Ajax (Ayant, Eant), Greek - the name of two Trojan wars who ended their lives ingloriously. One of them was huge, the other was small and, accordingly, they were called "Ajax Big" and "Ajax Small".
Ajax the Great (Telamonid) was the son of the Salamis king Telamon and the most powerful and brave of the Achaean warriors. Three of his many exploits have remained in the memory of subsequent generations. Ajax was the first of the Achaeans to accept Hector's challenge to a duel and fought with him on equal terms until the night divided the heroes. He courageously defended the Achaean ships from the Trojans when Hector wanted to set them on fire, and held out alone until Achilles sent his army led by Patroclus to help. The third of his glorious deeds was the salvation of the body of Achilles. After a fierce battle, covered by Odysseus, Ajax the Great brought the body of Achilles to the Greek camp. Despite his strength, courage, open and honest character, Ajax did not have much weight in the military council: he was a man of action, and his physical abilities clearly prevailed over his mental ones.
Ajax did not wait for the victorious end of the Trojan War. By a tragic coincidence, the cause of his death was precisely his last feat. Thetis, the mother of Achilles, reasoned that the armor of her son, made by Hephaestus himself, should go to the one who distinguished himself the most in saving the body of Achilles. It seems that Ajax and Odysseus could equally claim the armor of the slain hero. Information about their dispute is contradictory. It is only known for sure that the armor went to Odysseus, and Ajax committed suicide.
Shot from the film "Troy" (2004), in the role of Ajax the Great - actor Tyler Mane.
According to one version, at a military meeting it was decided that the weapon would go to the one whom the captured Trojans would call their worst enemy. The Trojans named Ajax; however, when counting the votes, the commander-in-chief Agamemnon falsified the results, not without reason believing that the decision of the Trojans was dictated by the desire to annoy Odysseus, from whom they saw the most evil. Odysseus was named the winner. Ajax was furious and thought about it for so long that his mind went beyond his mind - nothing surprising, especially considering that he tried to drown his grief in wine until late at night. In the end, Ajax went to Agamemnon to settle accounts with him. However, on the way, he wandered by mistake into a cattle paddock. Imagining that Agamemnon was in front of him with his retinue, he attacked the sleeping shepherds and killed them all along with the cattle. In the morning, having sobered up from wine and anger, he was horrified by his act, left the camp on the seashore and there threw himself on his own sword.
According to another version, the arbiters in this dispute were not captured Trojans, but the Greeks themselves. Both heroes stated their claims before the general meeting of the arms: but Ajax did it so clumsily, and Odysseus with such oratory that the weapon was awarded to Odysseus. Big Ajax, accustomed to winning on the battlefield, did not bear his defeat in an oratorical duel. "No one can defeat Ajax but Ajax himself!" - He exclaimed and pierced his chest with a sword.
Suicide of Ajax the Great.
Ajax Small was the son of the Locrian king Oilei (Oilid). Despite his small stature and violent and impudent disposition, he was an excellent warrior, and in throwing a spear only the Cretan king Idomeneo could compare with him. He wore only "cloth armor", so he usually fought side by side with his mighty namesake, who covered him with his shield. Most of all, he distinguished himself in the defense of the wall, which surrounded the Achaean camp. Successfully repulsing numerous enemies, he retreated only when Sarpedon tore the battlement from the wall, and Hector broke through the gate. Ajax the Small was also one of the warriors who, in a Trojan horse, got to Troy and stormed the fortified palace of Priam. After the fall of Troy, Ajax dishonored Cassandra at the altar of Athena, and the angry goddess did not forgive him for this. When Ajax returned with glory and rich booty, near the island of Euboea, behind which his native Locris was already visible, Athena sent a storm to the sailors, and Ajax's ship crashed on a rock. However, Poseidon took pity on Ajax and ordered the waves to carry him ashore. Once on the shore, Ajax urged his fellow travelers to boldly take an example from him - after all, only own strength and courage helped him to escape. Ajax's bragging infuriated Poseidon, he split the rock on which Ajax stood with his trident, he fell into the sea and died.
Such was the end of both Ajaxes: the grave of one of them was the sea, the second - a high mound on the banks of the Dardanelles (at least, so the post-Homer tradition claims). In 1873, this "grave of Ajax" was explored by Sophie Schliemann, the wife of the discoverer of Troy. She did not find human remains there, but found that the base of the grave was a ring-shaped structure made of stone, reminiscent of the description of the graves in the Iliad: “The Achaean people marked the grave around, laid the foundation with a stone, then poured a high mound of clay.”
