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Memnon was the son of the goddess Eos and Prince Tithonus of Troy. He ascended to the Aethiopian throne by virtue of him being son-in-law to his predecessor; Polyctor. He led forces in support of his homeland during the Trojan War, where he killed Antilochus, son of King Nestor of Pylos, avenging the death of his friend Aesop. He declines a challenge from Nestor, saying it is improper for him to fight a man of such an age. Memnon is later stabbed by Achilles after a full day of fighting. In his honor, Zeus collected all his blood and formed a river from it, which bore the stench of rotten flesh on the anniversary of his death.

Eos Memnon Louvre G115

Eos mourns the death of her son Memnon

Description[]

Memnon's army is described as being too big to be counted and his arrival starts 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 Aethiopian King will be Troy's savior.

Despite this, Memnon is very humble and warns that his strength will, he hopes, be seen in battle, although he believes it is unwise to boast at dinner. Before the next day's battle, so great is the divine love towards Memnon that Zeus makes all the other Olympians promise not to interfere in the fighting.

Colossi of Memnon

The Colossi of Memnon

Legacy[]

The name "Memnon" means "ruler of dawn". Memnon has lent his name to the Colossi of Memnon; two large statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III near Luxor. This is because they were reputed to make a sound at or soon after dawn.

Family[]

Dardanid Genealogy in Greek mythology Names in Bold are Kings of Troy Names in Italics are Kings of Dardania
Oceanus
 
Tethys
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scamander
 
Idaea
 
Zeús
 
Electra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Teucer
 
Arisbe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Simoeis
 
 
 
 
Bataea
 
 
 
Dardanus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Astyoche
 
 
Ericthonius
 
 
 
Ilus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tros
 
Callihroe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ganymede
 
Ilus
 
Eurydice
 
 
 
 
 
 
Assaracus
 
Hieromneme
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Leucippe
 
Laomedon
 
 
 
 
Themiste
 
 
 
 
 
Capys
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priam
 
Hecuba
 
Hesione
 
Telamon
 
Anchises
 
Aphrodī́tē
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tithonus
 
 
 
Hector
 
Andromache
 
 
 
 
 
Aeneas
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Astyanax
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eos
 
 
Creusa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lavinia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Memnon of Aethiopia
 
 
 
Paris
 
Helen
 
Ascanius
 
Kings of Alba Longa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
More
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Legendary kings of Britain
Preceded by:
Polyctor
King of Aethiopia
Mythic
Succeeded by
Unknown


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Memnon (view authors). As with Myth and Folklore Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported).
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