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The Myrmidons or Myrmidones (Greek: Μυρμιδόνες) were a legendary people of Greek history. They were very brave warriors, trained and commanded by Achilles, as described in Homer's Iliad. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of Thessalian Phthia, who was the son of Zeus and Eurymedousa, a princess of Phthia.

According to Bibliotheca (a collection of myths), Eurymedousa became pregnant with Myrmidon when she was seduced by Zeus in the physical form of an ant, giving their son his name. The name "Myrmidons" in Classical Greek was interpreted as "ant-people", from μυρμηδών (murmedon), "ant's nest", and that from μύρμηξ (murmex), "ant".

Myth of Origins

An etiological myth of their origins was first mentioned by Ovid, in Metamorphoses. In Ovid's telling, a terrible plague wipes out the population of the island Aegina.Hera is responsible for the devastating plague, jealous that her husband Zeus named the island after his lover, the nymph Aegina (mythology). King Aeacus of Aegina prays to Zeus to repopulate the island, and Zeus responds with a flash of lightning, which Aeacus understands to be an affirmation from the Gods. Aeacus then sees a colony of ants covering a tree, so he asks for as many people as there are ants. Overnight, Aeacus has a dream that these ants fall to the ground and are transformed into people. When he wakes the next morning, he finds that his island has been repopulated and that his prayers have been answered. He names the people "Myrmidons" after the Greek word myrmex, meaning ant.

Hesoid's Catalogue of Women gives a similar myth of the origin of the Myrmidons. In Hesoid's version, the son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, Aeacus, grows up on the island of Aegina all alone. Aeacus prays to Zeus for company, and similarly to the legend in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Zeus changes ants into men and women for his son to rule over.

The Myrmidons in Homer's Iliad

According to Greek legend, the Myrmidons left their native island of Aegina and moved to Thessaly. From there, Aeacus' grandson Achilles led the Myrmidons to battle in the Trojan War. Homer's Iliad gives an account of the Trojan War with a focus on the role of Achilles. When King Agamemnon of the Achaeans disrespects Achilles, he abandons the Greek forces and takes his army of Myrmidons with him. When the Achaeans begin to suffer tremendous loss, Patroclus pleads to Achilles to rejoin the battle. Achilles refuses to fight, still bitter about the wrongs committed against him, but he allows Patroclus to borrow his armor and his army of Myrmidons. Patroclus commands the Myrmidons in battle, and together they push the Trojan forces back.

Later Uses of the Term

In Manichaeism, the name myrmidons is used to refer to a certain class of demonic soldiers that fight for darkness against light. This has been found by archaeologists in papyri known as Coptic Manichaean Psalm-books. These papyri were found in Medinet Maadi, Egypt.^[4]

The Myrmidons of Greek myth were known for their skill in battle and loyalty to their leaders. In pre-industrial Europe the word myrmidon carried many of the same connotations that minion does today. Myrmidon later came to mean "hired ruffian" (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) or "loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question, protest, or pity – unquestioning followers". (Dictionary.com).

Myrmidons was also the title of the first of a trilogy of plays by Aeschylus collectively known as the Achilleis. This play draws on the interactions between Achilles and Patroclus in Homer's Iliad, however, only fragments of the play survived and it is therefore incomplete.