Nestor
Nestor, in Greek legend and literature, king of Pylos (an ancient city in Messenia in the southwestern Peloponnese) and the oldest and wisest of the Greek chieftains who fought in the Trojan War. The son of Neleus and Chloris, Nestor was the only one among his brothers to survive the attack on Pylos by the hero Heracles. The assault came after Neleus refused to purify Heracles for murdering Iphitos, king of Oechalia. Heracles needed purification because killing a guest was considered a grave crime and a serious violation of the Greek code of xenia (hospitality). Neleus refused to pardon and cleanse Heracles because of his friendship with Eurytus, prompting Heracles to swear revenge against him and his household. Nestorâs survival amidst the assault marked the beginning of his long life. He is said to have lived through three generations of mortal menâa longevity some sources attribute to Apollo granting him the years taken from Chlorisâs siblings, whom Apollo had killed. In Homerâs epic poem the Iliad, he is about 70 years old and is sage and pious; his role is largely to incite the warriors to battle and to tell stories of his early exploits, which contrast with his listenersâ experiences, shown to be soft and easy in comparison with his own. In Homerâs epic poem the Odyssey, he tells Odysseusâs son Telemachus about the sufferings and trials he and others endured during the Trojan War.
In the Iliad
Nestor appears as a warrior who is too aged for direct combat in the Iliad. He commands the Pylian army in the Trojan War. In Book I he tries to reconcile Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and Achilles, the Greek hero, after they quarrel over Briseis, a captive woman taken as a war prize. Their dispute leads to Achilles withdrawing from the war and sets in motion some of the tragic events that follow. In Book IX Nestor advises Agamemnon to send an embassy bearing gifts to persuade Achilles to return to battle. Most significantly, in Book XI, Nestor advises Patroclus, Achillesâ closest companion, to persuade Achilles to return to battle. Failing that, he suggests that Patroclus put on Achillesâ armor and lead the Myrmidons, Achillesâ army, into the fight. Patroclus does so but is killed by Prince Hector, the Trojan commander. His death ultimately draws Achilles back into combat.
In the Odyssey
The Odyssey presents Nestor after the Trojan War, safely returned to Pylos. He was one of the few Greek leaders to have escaped the disasters that befell the homecoming fleet. In Book III Telemachus visits Pylos seeking news of his missing father. Nestor receives the young man with elaborate hospitality, including a sacrifice of a cow to Athena, the goddess of war, and recounts what he knows of the Greeksâ fates after Troy. Unable to provide specific information about Odysseus, he sends Telemachus to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Nestorâs daughter Polycaste bathes Telemachus, as part of a traditional act of hospitality for honored guests.
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Other adventures
According to later traditions, Nestor sailed on a quest with Jasonâson of Aeson, king of Iolcos in Thessalyâand the other Argonauts. They sought to retrieve the Golden Fleeceâthe fleece of a magical ram guarded by a dragonâthat would help Jason reclaim his rightful throne.
The Roman poet Ovid, in Book VIII of the Metamorphoses, places Nestor among the heroes who hunted the monstrous Calydonian boar, a gigantic wild boar sent by Artemis, the goddess of hunting and chastity, to ravage the region of Calydon in Aetolia as punishment for King Oeneusâs failure to honor her in sacrifice.
The Iliad also records Nestor recalling the famous battle between the Lapiths (a Thessalian tribe) and Centaurs (half-man, half-horse creatures) at the wedding feast of the Lapith king Pirithous. According to the tradition, drunken Centaurs attempted to abduct the bride and Lapith women, resulting in a legendary conflict. Some accounts suggest that Nestor himself took part in the fighting, though this detail is not uniformly attested.