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Laokoon-Gruppe-02.jpg
Laocoön (Greek Λαοκοων, pronounced roughly La-oh-koh-on), son of Acoetes, was allegedly a priest of Neptune (or of Apollo, by some accounts) at Troy; he is famous for warning the Trojans in vain against accepting the Trojan Horse from the Greeks, and for his subsequent divine execution.
Virgil's Aeneid describes the circumstances of Laocoön's death as follows:
Laocoön warned his fellow Trojans against the wooden horse presented to the city by the Greeks. In the Aeneid, Virgil gives Laocoön the famous line Equo ne credite, Teucri / Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis, or "Do not trust the Horse, Trojans / Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts." This line is the source of the saying: "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts."
The Trojans disregarded his advice, however, and in his resulting anger Laocoön threw his spear at the Horse. Poseidon (some say Athena), who was supporting the Greeks, subsequently sent sea-serpents to strangle Laocoön and his two sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus. (Some accounts say Apollo sent the serpents for an unrelated offense, and only unlucky timing caused the Trojans to misinterpret them as punishment for striking the Horse.)
Virgil describes this scene by the lines (original Latin):
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Literal English translation:
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John Dryden's poetic English translation (see [1] (http://www.bartleby.com/13/2.html), line 290):
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The death of Laocoön is depicted in the monumental statue of Laocoön and his Sons (attributed to Rhodian sculptors Hegesandros, Athenedoros, and Polydoros).
An unrelated Laocoon, also spelled "Lacoon", son of Porthaon, was one of the Argonauts.
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