Editing Troilus (section)

====Greek writers in the boy-soldier tradition====
[[Quintus of Smyrna]], in a passage whose atmosphere Boitani describes as sad and elegiac, retains what for Boitani are the two important issues of the ancient story, that Troilus is doomed by Fate and that his failure to continue his line symbolises Troy's fall.<ref>Boitani (1989: pp.6–7).</ref> In this case, there is no doubt that Troilus entered battle knowingly, for in the ''[[Posthomerica]]'' Troilus's armour is one of the funerary gifts after Achilles' own death. Quintus repeatedly emphasises Troilus's youth: he is beardless, virgin of a bride, childlike, beautiful, the most godlike of all Hecuba's children. Yet he was lured by Fate to war when he knew no fear and was struck down by Achilles' spear just as a flower or corn that has borne no seed is killed by the gardener.<ref>Quintus of Smyrna, ''Posthomerica'' iv, 470-90. English translation by A.S.Way available at [http://mcllibrary.org/Troy/book4.html]. Link verified 10/15/2007.</ref>

In the ''Ephemeridos belli Trojani'' (''Journal of the Trojan War''),<ref>Full translated text available in Frazer (1966).</ref> supposedly written by [[Dictys Cretensis|Dictys the Cretan]] during the Trojan War itself, Troilus is again a defeated warrior, but this time captured with his brother [[Lycaon (son of Priam)|Lycaon]]. Achilles vindictively orders that their throats be slit in public, because he is angry that Priam has failed to advance talks over a possible marriage to Polyxena. Dictys' narrative is free from gods and prophecy but he preserves Troilus' loss as something to be greatly mourned:

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The Trojans raised a cry of grief and, mourning loudly, bewailed the fact that Troilus had met so grievous a death, for they remembered how young he was, who being in the early years of his manhood, was the people's favourite, their darling, not only because of his modesty and honesty, but more especially because of his handsome appearance.<ref>Dictys IV.9, translation by Frazer (1966: p.93).</ref>
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