Hecuba

Hecuba

Hecuba or Hecabe was the queen of Troy in Greek mythology, wife of King Priam and mother to nineteen children, the most famous of them being Hector, Paris and Cassandra.

She was the daughter of King Dymas of Phrygia and the Naiad Euagora. Other alternatives are also given by various sources around who her parents were. Hecuba made a few appearances in the Homeric epic Iliad, which accounts the events of the Trojan War. Following her son Hector's advice, she offered a gown from Alexander's treasure to the goddess Athena, praying for help. She also tried to stop Hector from duelling with Achilles; her pleads were not heard, though, and Hector met his doom during that fight.

In another text, she was mentioned as being the mother of Troilus, after consorting with the god Apollo. A prophecy said that if Troilus would become twenty years old, then Troy would not fall; however, he was slain by Achilles, thus dooming the fate of the city as well.

See Also: Priam, Hector, Paris, Cassandra, Trojan War, Achilles

Hecuba Q&A

Who was Hecuba?

Hecuba or Hecabe was the queen of Troy in Greek mythology, wife of King Priam and mother to nineteen children, the most famous of them being Hector, Paris and Cassandra. She was the daughter of King Dymas of Phrygia and the Naiad Euagora.

Link/Cite Hecuba Page

You can freely use the content on this page for non-commercial reasons (homework, lessons, school essays or college projects, free online courses) as long as you cite this page as the source.

Written by: The Editors of GreekMythology.com. GreekMythology.com editors write, review and revise subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge based on their working experience or advanced studies.

For MLA style citation use: GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Hecuba". GreekMythology.com Website, 28 Mar. 2015, https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Hecuba/hecuba.html. Accessed 18 March 2024.