Ephialtes of Trachis

"King Xerxes paid him well, but treachery breeds treachery. A contract was put on his head, and he died as he lived—a coward"

―Herodotos describing Ephialtes's fate to Kassandra, 431 BCE.

Ephialtes of Trachis (died 470s BCE) was a Greek individual who betrayed his homeland during the Second Persian invasion of Greece.

Biography

In 480 BCE, in hopes of being rewarded by King Xerxes I of Persia, Ephialtes revealed to the Achaemenid Empire a path in Malis that allowed them to go around the allied Greek forces stationed at the narrow passage of Thermopylae. His actions led to the defeat of the combined forces led by King Leonidas I of Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae.

After the war, a contract was placed on Ephialtes' head and he was eventually hunted down.

Legacy

By the 420s BCE, Ephialtes was still remembered for his treachery. Inspired by the Battle of Thermopylae, Thespis wrote a play, casting his good friend Tros in the role of Ephialtes.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (mentioned only)