Memnon was an Ethiopian king and son of Tithonus and Eos. As a warrior he was considered to be almost Achilles' equal in skill. During the Trojan War, he brought an army to Troy's defense. He was killed by Achilles. Memnon was a son of Tithonus and Eos, goddess of the dawn. He was a demigod and through his father he was descended from Zeus.
History[]
Memnon arrived at Troy in the immediate aftermath of an argument between Polydamas, Helen, and Priam that centres on whether or not the Ethiopian King will show up at all. Memnon's brought an army too big to be counted. His arrival started a huge banquet in his honor. As per usual the two leaders (Memnon and Priam) end the dinner by exchanging glorious war stories, and Memnon's tales lead Priam to declare that the Ethiopian King will be Troy's savior.
The day before the first battle, Zeus, out of love for Memnon, made the other Olympians promise not to interfere in the fighting. In battle, Memnon kills Nestor's son, Antilochus, after Antilochus killed Memnon's comrade, Aesop. Seeking vengeance and despite his age, Nestor tries to fight Memnon, but Memnon insists it would not be just to fight such an old man, and respects Nestor so much that he refuses to fight.
When Memnon reaches the Greek ships, Nestor begs Achilles to fight him and avenge Antilochos, leading to the two men clashing while both wearing divine armor made by Hephaestus, making another parallel between the two warriors. Zeus favors both of them and makes each man tireless and huge so that the whole battlefield can watch them clash as demigods. Eventually, Achilles stabs Memnon through the heart, causing his entire army to flee in terror. In honor of Memnon, the Gods collect all the drops of blood that fall from him and use them to form a huge river that on every anniversary of his death will bear the stench of human flesh. The Ethiopians that stayed close to Memnon in order to bury their leader are turned into birds (now called Memnons) and they stay by his tomb so as to remove dust that gathers on it
The death of Memnon echoes that of Hector, another defender of Troy whom Achilles also killed out of revenge for a fallen comrade, Patroclus. After Memnon's death, Zeus was moved by Eos' tears and granted him immortality.
Appearance[]
Personality[]
Memnon believed it was unwise to boast about ones greatness, especially himself