Gender Masculine
Scripts Πάνδαρος(Ancient Greek)
Meaning & History
Latinized form of Greek Πάνδαρος (Pandaros), which was possibly derived from παν (pan) "all" and an uncertain second element. This is the name of a mythical archer who appears in stories of the Trojan War, and "who by an arrow-shot violates the truce between the Trojans and Greeks, and is afterwards slain by Diomedes." In Homer's 'Iliad' he is portrayed as an energetic and impetuous warrior, but in medieval literature he becomes a witty and licentious figure who facilitates the affair between Troilus and Cressida. In Shakespeare's play 'Troilus and Cressida' (1602) he is portrayed as an aged degenerate and coward, who ends the play by telling the audience he will bequeath them "my diseases".