In theIliad,Asteropaios (/ˌæstərəˈpiːəs/;Ancient Greek:Ἀστεροπαῖος,romanized: Asteropaíos;Latin:Asteropaeus) was a leader of the Trojan-alliedPaeonians along with fellow warriorPyraechmes.
Asteropaios was the son ofPelagon, who was the son of the river godAxios and the mortal womanPeriboia, daughter ofAkessamenos.
Asteropaios was a newcomer to the war at the start of theIliad; he had only been in Troy for less than two weeks.[1]
Asteropaios had the distinction in combat of beingambidextrous and would on occasion throw two spears at once. In Book XII of theIliad, as the Trojans attacked theAchaean wall, Asteropaios was a leader of the same division as theLycian warriorsSarpedon andGlaucus, the division which pressed hard enough to allowHector and his division to breach the wall.[2]
In Book XXI, asAchilles is mercilessly slaughtering Trojan warriors alongside the river godScamander and polluting the waters with dead bodies (including one ofPriam's sons,Lycaon). While the river god pondering how he might stop Achilles, Achilles in turn attacks Asteropaios (himself the grandson of a river god) whom Scamander instills with courage to make a stand against Achilles.[3]
Achilles and Asteropaios thus engage in one-on-one combat, Asteropaios throwing two spears at the same time at Achilles. One spear hit Achilles' shield, while the other reached his right forearm and drew blood.[4] Asteropaios was the only Trojan in theIliad who was able to draw blood from Achilles. However, he fails to kill Achilles, and is slain. And Achilles boasts that though Asteropaios may be descended from a river-god, that he, Achilles, is descended from a mightier god, Zeus.[5] Later, in the funeral games for the slainPatroclus, the bronze and tincorslet[6] and the silver-studded sword[7] of Asteropaios are awarded as prizes.
Theasteroid4805 Asteropaios is named after the hero.