Theano of Troy explained

In Greek mythology, Theano (/θiˈænoʊ/; Ancient Greek: Θεανώ) was the priestess of Athena in Troy.

Family

Theano was the daughter of the Thracian king Cisseus and Telecleia^[1] and thus the sister of Queen Hecuba, wife of King Priam of Troy. She was the wife of Antenor^[2] and by him, mother of many sons possibly including, Archelochus, Acamas, Glaucus, Helicaon, Laodocus, Polybus, Agenor, Iphidamas, Coon, Laodamas, Demoleon, Eurymachus and Medon; and a daughter Crino.^[3]

Mythology

The household of Antenor and Theano advocated peace and advised Helen's return to the Greeks. Because of their support (some say treason^[4]), the Greeks spared their household when they sacked the city.^[5] One story has Theano and Antenor sailing with Aeneas to Italy and founding the city of Padua.^[6] Another story is that she took the Palladium, an image of Athena that had fallen from the sky and supposedly provided Troy its protection, with her.^[7] In Book VI of the Iliad, with Hecuba and the Trojan women, Theano offered a gift and plea to Athena for the life of the city, but was rebuffed.^[8]

Notes

1. [Scholia]
2. [Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]
3. [Homer]
4. [Tzetzes]
5. [Dictys Cretensis]
6. [Maurus Servius Honoratus|Servius]
7. Scholia on Homer, Iliad 6.331; Suda s.v. Palladion; Dictys Cretensis, 5.8
8. Homer, Iliad 6.300 ff.

References

• Dictys Cretensis, from The Trojan War. The Chronicles of Dictys of Crete and Dares the Phrygian translated by Richard McIlwaine Frazer, Jr. (1931-). Indiana University Press. 1966. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Homer, The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Homer, Homeri Opera in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Maurus Servius Honoratus, In Vergilii carmina comentarii. Servii Grammatici qui feruntur in Vergilii carmina commentarii; recensuerunt Georgius Thilo et Hermannus Hagen. Georgius Thilo. Leipzig. B. G. Teubner. 1881. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
• Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.