In
Greek mythology,
Protesilaus (,
Protesilaos) was a
hero in the
Iliad who was venerated at
cult sites in
Thessaly and
Thrace. Protesilaus was the son of
Iphicles, a "lord of many sheep"; as grandson of the eponymous Phylacos, he was the leader of the
Phylaceans.
Hyginus surmised that he was originally known as Iolaus—not to be confused with
Iolaus, the nephew of
Heracles—, but was referred to as "Protesilaus" after being the first (,
protos) to leap ashore at
Troy, and thus the first to die in the war.
