Editing Andromache (section)

{{short description|Wife of Hector in Greek mythology}}
{{distinguish|Andromeda (mythology)}}
{{other uses}}
[[Image:Andromache mourns Hector.jpg|thumb|''[[Andromache Mourning Hector]]'' by [[Jacques-Louis David]], 1783]]

In [[Greek mythology]], '''Andromache''' ({{IPAc-en|æ|n|ˈ|d|r|ɒ|m|ə|k|iː}}; {{langx|grc|Ἀνδρομάχη}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|Andromákhē}} {{IPA|el|andromákʰɛ:|}}) was the wife of [[Hector]], daughter of [[Eetion]], and sister to [[Podes]].<ref>Homer, ''The Iliad'' XVII 575-590</ref> She was born and raised in the city of [[Cilician Thebe]], over which her father ruled.  The name means "man battler", "fighter of men" or "man's battle", i.e. "courage" or "manly virtue", from the Greek stem {{wikt-lang|grc|ἀνδρο-|ἀνδρ-}} ("man"), the [[compound (linguistics)|compound]] [[interfix]] {{wikt-lang|grc|-ο-}} and {{wikt-lang|grc|μάχη}} ("battle").<ref>{{cite web |last=Campbell |first=Mike |title=Andromache |work=Behind the Name |url=http://www.behindthename.com/name/andromache |access-date=2007-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210141549/http://www.behindthename.com/name/andromache |archive-date=10 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the [[Trojan War]], after [[Achilles]] had killed Hector and Troy had been captured and sacked by the Greeks, the Greek herald [[Talthybius]] informed her of a plan to kill [[Astyanax]], her son by Hector, by throwing him from the city walls. This act was carried out by [[Neoptolemus]] who then took Andromache as a concubine and Hector's brother, [[Helenus]], as a slave.<ref name=":3">Euripides, ''Trojan Women''</ref> By Neoptolemus, she was the mother of [[Molossus (son of Neoptolemus)|Molossus]], and according to [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]],<ref name=":1">Pausanias, 1.11.1</ref> of [[Pielus (mythology)|Pielus]] and [[Pergamus]]. When Neoptolemus died, Andromache married Helenus and became Queen of [[Epirus]]. Pausanias also implies that Helenus' son, [[Cestrinus]], was by Andromache. In Epirus Andromache faithfully continued to make offerings at [[Hector]]’s cenotaph.<ref name=":0">Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010). {{Google books|tOgWfjNIxoMC|Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman mythology.|page=60}} </ref> Andromache eventually went to live with her youngest son, Pergamus in [[Pergamum]], where she died of old age. Andromache was famous for her fidelity and virtue; her character represents the suffering of Trojan women during war.<ref name=":0" />