Nestor was the Greek hero who ruled Pylos and served as a wise counselor during the Trojan War.
In Homer’s Iliad, Nestor is already an elderly warrior, but his age gives him authority among the Achaeans. He commands the Pylians and repeatedly advises leaders such as Agamemnon and Achilles, especially when quarrels threaten the Greek effort. His speeches are associated with eloquence, memory, and long experience.
Nestor’s story begins before Troy: he was the son of Neleus, joined the Argonauts, fought the centaurs, and took part in the Calydonian Boar hunt. He became king of Pylos after Heracles killed Neleus and Nestor’s brothers. Myth even credits Apollo with granting him an unusually long life—three generations.
A common mix-up is confusing Nestor’s authority with military supreme command. Agamemnon was commander-in-chief, while Nestor was the respected elder adviser. In the Odyssey, Nestor also welcomes Telemachus at Pylos and recounts the Greeks’ difficult return from Troy.