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Angelika Kauffmann (Swiss, 1741-1807) Judgement of Paris, ca.1781 Museo de Arte de Ponce
As the spear entered Hector's throat, silence fell on both the gods and the mortals, who watched as the pride of Troy fell to the wrath of Achilles. Raindrops started to cover the field as they slid down Achilles' eyes; it looked like he was crying, because he finally got revenge for his friend, Patroclus. Unlike most heroes, he died with a smile as he knew he died a true warrior's death, but a tear did slide down his face as he remembered his son, whom he was leaving without their father, leaving his wife widowed and without her husband. As Hector finally closed his eyes and took his last breath, the fire in him went out. The pride of Troy fell to the wrath of Achilles; he left his father without his son, he left his siblings without their brother.
The silence was broken when they heard the weeping of the shadows; it was said that even one of the shadows had wept tears of sorrow for someone who had experienced great loss before, as now he had just lost his student.
But this wasn’t enough for the man who mourns his friend, his brother, in everything, but blood rage hasn’t subsided yet, as he refused to give the body to those who cared for Hector. As he who was filled with rage desecrated the body by dragging it in the dirt outside of the walls of his home, not granting him peace in death, and this went on for days. Till the king of the kingdom behind the walls came, but not as a king or an enemy, but as a father who wanted to be able to grant his son a proper burial. But his body didn’t become corrupted during this time, as the god of song and the goddess of love protected it, and even the gods held him in respect.
The way the father got the body of his son of his pride back was by him kneeling and kissing the hand of the one who murdered son he doesn’t seek revenge he seeks to grant his son peace as had said to Achilles “remember your father” that was the one to make the one filled in rage see clearly what he did how he prevented a father from saying goodbye to his son so he did give the body back but ordered it cleaned and ensures it is treated with respect and not to allow others to do his actions.
As the father leaves with his son's body, he is protected and guided back by the god of messengers of speed, who ensures his safety through the enemy line and back into his kingdom. The one filled with rage mourns the death of his friend and of the son he had killed.
As the father returns with the body of his son in his arms, the son will finally be able to be mourned properly. The wife who became a widow, who already lost her father, her brothers, to the one who took her husband, she mourns him, her husband, the person she loved, but also their future.
The mother of Hector mourns but also feels rage. She curses the one who slew her son, she calls the gods unjust, but do the gods punish her? No, they don’t, as even gods now know the pain the mother feels as she is forced to outlive her son; that is a fate no mother or parent deserves to outlive their child.
Finally, the body of Hector, the son of Hecuba and Priam, prince of Troy, is cremated, allowing his soul to pass into the underworld in peace, and may Hades grant him passage. May his soul rest in eternal peace in the fields of Elysium.
Fuck Helen of Tory Penelope deserved better. Men ain’t SHIT.
José Schmitz y Calvet (active in Spain, 19th century) Achilles with Hector's body, episode of the Trojan War, 1881 Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid
