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In Greek mythology, Balius ("Dappled") and Xanthus ("Blonde") were two immortal horses, the offspring of the harpy Podarge and the West wind, Zephyros (lat. Zephyrus); following another tradition, their father was Zeus.

Note: Balius and Xanthus are the Latin forms of the Greek names Balios and Xanthos.

Contents 1 The horses of Achilles 1.1 The horse of Diomedes 1.2 Dogs of Newcastle 1.3 Other names 1.4 Note 2 See also 3 References

Poseidon gave the two horses to King Peleus of Phtia, as a wedding gift, when Peleus married the Ocean goddess Thetis.

Peleus later gave the horses to his son Achilles who took them to draw his chariot during the Trojan War.

Book XVI of the Iliad tells us that Achilles had a third horse, Pedasos (maybe "Jumper", maybe "Captive"), which was yoked as a "trace horse", along with Xanthus and Balios. Achilles had captured Pedasos when he took the city of Eetion. Pedasos was mortal, but he could keep up with the divine horses. Sarpedon, prince of Lycia and ally of Troy, killed Pedasos when his spear missed Patroclus.

Achilles' comrade-in-arms Patroclus used to feed and groom these horses. In the Iliad, it is told how, when Patroclus was killed in battle, Xanthus and Balius stood motionless on the field of battle, and wept.

In Iliad XVII, 590, Automedon, Achilles' charioteer, states that only Patroclus was able to fully control these horses.

When Xanthus was rebuked by the grieving Achilles for allowing Patroclus to be slain, Hera granted Xanthus human speech which broke Divine law, saying that a god had killed Patroclus, and that a god would soon kill Achilles too. After this, the Erinyes struck the horse dumb.

Another Xanthus, not to be confused with the horse mentioned above, was one of the horses of Diomedes of Thracia, who fed these animals on human flesh.

The capture of these horses was the eighth of the Twelve Labors of Heracles.

Also famous as the brother and sister combination of Dogs in Newcastle, Australia.

• Balios
• Xanthius
• Xanthos

In the Capcom RPG Breath of Fire III, the heroes battle a pair of antropomorphic horses, whose names are Balio and Sunder (most likely garbled romanizations of Balius and Xanthus).

• Patroclus

• Iliad XVI, 149, 467; XIX, 400.
• [1]- Balios and Xanthos in the ancient works

Topics in Greek mythology
Gods Primordial gods and Titans Zeus and the Olympians Pan and the nymphs Apollo and Dionysus Sea-gods and Earth-gods
Heroes Heracles and his Labors Achilles and the Trojan War Odysseus and the Odyssey Jason and the Argonauts Perseus and Medusa/Gorgon Oedipus and Thebes Theseus and the Minotaur Triptolemus and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Related Satyrs, centaurs and dragons Religion in Ancient Greece

v • d • e Characters in the Iliad
Greeks	Acamas • Achilles • Actor • Adrastus • Agamemnon • Agapenor • Ajax • Ajax the Lesser • Antilochus • Ascalaphus • Automedon • Balius and Xanthus • Bias • Briseis • Diomedes • Euryalus • Eurybates • Hecamede • Mecisteus • Medon • Menelaus • Menestheus • Nestor • Nireus • Odysseus • Patroclus • Philoctetes • Phoenix • Podarces • Promachus • Schedius • Stentor • Sthenelus • Talthybius • Teucer • Thersites • Thoas • Thrasymedes • Tlepolemus
Trojans	Aeneas • Aesepus • Agenor • Alcathous • Amphimachus • Anchises • Andromache • Antenor • Antiphates • Antiphus • Archelochus • Asius • Asteropaios • Astyanax • Axylus • Calchas • Calesius • Cassandra • Chryseis • Chryses • Clytius • Dares Phrygius • Deiphobus • Dolon • Elephenor • Epeius • Epistrophus • Eteoneus • Euneus • Euphemus • Euphorbus • Eurypylus • Glaucus • Halizones • Hector • Hecuba • Helen • Helenus • Idomeneus • Kebriones • Lycaon • Lykomedes • Machaon • Mégês Phyleïdês • Melanippus • Mentes • Meriones • Mydon • Mygdon of Phrygia • Othryoneus • Pandarus • Paris • Pedasus • Phorcys • Podalirius • Polites • Poludamas • Polybus • Polydorus • Priam • Pyraechmes • Rhesus of Thrace • Sarpedon • Theano