Source-groundedThe Iliad
All entities

Character · Individual

Asteropaeus

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name
Asteropaeus
Disambiguator
None
Kind
Character
Scope
Individual
Editorial note
Named among the two allies Sarpedon deemed most valiant after himself.

Aliases

2

son of Pelegon

Descriptive reference · Direct

captain of the Paeonians

Title · Direct

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

4
Troy1 observation
·Reported

Asteropaeus says that he has been at Ilius for eleven days.

See evidence text
“it is now eleven days that I am at Ilius”
Xanthus3 observations
·Direct

Asteropaeus rises from the water of Xanthus to face Achilles.

See evidence text
“Asteropaeus stood up out of the water to face him with a spear in either hand, and Xanthus filled him with courage”
·Direct

Asteropaeus fights and dies at the bank of Xanthus.

See evidence text
“Asteropaeus vainly tried to draw Achilles’ spear out of the bank by main force”
·Direct

Asteropaeus’s remains lie on the sand under the water of Xanthus.

See evidence text
“he let him lie where he was on the sand, with the dark water flowing over him”

Claims

5
·Direct

Asteropaeus is one of the two allies Sarpedon selects as most valiant after himself.

See evidence text
“took with him Glaucus and Asteropaeus whom he deemed most valiant after himself—for he was far the best man of them all”
·Direct

Asteropaeus rushes forward intending to avenge Apisaon and attack the Danaans, but cannot close because Patroclus’s defenders are shielded and hold their spears forward.

See evidence text
“Asteropaeus flew forward to avenge him and attack the Danaans, but this might no longer be, inasmuch as those about Patroclus were well covered by their shields, and held their spears in front of them”
·Direct

Asteropaeus rises from the water to face Achilles wielding a spear in each hand.

See evidence text
“Asteropaeus stood up out of the water to face him with a spear in either hand”
·Direct

Ambidextrous Asteropaeus casts two spears, grazing Achilles’s arm with one; he later strains repeatedly to pull or break Achilles’s embedded spear before Achilles kills him with a belly stroke, leaving him disembowelled and gasping.

See evidence text
“Asteropaeus failed with both his spears, for he could use both hands alike; with the one spear he struck Achilles’ shield, but did not pierce it, for the layer of gold, gift of the god, stayed the point; with the other spear he grazed the elbow of Achilles’ right arm drawing dark blood, but the spear itself went by him and fixed itself in the ground, foiled of its bloody banquet. Then Achilles, fain to kill him, hurled his spear at Asteropaeus, but failed to hit him and struck the steep bank of the river, driving the spear half its length into the earth. The son of Peleus then drew his sword and sprang furiously upon him. Asteropaeus vainly tried to draw Achilles’ spear out of the bank by main force; thrice did he tug at it, trying with all his might to draw it out, and thrice he had to leave off trying; the fourth time he tried to bend and break it, but ere he could do so Achilles smote him with his sword and killed him. He struck him in the belly near the navel, so that all his bowels came gushing out on to the ground, and the darkness of death came over him as he lay gasping.”
·Direct

Asteropaeus’s corpse lies on the sand beneath dark water while eels and fish gnaw the fat around his kidneys.

See evidence text
“let him lie where he was on the sand, with the dark water flowing over him and the eels and fishes busy nibbling and gnawing the fat that was about his kidneys.”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

4
·Direct
“took with him Glaucus and Asteropaeus whom he deemed most valiant after himself”
·Direct
“Asteropaeus flew forward to avenge him”
·Direct
“Asteropaeus son of Pelegon”
·Direct
“which I took from Asteropaeus”

Passage preview

Book 12 · Passage 4

Thus spoke Polydamas and his saying pleased Hector, who sprang in full armour to the ground, and all the other Trojans, when they saw him do so, also left their chariots. Each man then gave his horses over to his charioteer in charge to hold them ready for him at the trench. Then they formed themselves into companies, made themselves ready, and in five bodies followed their leaders. Those that went with Hector and Polydamas were the bravest and most in number, and the most determined to break through the wall and fight at the ships. Cebriones was also joined with them as third in command, for Hector had left his chariot in charge of a less valiant soldier. The next company was led by Paris, Alcathous, and Agenor; the third by Helenus and Deiphobus, two sons of Priam, and with them was the hero Asius—Asius, the son of Hyrtacus, whose great black horses of the breed that comes from the river Selleis had brought him from Arisbe. Aeneas, the valiant son of Anchises, led the fourth; he and the two sons of Antenor, Archelochus and Acamas, men well versed in all the arts of war. Sarpedon was captain over the allies, and took with him Glaucus and Asteropaeus whom he deemed most valiant after himself—for he was far the best man of them all. These helped to array one another in their ox-hide shields, and then charged straight at the Danaans, for they felt sure that they would not hold out longer and that they should themselves now fall upon the ships.