Memnon

in Greek legend, an Ethiopian hero of the Trojan War. He is mentioned in the Homeric poems, and is thought by certain critics to typify "the eastern sun summoned to oppose the enemies of darkness from the west." Memnon, according to fable, was the son of Tithonus, and Eos, or Aurora, the Dawn. After the death of Hector, he led a host of Ethiopians to the aid of Troy. He wore bright armor made by Hephaestus, and performed prodigies of valor. He was slain at last by Achilles. Several stories are told of the disposition of his body, the most popular being that Aurora bore it through the air to Susa, where it was buried in the Acropolis. The scene of Aurora's journey with the body of her son is depicted on certain early Greek vases, and is supposed to typify the journey of the sun, offspring of the dawn, through the heavens to its resting place in the west.