Source-groundedThe Iliad
All entities

Character · Individual

Rhesus

Published entity metadata

Read-only identity and editorial metadata.

Canonical name
Rhesus
Disambiguator
None
Kind
Character
Scope
Individual
Editorial note
The newly arrived king found sleeping among the Thracians.

Aliases

1

son of Eioneus

Descriptive reference · Reported

Location presence

Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.

0

No presence observations in the processed scope.

Claims

5
·Reported

Dolon identifies Rhesus, son of Eioneus, as king of the Thracians.

See evidence text
“they have Rhesus son of Eioneus for their king”
·Direct

Rhesus sleeps in the company’s middle with his horses tethered beside him to his chariot’s upper rim.

See evidence text
“Rhesus was sleeping in the middle, and hard by him his horses were made fast to the topmost rim of his chariot”
·Direct

Diomed kills Rhesus as the king breathes hard with an evil dream hovering over his head.

See evidence text
“When the son of Tydeus came to the king, he killed him too (which made thirteen), as he was breathing hard, for by the counsel of Minerva an evil dream, the seed of Oeneus, hovered that night over his head.”
·Direct

Rhesus is Hippocoon’s noble kinsman and friend, for whom Hippocoon cries after the raid.

See evidence text
“a noble kinsman of Rhesus. He started up out of his sleep and saw that the horses were no longer in their place, and that the men were gasping in their death-agony; on this he groaned aloud, and called upon his friend by name.”
·Reported

Ulysses reports Rhesus killed with twelve companions.

See evidence text
“Diomed killed their king with the twelve bravest of his companions.”

Additional evidence

Evidence records not already represented by a claim.

1
·Direct
“Rhesus was sleeping in the middle, and hard by him his horses were made fast to the topmost rim of his chariot.”

Passage preview

Book 10 · Passage 38

‘I will tell you truly all,’ replied Dolon. ‘To the seaward lie the Carians, the Paeonian bowmen, the Leleges, the Cauconians, and the noble Pelasgi. The Lysians and proud Mysians, with the Phrygians and Meonians, have their place on the side towards Thymbra; but why ask about an this? If you want to find your way into the host of the Trojans, there are the Thracians, who have lately come here and lie apart from the others at the far end of the camp; and they have Rhesus son of Eioneus for their king. His horses are the finest and strongest that I have ever seen, they are whiter than snow and fleeter than any wind that blows. His chariot is bedight with silver and gold, and he has brought his marvellous golden armour, of the rarest workmanship—too splendid for any mortal man to carry, and meet only for the gods. Now, therefore, take me to the ships or bind me securely here, until you come back and have proved my words whether they be false or true.’