In the photo: the match of the championship of the Netherlands with the participation of the Ajax club.
The name of Ajax the Great still lives on as a symbol of strength in classic sayings, in the names of powerful devices (for example, that was the name of the first Czech steam locomotive in 1841) and sports clubs. It has come down to us mainly thanks to Homer's Iliad and Ovid's Metamorphoses. However, the early tragedy of Sophocles "Ajax" (30s of the 5th century BC) has also been preserved. Suetonius reports that the Roman emperor Augustus also wrote the tragedy of the same name, who used to compose in the bath while bathing: and when asked by his friends what Ajax was doing, he replied that Ajax threw himself on his sponge. From this we can judge that Augustus was self-critical, which cannot be said about most rulers.
Ajaxes (Telamonides and Oilides) are depicted on numerous antique vases and several reliefs. The most popular motifs are “Ajax plays dice with Achilles”, “Suicide of Ajax”, “Fight of Ajax with Hector”, “Dispute about weapons”, “Ajax Telamonides with the body of Achilles”, “Fight of Ajax with Aeneas”, “Ajax in the kingdom of the dead ”, “Ajax Small with Cassandra”.
Ajax plays dice with Achilles
Unfortunately, the famous painting by the ancient Greek painter Parrasius “The Dispute of Ajax and Odysseus about the weapons of Achilles” (2nd half of the 5th century BC) has not been preserved, so we will have to be content with only a historical anecdote about it. Parrhasius submitted this picture to the competition, but Timanthus won it. As Parrasius put it, he regretted this "not for his own sake, but for the sake of Ajax, who for the second time was defeated by the unworthy."
Artists of modern times turned to these images relatively rarely: Rubens' Ajax and Cassandra (1617), Canova's statue of Ajax the Great (c. 1800) and a few other works.
Ajax Telamonides and Odysseus fight for the armor of Achilles. Attic vase, ca. 500 B.C.
When the funeral games arranged in honor of Achilles ended, Thetis wished to give the golden armor made by Hephaestus to one of the heroes who had rendered the most services to her son and who was worthy of all in the army. Ajax and Odysseus declared themselves applicants: they carried away the body of Achilles from the battlefield, both, after the death of Achilles, were the first in the army: one in intelligence and dexterity in deed and word, the other in gigantic strength and courage. The Achaeans were afraid to resolve the dispute between such famous heroes and, not wanting to offend either one or the other, they decided, on the advice of the wise Nestor, to elect as judge the captive Trojans who were in the camp; the Trojans decided this dispute in favor of Odysseus. But the Atrids acted dishonestly here: envious of the great Telamonides, they incorrectly counted the votes - this was suspected by their army, who wanted the reward to go to Ajax; Ajax himself suspected. Angry, the hero retired to his tent; here he was seized with such melancholy that at night he ran out of the tent and, in anger at the Atrids and other Achaeans, with a sword in his hand, decided to take revenge on the perpetrators of his shame. But when he entered the tent of Atrids, Athena darkened his mind; in insanity, Ajax rushed to the herds and struck many bulls, imagining that he was striking the Atrids and the rest of the Achaeans.
Athena was angry with Ajax for a long time. When, setting off for Troy, the hero said goodbye to his father, Telamon, who himself once climbed the Trojan walls, exhorted his son to fight courageously and never forget the gods; But young hero, relying on his mighty strength, in a crazy passion he said to his father: with the help of the gods, even the weak can win, but I want to gain glory without their help. Subsequently, when Athena promised Ajax her help in the battle under the walls of Troy, he proudly rejected her and said: “Goddess, be a helper to the Achaeans; where I stand with my squad, the enemy will not make his way.” For such arrogance and stubbornness, Athena wanted to punish such a valiant hero first, so that he would learn to be more modest, and now, with her help, Atrids replaced Ajax's lot and deprived him of the highest award. And then the goddess darkened his mind.
For a long time the frantic Ajax indulged in the extermination of herds; Finally, he took a lot of sheep and bulls, which he took for Odysseus, Atrides and other leaders who conspired against him, and triumphantly drove them to his tent. There he tied them, began to scourge and strangle; rejoice in their suffering. When, little by little, he began to come to his senses and saw piles of dead cattle in his tent, he groaned, hit himself on the head and grabbed his hair, in mute despair sat down among the corpses of the killed animals. Tekmessa, his beloved captive, the daughter of the Phrygian king, who gave birth to Ajax's son Eurysacs, was a witness to the hero's fury; numb with grief, in despair, she stood beside him and did not dare to interrupt his heavy thoughts. Suddenly Ajax jumped up and with terrible threats began to demand from Tekmessa that she reveal to him what had happened. In fear, Tekmessa opened everything. And again Ajax began to groan and sigh, and again he plunged into heavy thought: as if he was thinking about his terrible act.
