From the bright Olympus the gods saw how Achilles dishonored the body of Hector. The god Apollo was indignant at him for this. The gods wanted Hermes to steal Hector’s corpse, but the goddess Hera and Pallas Athena, as well as the god Poseidon, opposed this. For eleven days now, Hector’s corpse had been lying, uncovered, near Achilles’ tent. Apollo reproached the gods for allowing Achilles, who had forgotten compassion and conscience, to dishonor Hector’s body. A quarrel broke out between Apollo and Hera. Zeus the Thunderer stopped this quarrel. He sent the messenger of the gods, Iris, for the goddess Thetis. The son of Cronus decided to send the goddess Thetis to Achilles, so that she would convey to him the order of Zeus to give Hector’s body to his father Priam for a rich ransom. Among the Trojans, Zeus loved the great Hector most of all.
Quick as a thought, Iris rushed to Thetis and in the blink of an eye appeared before her. Thetis, surrounded by sea goddesses, sat shedding tears for her son. Hearing the will of Zeus from the lips of Iris, Thetis put on black clothes of sorrow and ascended to high Olympus. The gods greeted Thetis with honor. Athena arranged a place for her next to Zeus, and Hera herself brought her a golden cup with fragrant nectar. Zeus told her his will. Immediately the goddess Thetis descended to earth into the tent of her son. She sat down near the sad Achilles and, gently caressing him with her hand, told him that Zeus and all the gods were angry with him for Hector and commanded him to hand over his corpse to Priam. The mighty Achilles submitted to the will of the gods.
Meanwhile, Zeus the Thunderer sent the messenger of the gods, Iris, to Priam. When Iris flew on her rainbow wings to Priam's palace, the unfortunate old man lay prostrate on the ground, shedding tears for his lost son. All his sons sat around the elder, sobbing loudly. Iris approached the elder and, in the name of Zeus, ordered him to go to the Greek camp to Achilles with a rich ransom. Iris promised that the god Hermes would escort Priam to the camp.
Hearing the words of the goddess, Priam immediately stood up and went to the palace, ordering his sons to prepare a cart for gifts and a chariot. Entering the palace, Priam called his elderly wife Hecabe and told her that he wanted to go to the camp of the Greeks. Hekabe was frightened, she begged her husband not to go to certain death, but Priam calmed her down, telling her that he was going to Achilles, obeying the will of the Olympian gods. Priam chose the rich gifts and began to prepare for the journey. He also reproached his sons for their delay. The sons of Priam were afraid of their father's wrath and quickly harnessed the mules to the cart, placed a large box for gifts on it and harnessed the horses to the chariot. Priam mounted the chariot and drove the horses. In front of the chariots, mules carried a cart with gifts, and the mules were driven by the messenger of Ideas. All those who accompanied Priam wept bitterly, as if he was going to certain death.
When Priam rode out into the field, Zeus the Thunderer sent his son, the god Hermes, to meet him. Hermes tied up his winged sandals, picked up the rod with which he closes the eyes of mortals, and rushed to Troy. He appeared under the guise of a beautiful young man to Priam while he was watering the horses and mules in the river. Priam was afraid - he thought that the young man would kill him and steal the gifts. But Hermes, calling himself the servant of Achilles, offered to escort him to the camp. The old man was delighted and offered the young man a precious cup as a gift, but Hermes refused the gift. He entered Priam's chariot and quickly drove the horses. There were guards at the gates of the Greek camp, but Hermes plunged them into a deep sleep. God pulled back the bolts of the gate, opened them and secretly led Priam through the camp. Hermes opened the gates to the Myrmidonian camp. When Priam arrived at Achilles’ tent, Hermes revealed to Priam who he was and ordered him to boldly go into the tent. Priam left Idea to guard the gifts, and he himself went to the tent. Achilles had just finished his meal. Unnoticed by anyone, Priam entered and, falling on his knees before Achilles, began to beg him with these words:
- O great Achilles! Remember your father, an old man like me! Perhaps his city was besieged by his neighbors, and there was no one to save him from trouble. I, unfortunate one, lost almost all my sons. You also killed the greatest of my sons, Hector. For his sake I came to your ships. Have pity on my grief! Accept a rich ransom. You see how unhappy I am. I am experiencing something that no mortal has ever experienced. I am forced to kiss the hands of the murderer of my children.
