Polydamas- Greek HeroHero"Hector's Counselor"

The Eagle and the Serpent

Polydamas, son of Panthous, was born on the same night as Hector. Where Hector was made for the spear, Homer says, Polydamas was made for words. During the Trojan assault on the Greek fortifications, an eagle crossed the army on the left — a death sign — carrying a blood-red serpent in its talons. The snake twisted and bit the eagle in the breast, and the bird dropped it writhing among the soldiers. Polydamas read the sign at once: the Trojans would breach the Greek wall but be driven back with heavy losses, just as the eagle had lost its prey. He urged Hector to pull back. Hector dismissed the omen: the best omen, he said, is to fight for one's country.

At the Ships

In the fighting at the Greek camp, Polydamas killed the Boeotian leader Prothoenor with a spear-cast clean through the shoulder. Later, when the Trojans found themselves scattered in small groups among the ships, Polydamas told Hector to his face that the gods had given him war but not counsel — he could not have everything at once — and urged the commanders to regroup before the Greeks surrounded them. This time, for once, Hector listened, and the Trojans reformed their lines.

The Fatal Counsel

After the death of Patroclus, when word reached the Trojans that Achilles would soon return to battle, Polydamas advised an immediate withdrawal behind Troy's walls. Fighting Achilles in the open plain would be suicidal, and the city's fortifications offered their only advantage. Hector threatened him and declared the Trojans would meet Achilles in the open. The army cheered — Athena had taken their wits. Polydamas could see what was coming, but no one would listen to him. Within days, Hector stood alone outside the Scaean Gate while Priam begged him from the walls to come inside. Achilles ran him down and killed him.