HistoryEdit
Xerxes I was the King of Persia, also known as Xerxes the Great, during the Greco-Persian Wars. Under his rule, he behaved as a self-righteous god and passed his judgment from one land to the next.
Before the start of the Battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes dispatched a messenger to Spartan King Leonidas in a proposition. This, however, caused a hostile reaction from the Spartan King who killed the messenger thus declining Xerxes' proposal. Xerxes began to send his massive armies over to the Hot Gates (Thermopolaye) to quell the Spartan resistance. However, continuous failed attempts to eliminate the pesky small legion of Spartan soldiers begin to infuriate Xerxes. That added to the seemingly ignorant responses of Leonidas to his offers of peace at the price of freedom anger Xerxes further. Eventually Xerxes managed to corner and eliminate the Spartan King and his men but not before being sliced across his right cheek by Leonidas' spear. This act proved 'that a god could bleed'.
NotesEdit
- Xerxes' depiction in Frank Miller's 300 is radically portrayed as gargantuan and androgynous.
Related
- 2 Appearances of Xerxes
- Images featuring Xerxes
- Quotations by or about Xerxes
- Character Gallery: Xerxes
Links
Footnotes