With his words, Priam evoked memories of his father in Achilles. Achilles cried bitterly, remembering his father. Priam, prostrate on the ground, wept for his son. Finally, Achilles stood up; he raised Priam and said to him:
- Oh, unfortunate one! You have seen a lot of grief in your life! But how did you decide to come here alone to the one who killed many of your sons? Oh, in your chest there is a heart as hard as iron. But calm down, stop your crying and sit here. The gods destined people to endure grief in life; only they themselves, the immortals, do not know sorrow. Shed no more tears, because by crying you will not resurrect the dead Hector. Stand up, sit here!
“No, I will not sit down, Achilles,” answered Priam, “before you return Hector to me.” Accept the gifts and let me look at the body of my son.
Achilles looked angrily at Priam and said:
- Be afraid of angering me, old man! I myself know that I must return Hector’s body to you. This is the will of Zeus, it was announced to me by my mother, the goddess Thetis. I know that God brought you here too, otherwise you would not have dared to appear in the camp of the Greeks. Shut up! I am afraid that in anger I will break the covenant of Zeus - to spare the one who asks.
Having said this, Achilles came out. He called his friends, ordered to unhitch Priam's horses and mules and bring Idea into the tent. Then the slaves of Achilles washed Hector’s body and dressed him in precious clothes. Achilles himself lifted the body and laid it on a richly decorated bed, and his friends placed the bed on a cart. The great son of Peleus begged the soul of Patroclus not to be angry because he returned Hector’s body to his father. He promised to dedicate part of the gifts brought by Priam to Patroclus. Having done all this, Achilles returned to the tent and told the elder that Hector’s body had already been given to him. Achilles prepared a rich dinner and invited Priam to refresh his strength with food and drink. During dinner, Priam looked with surprise at the beautiful, majestic, like a god, Achilles, and Achilles marveled at the venerable appearance of the gray-haired old man and listened to his wise speeches.
When dinner was over, Priam asked Achilles to let him sleep, since he had not slept since Hector died. Achilles ordered two luxurious beds to be prepared for Priam and Ideas in front of the tent. When Priam was getting ready to go to bed, Achilles asked him how many days he needed to bury his son, and promised not to start a battle during these days. Priam asked for ten days for burial. Achilles promised him that he himself would not enter into battle during these days and would keep the Greeks from the battle. Achilles affectionately shook Priam's hand, wanting to calm the old man with this squeeze, and parted with him.
All the warriors fell asleep, the gods on bright Olympus also slept, only the god Hermes did not sleep. He came to Priam’s bed and, waking him up, ordered him to quickly leave the Greek camp, because he was afraid that someone would see Priam and be tempted by the opportunity to receive a rich ransom for him. Priam got scared, got up from his bed and woke up Idea. Hermes harnessed the horses and mules and led them secretly out of the camp. Only off the coast of Scamander did the god Priam leave.
At dawn Priam rode up to Troy. Cassandra was the first to see him and raised a loud cry for Hector, calling together the Trojans and Trojan women. A huge crowd gathered at the gates of Troy. Hekabe and Andromache stood in front of everyone; They sobbed loudly and tore their hair. All the Trojans wept and tried to get closer to the cart on which the murdered Hector lay. But at the word of Priam, the crowd parted and allowed him to pass to Troy.
Andromache sobbed loudly - she mourned her husband, her only protector. Now she knew that Troy would fall and the Greeks would take all the Trojan women into grave captivity. The Greeks will also kill her son, Astyanax, taking revenge on Hector for the death of many heroes. Andromache complained that Hector died far from her, without telling her the cherished word that she would forever remember. Hekabe also sobbed, shedding streams of tears for her beloved son.
Elena cried for Hector. She never heard a reproach from him, never saw an insult. The meek-hearted Hector always stood up for her, and thanks to his intercession, others did not offend her. Now her only friend and comforter perished in Troy, where everyone hated her equally.
Priam ordered the funeral pyre to be prepared. For nine days the Trojans carried wood for the fire from Ida. On the tenth day they laid Hector's body on the fire and burned it. They collected his ashes in a golden urn, placed it in the grave, covered the grave with stone slabs, and poured a burial mound on top. While the Trojans were building a mound, the guards watched so that the Greeks would not attack unexpectedly. After the funeral, Priam held a sumptuous funeral feast in his palace. This is how the Trojans buried the great Hector.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru