Poor man, how much you’ve borne – pain to break the spirit!
What daring brought you down to the ships all alone,
to face the glance of the man who killed your sons,
so many fine brave boys? You have a heart of iron.
Come please sit down on this chair here…
Let us put our griefs to rest in our own hearts.
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 24, lines 605-610. Achilles says this when Priam comes to beg for the return of his son Hector’s body. The Greek warrior recognizes the humanity in even his enemies and is overcome by compassion at the sadness a father mourning for his son. He admires the bravery of Priam in facing the man who killed his sons. There is certainly a heroism about the Trojan king in his willingness to face Achilles.