Philoctetes, also known as Phil, is Hercules' trainer. He is also a satyr. Phil has many hero rules, all of which he has tried to teach to Hercules. His mother always speaks about his twin brother Sal whenever Phil visits her, Also a trainer of aspiring heroes who has often been disappointed by his trainees' shortcomings. This however, seems to be a confusion with the myth of Chiron, as Phil states that he trained Achilles and Jason of the Argonauts, both disciples of Chiron. He also says that he trained Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus and a lot of "yeuseus.". After some initial reluctance, along with Zeus threatening and electricuting him with a lightning bolt, Phil agrees to train the callow young Hercules, and is ultimately gratified when the people of Thebes later refer to the mighty and triumphant Hercules' Ghost as "Phil's boy."
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Phil the goat man trainer as seen on Disney Magical World on Nintendo 3DS, which is aimed at preschoolers ages 2-5.
The Myth Behind the Character
While the name, Philoctetes, comes from the soldier who kills Paris during the Trojan War, Phil's appearance was probably partially inspired by the later interpretations of satyrs in Greek myths; they still held on to their animalistic qualities, but the sexual and aggressive drives were more on-par with the rest of society.* He is also possibly inspired by Mentor, a character who lives up to his name in Greek mythology, as well as The Odyssey. Mentor was among the most prominent confidents of heroes and their families; there are also many other trainers and advisors that could serve as inspiration.
- It is also quite possible that Danny DeVito, both a producer and the voice of Phil in the film, allowed Disney to parody him (the similarities in both appearance and mannerisms are not fact, but worth noting). Phil may have had many different influences. Like a satyr, he seems to be a mix of different things.