Troilus in Greek tradition
Troilus was endangered by a prophecy concerning the fall of Troy. He was a prince of Troy and a son of Priam and Hecuba, although one tradition instead made Apollo his father. Troy was said to remain unconquered while he lived, or until he reached the age of twenty. This condition distinguishes him from other Trojan princes.
The quick answers
Who is Troilus?
Troilus is a Greek hero.What family links are recorded for Troilus?
Father: Priam, Mother: Hecuba, 1 sibling.
Troilus’s family, at a glance
Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.
The myths of Troilus
1 myth, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources.
The Slaying of Troilus
Troilus and Polyxena took their horses to a watering place. They stayed together beside the water when Achilles launched a sudden ambush against them. Troilus fled as soon as Achilles attacked. Polyxena was there when the attack began, but she took no further part after Troilus started to run.
Troilus ran towards Apollo’s temple. He sought refuge there because he believed that its protection could keep him safe from Achilles. Achilles followed him closely as he escaped. Troilus reached the temple before Achilles caught him, and he entered it hoping to avoid his pursuer.
The temple did not protect Troilus. Achilles entered after him and found him inside. He killed Troilus within Apollo’s temple, ending the pursuit that had begun at the watering place. Troilus had not yet reached his twentieth year when he died. His death therefore came before the age at which his survival was said to have secured Troy’s safety, or before the age that had been set for his continued life.
Troilus was named as a son of Priam and Hecuba. In another telling, Apollo was his father. Polyxena was also a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, but she did not act again after the ambush. Achilles left Troilus dead inside Apollo’s temple.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1War in Greek MythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“Troilus, still under twenty, runs to Apollo’s temple for refuge, but Achilles follows him inside and kills him there.”
the ancient sources
- 3The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
Also appears in
The myths across MythSource where Troilus features, each on that figure’s page.
- The Death of Troilus · on Achilles
5 works catalogued
This is the candidate catalogue for Troilus: candidate reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. Nothing here has been checked against a source yet. Only reviewed myth-to-work links are promoted in Overview.
Showing 5 of 5 works.
Film3
- RSC Live: Troilus and CressidaRework
- Troilus & CressidaRework
- Troilus und CressidaRework
Television2
- Troy: Fall of a CityRework
- Troilus and CressidaRework
These are catalogue candidates, not proof that every work retells this figure. Reviewed myth-to-work links appear in Overview.
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. Last reviewed not yet recorded. How a page gets built.
3 sources are cited on this page, primary texts and corpus scholarship, listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Troilus. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/troilus
"Troilus." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/troilus.
"Troilus." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/troilus.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the primary texts and scholarship above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only reviewed joins are presented as modern reworks in Overview.
The film
The Underdrawing video on Troilus embeds here once it publishes.