Polyxena
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Polyxena_Neoptolemus.jpg
Polyxena is a Trojan princess from Greek mythology. She is the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his queen, Hecuba.
Polyxena never actually appears in Homer's original Illiad, and was only added to the tale by later poets, perhaps eager to add romance to Homer's austere tale.
With Hecuba, Apollo had a son named Troilius. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Troilius reached the age of twenty alive. He and his sister, Polyxena, were ambushed and Troilius was killed by Achilles, who later fell in love with Polyxena. According to some stories, Achilles was killed when visiting her during a truce, though other stories had her committing suicide after Achilles' death.
The ghost of Achilles appeared to the survivors of the war, demanding Polyxena, the Trojan princess, be sacrificed before anybody could leave. Neoptolemus did so.
External links
- Article on Polyxena (http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/polyxena.html) from Stanford Universityde:Polyxena