a brother to such figures as Aeneas and Hector. In most traditions he is described as one of Priam’s many sons who fought on the Trojan side during the Trojan War.

Unlike the central heroes of the Iliad, Deiphobus is a relatively minor figure in the core Homeric narratives. He is portrayed as a participant in the defenses of Troy and in the later chapters of the war, but his actions do not form a central part of the epic’s central plot. His name appears more prominently in later sources and summaries that recount the fall of Troy and the fates of its princes.

In some later myths, Deiphobus is said to have married Helen of Troy after Paris’s death. This marriage is not part of Homer’s account and appears only in later Greek and Roman sources. The union, where it appears, is often used to illustrate the shifting loyalties and the complex politics surrounding the fall of Troy.

Deiphobus is generally said to have perished during the sack of Troy. In most traditions, he is killed by Neoptolemus (the son of Achilles) as the city falls, and his body is subjected to posthumous mutilation by the Greeks. His death marks the decline of Priam’s line and is one of the many tragic episodes associated with Troy’s destruction.

In later literature, Deiphobus is remembered as a fallen prince of Troy. He appears in various retellings and adaptations, including references in Roman poetry and later mythographies, where his fate serves as a commentary on the broader tragedy of the Trojan War.