In Greek mythology, Phereclus or Phereclos, son of Tecton, was the shipbuilder who constructed the boat that Paris used to kidnap Helen. Meriones targeted him and killed him by ramming a spear into his right buttock. Phereclus was a target because he built Paris' ships, and he could make other contraptions of war.[1]
In the Iliad, Homer vividly illustrates Phereclus' death in book five:
Meriones then killed Phereclus, son of Tecton,
Harmon's son, whose hands could make fine objects of all sorts.
Pallas Athena had a special love for him.
He was the one who'd made well-balanced ships
for Paris at the start of all the trouble,
bringing disaster on the Trojans and on Paris, too,
for he was ignorant of what gods had decreed.
Meriones went after Phereclus as he ran off,
hurled his spear straight into his right buttock.
The spear point pushed on through, below the bone,
piercing his bladder. He fell down on his knees,
screaming. Then death carried him into its shadows.
Namesake
- 2357 Phereclos, Jovian asteroid named after Phereclus
References
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2357) Phereclos". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2357) Phereclos. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 192. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2358. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
This page was last edited on 5 September 2021, at 06:56