- Thoas
Thoas ( _el. Θώας), son of
Andraimon , was one of the heroes who fought for theGreeks in theTrojan War . He was a former suitor ofHelen of Troy and led a group of forty ships for theAetolians , one of the larger contingents. In the "Iliad " it states that he received his lordship because the previous dynasty ofOineus andMeleagros had perished, so the power to rule was bestowed on him. He was one of the nine volunteers to fightHector in one on one combat, but lost to the drawing of lots toTelamonian Aias .In the "Iliad"
Poseidon impersonates Thoas to rallyIdomeneus so that he will preventHector , who had just killed the sea god's grandson, and his forces from routing theArgives . Later Thoas advises the Greeks to retreat when Hector has broken through to the ships and the Trojan advance is pressing hard on them. He suggests this to prevent further disorder among the Greek forces. This suggestion led to the escape of some of them, who would otherwise have perished in the Trojans' imminent attack. He was one of the more prominent younger chiefs in the Iliad. In the "Aeneid", Aeneas names Thoas as one of those Greeks hidden within the Trojan Horse (2.311).
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