Helenus (son of Priam)

2.1. Acquisition of Prophetic Abilities

There are several accounts detailing how Helenus acquired his prophetic powers. In the earliest sources, both Helenus and his sister Cassandra were granted the power of prophecy by the god Apollo. This divine intervention is sometimes described as occurring after their ears were licked by snakes. Other accounts suggest that Helenus was taught the art of prophecy by Cassandra herself. However, unlike Cassandra, whose prophecies were rarely believed despite their accuracy, Helenus's predictions were generally trusted by others. Prior to gaining his prophetic abilities, Helenus was known by the name Scamandrius, but a Thracian soothsayer later renamed him Helenus.

2.2. Early Prophecies

Even before the Trojan War officially began, Helenus made significant predictions that foreshadowed the great conflict. He prophesied that if Alexander (also known as Paris) brought a Greek wife, specifically Helen, back to Troy, the Achaeans would pursue them, ultimately overpower Troy, and lead to the deaths of his parents and brothers. This early foresight highlighted his unique gift and the grave consequences that would follow Paris's actions.

3.1. Military Involvement

Homer describes Helenus as the greatest of augurs among the Trojans, indicating his significant influence through divine insight. As a commander and warrior, Helenus held a prominent position in the Trojan army. He led the third battalion of the Trojan forces, often alongside his brother Deiphobus. Helenus provided strategic advice to his brother Hector, counseling him to return to Ilios (Troy) to offer prayers at Athena's temple and to challenge any Achaean warrior to a duel, a challenge that Telemonian Ajax accepted. Helenus also participated in the Trojan forces that pushed the Greeks back from the plains west of Troy and launched an attack on their camp, as recounted in the Iliad. During these fierce engagements, Helenus was wounded in the hand by Menelaus and forced to retreat, where he was subsequently treated by Agenor. He is also credited with slaying the warrior Deiphylus.

3.2. Prophecies and Capture

In the final year of the Trojan War, following the death of their brother Paris, Helenus vied with Deiphobus for the hand of Helen. However, Priam awarded Helen to Deiphobus, leaving Helenus disgruntled and resentful. In his frustration, Helenus retreated to Mount Ida. He was later captured by Odysseus, possibly through coercion or torture, or as a result of his bitter feelings towards Troy. It was through this capture that Helenus revealed crucial prophecies to the Greek forces, outlining the necessary conditions for Troy's eventual downfall.

3.3. Conditions for Troy's Fall

Under duress, Helenus revealed to the Greek forces the specific conditions required for the successful capture of Troy. These conditions were:

• The theft of the Trojan Palladium, a sacred statue of Athena.
• The bringing of the bones of Pelops to Troy.
• The participation of Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles by the Scyrian princess Deidamia, in the war. Neoptolemus was then hiding from the war at Scyrus, but the Greeks retrieved him.
• The involvement of Philoctetes, who possessed the legendary bow and arrows of Heracles.

Another less common tradition states that Helenus prophesied Greek victory if Troilus, another Trojan prince, died before reaching twenty years of age. Troilus was indeed killed by Neoptolemus.

4.1. Journey with Neoptolemus and Andromache

After the fall of Troy, Neoptolemus took Andromache, Helenus's sister-in-law and Hector's widow, as his slave and concubine. With her, Neoptolemus fathered several children, including Molossus, Pielus, and Pergamus. According to one account, Helenus accompanied Neoptolemus, Andromache, and their children on their journey to Epirus, a region in northwestern Greece. In Epirus, Neoptolemus granted Helenus permission to establish the city of Buthrotum. When Neoptolemus later departed from Epirus, he entrusted Andromache and their sons to Helenus's care.

4.2. Rule of Epirus and Marriages

Helenus's ascent to kingship occurred following the death of Neoptolemus. Neoptolemus was slain by Orestes, Agamemnon's son, in a dispute over Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus and Helen, whom Orestes had been promised in marriage but whom Neoptolemus had taken. As Neoptolemus's kingdom was subsequently partitioned, Helenus acquired the rule of Buthrotum, becoming king over these Greek cities in Epirus.

To further solidify his claims to Neoptolemus's former kingdom, some mythographers state that Helenus married not only Andromache, Hector's widow, but also Deidamia, Neoptolemus's mother. Andromache bore him a son named Cestrinus, who is sometimes identified with Genger or Zenter, a legendary Trojan king and father of Francus. According to Pausanias, after Helenus took control of Epirus, he designated Molossus, the son of Neoptolemus and Andromache, as his successor. Cestrinus later migrated to the northern lands across the Thyamis. Helenus also named a part of his newly acquired territory Chaonia, in honor of his brother Caon.

4.3. Prophecy for Aeneas

Helenus's prophetic abilities were once again demonstrated when Aeneas and his followers, fleeing the fallen city of Troy, stopped at Buthrotum during their epic journey. Helenus provided Aeneas with significant guidance and foretold the future founding of Rome. This pivotal interaction, detailed by Virgil in Book III of the Aeneid, served as a crucial moment for Aeneas's destiny and the establishment of the Roman lineage.