Memnon

Memnon (mem'non) [key], in Greek mythology, king of Ethiopia, son of Tithonus and Eos. In the Trojan War he fought against the Greeks, and after he had killed Antilochus, he himself was killed by Achilles. Eos obtained immortality from Zeus for her son. Memnon was supposed to have lived in Egypt, and the Greeks gave his name to the great statue of Amenhotep III at Thebes. This statue was said to make a musical sound at daybreak, at which time Memnon greeted his mother, goddess of dawn.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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