The Burial of Hector: How Hector’s Funeral Was Organized
The burial of Hector marked a brief period in the Trojan War where the two warring factions ceased hostilities and agreed to allow each side to bury their dead. Hector suffered death at the hands of Achilles for killing his friend Patroclus.
Initially, Achilles refused to give up the body for burial but changed his mind after Hector’s father, Priam, pleaded with him to release the corpse of his son. This article will explore the burial of Hector and the events surrounding it.
The Burial of Hector
Priam brought the corpse to Troy and all the women including Helen, the Queen of Sparta, broke down in tears and loud wailing on seeing the slain Hector. Eleven days were set aside to mourn Hector while the two warring factions brokered a short peace deal.
The Trojans used nine days to set up Hector’s funeral pyre and on the tenth day, they set fire to the pyre of their finest warriors. The people of Troy waited until the eleventh day to put out the rest of the dying embers of the pyre by pouring the leftover wine from the previous night over the fire to quench it.
Then Hector’s family and friends collected his remains and wrapped them in purple robes. Purple was a color of royalty, thus Hector was given a royal burial due to his background and his stature in Troy. Hector’s remains were placed in a casket made of gold and buried in a grave. Instead of covering the casket with dirt, stones were poured onto the casket.
This was temporary as the Trojans needed time to build a proper tomb for their slain leader. Once the tomb was complete, Hector’s remains were placed in it. After the burial, Priam hosted a party in honor of Hector at his palace. When everything was over, the Trojans returned to warring with the Greeks who had also finished burying their fallen heroes.
The Death of Hector Summary
Hector’s death had already been prophesied so he knew he wouldn’t return from the battlefield. Hector killed Patroclus which enraged Achilles prompting him to renounce his decision not to fight.
When Hector saw Achilles on the battlefield, fear gripped him and he took to his heels. Achilles chased him thrice around the city of Troy until Hector finally mustered enough courage to face his nemesis, Achilles.
The Duel of Achilles vs Hector in the Trojan War
Since the gods had determined that he would die at the hands of Achilles, the goddess Athena disguised herself as the brother of Hector (Deiphobus) and came to his aid.
Achilles was the first to launch his spear at Hector who evaded it but unknown to him, Athena, still disguised as Deiphobus, returned the arrow to Achilles. Hector hurled another spear at Achilles and this time it hit the his shield and when Hector turned to the disguised Athena for more spears, he found no one.
Then Hector realized he was doomed so he pulled out his sword to face Achilles. He charged at Achille’s who had taken his thrown spears from Athena and aimed at Hector’s collarbone, he hit Hector in that area and Hector fell to the ground mortally wounded. Hector asked for a decent burial but Achilles refused to claim that his body would be left for dogs and vultures to devour.
What Does Achilles Do to Hector’s Body?
After killing Hector, Achilles rode around the city of Troy dragging the his lifeless body with him for three days. He then tied Hector’s corpse to his chariot and rode to the camp of the Achaeans still dragging the body of Hector with him.
At the camp, he continued to defile the corpse by dragging it around the grave of his friend Patroclus for three days but the god Apollo and goddess Aphrodite prevented the corpse from deformation.
He repeated this for 12 days until Apollo requested Zeus to make Achilles allow for the decent burial of Hector.
Zeus agreed and sent Achilles’ mother, Thetis, to convince his son to release his body of Hector for a proper burial.
Why Do the Gods Interfere With Achilles’ Plans for Hector’s Body?
According to the tradition of ancient Greece, a corpse that does not go through the normal burial process could not pass on to the afterlife. Thus, the gods saw it fit that Hector, who had lived righteously, be allowed to pass on to the afterlife and so they interfered with Achilles’ plan.
How Does the Iliad End?
Hector was Troy’s best warrior so his death was a sign that Troy would eventually fall to the Greeks. Troy had pinned all their hopes on their champion, Hector, who ironically thought he had killed Achilles with the help of Euphorbus only to find out that it was Patroclus who had donned Achilles’ armor pretending to be him.
Thus, ending the Iliad with Hector’s funeral was Homer’s way of telling the audience that Troy would fall. Another reason is that the entire poem seems to hinge on the anger of Achilles towards Agamemnon and Hector.
Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, seemed to be fueled by the need to avenge his friend’s death. Therefore, once Hector’s funeral was organized, it appeased his anger with Achilles, and was less motivated to fight the Trojan War. Probably, that was why Achilles died in the end because he had little to live for.
In the Iliad, How Did Hector Treat Helen Before His Death?
Hector treated Helen kindly while everyone around her was being treated harshly. Helen was wrongly seen as the cause of Troy’s troubles with Greece hence his harsh treatment.
However, it was a wrong accusation because she was kidnapped against her will. Paris, the Prince of Troy, had abducted her due to the promise made by Aphrodite, the goddess of love, that he will marry the most beautiful lady.
However, instead of directing their anger and frustration at the Trojan Prince for his selfishness, the Trojans rather hated Helen and treated her poorly. It was only Hector who was level-headed enough to understand that Helen was innocent of all the trouble Troy was going through.
Thus, he spoke kindly to her and treated his surroundings well when he was alive. This is why Helen cried and mourned the death of Hector because no one understand her pains like Hector did.
Did Achilles Feel Bad About Killing Hector?
No, he did not feel bad. On the contrary, he felt a sense of satisfaction having killed the enemy who murdered his best friend, Patroclus. This is supported by Achilles’ initial refusal to give Hector’s body a proper burial. Instead, he dragged it around for days behind his horse until the gods intervened.
Even when Hector tried to negotiate with Achilles to give the vanquished a proper burial, Achilles refused. If he had felt sorry for Hector, he would’ve not desecrated his body the way he did in the Iliad.
How Does Priam Convince Achilles to Release Hector’s Body?
In the Achilles and Priam summary, Priam asked Achilles to consider the relationship and love between him and his father Peleus. This moved Achilles to tears who, once again, mourned the death of Patroclus. Achilles afterward agrees to release the body of Hector based on his mother’s request and Priam’s pleadings.
Since it was too late to return, Priam slept in the tent of Achilles but was woken up in the middle of the night by Hermes reminding him that it was dangerous to sleep in an enemy’s tent. Hence, Priam woke up the chariot driver, wrapped Hector’s body, and slipped out of the enemy camp through the night unnoticed. Thus, the corpse was released due to the great Priam and Achilles relationship.
What Are the Results of Priam’s Meeting With Achilles? Why?
Priam’s meeting with Achilles resulted in Achilles finally rescinding his decision to further desecrate Hector’s corpse. He allowed Priam to take the body because Priam was a friend of his father and they shared a close bond.
Why Was It Dangerous for King Priam to Ransom the Body of Hector?
It was dangerous for King Priam to ransom the body of Hector because he was venturing into the camp of his sworn enemies. If anyone had recognized him whiles he was there, they would have killed him straight away. Thus, the gods had to come to his aid to guide him through the camp without detection and anyone who saw him was quickly made to fall asleep.
Conclusion
We’ve covered a lot of ground on the burial of Hector. Here’s a recap of what we’ve read so far:
- The burial of Hector took place over 10 with the first nine days used to prepare his funeral pyre and on the tenth day, he was cremated.
- Achilles, after killing Hector, refused to bury the body until the gods intervened and allowed Priam to ransom the corpse of his son.
- Priam was able to convince Achilles to release Hector’s body due to the relationship he (Priam) shared with Achilles’ father.
The burial of Achilles and Patroclus are very prominent in the Iliad due to the varying themes that they portrayed.