Meanwhile, around the tent of Ajax, his faithful companions gathered to see what had become of their leader. The news of the terrible massacre that took place at night had already spread throughout the Achaean camp. Killed shepherds and corpses of animals were found in the field, one scout saw Ajax running across the plain with a bloody sword in his hand, and Odysseus, following the tracks leading to the hero’s tent, discovered that there was no one but Ajax to do this bloody deed. All this, the hero's followers thought, was done in spite of the Atrids and the rest of the Achaeans. Talking with Tekmessa, who came out of the tent, they hear the groans of Ajax, they hear how he calls Eurysak and Tevkr, his brother. Then Ajax opens the tent, sees his faithful companions, complains about his grief, about his shame - now it only became clear to him what he had come to. Nowhere does Ajax see salvation from shame and vague hints makes friends understand that one death can restore his heroic honor. With his love, with all the saints for him in the world, the hero Tekmessa conjures not to leave her, not to let her offend strangers, and her words had an effect. But Ajax tries to drown out the voice of his heart. Severely he removes Tekmessa from himself and calls on his son Eurysacs. The servant brings the baby to his father, Ajax takes his son in his arms and entrusts him to the protection of the Salamis heroes and his brother Teucer, who at that time was in the Phrygian mountains. He bequeathed to put the weapon with him in the grave, only the shield, an expensive family treasure, he wants to pass on to his son. Then Ajax tells the sobbing Tekmese to close the tent: he decided to die.
But in order to accept death calmly, the straightforward Ajax, who does not know cunning and deceit, pretends to have changed his gloomy thoughts and wants to stay alive for his loved ones. “I will go,” he says, “to the seashore, I will wash away my guilt there, I will tame the terribly angry gods; and the fatal sword of Hector, presented to me by him after our duel, I will stick in the ground and consecrate Night and Hades; since I accepted it from the hands of my mortal enemy, the Argives did nothing good, nothing friendly for me. His associates believed Ajax, Tekmessa also believed, and she rejoices that the hero changed his thoughts. With the sword of Hector, Ajax goes to the desert seaside and decides to die. He plunges his sword deep into the ground and so appeals to the immortal gods: “Father Zeus, I pray you for one more good deed. Help me, Hermes, the guide of the dead, let me die quickly, so that I do not languish in convulsions when this sword will tear my chest to pieces. : avenge my death to Atrids, the perpetrators of all my misfortune, and to the whole army of the Achaeans. Helios! If your beam falls on my native land, keep your horses running with golden reins and tell about my grief and about the death of Ajax to the old father and ill-fated mother. "Poor woman, how she will suffer when she hears this news. But this is not the time to let out fruitless groans: soon I must accomplish my plan. Death, death, come, look at me. Farewell, O ray of daylight, farewell to you, my dear Salamis, and you, holy city e Athens, and you, the springs, fields and rivers of this Trojan land that has nourished me for so long: my last greetings to you! With these words, the ill-fated Ajax rushed to the sword he stuck in the ground and accepted death.
Soon after Ajax left his tent, a messenger arrived from Teucer with instructions to protect Ajax as carefully as possible and not let him out of the tent all day. Teucer, as soon as he arrived in the Achaean camp, learned about his brother's misfortune, but at the same time he heard a comforting word from the seer Calchas: "Athena will be angry with the hero only for one day: he will survive this day, and then there is nothing to be afraid of; if Ajax will be left alone today - to be a great disaster." When the messenger arrived at Ajax's tent, Tekmessa and the hero's friends, in fear and despair, went to look for him. On the coast overgrown with bushes, they found the bloody body of the hero, and under it a sword stuck in the ground. They sobbed loudly about the death of Ajax. Teucer came. The death of his dear brother, whom he still hoped to save, filled him with deep sadness, he groaned and plunged into bitter thoughts. “My brother has always been a faithful companion to me, as I show myself before my father’s eyes without him: already old age has already made him severe and sad. And here, in front of Troy, enemies surround me.” So, in thought, Tevkr stood in front of the body of Ajax and figured out how to raise the mighty body of the hero in order to betray him to burial. At this time, Menelaus hastily approaches him and forbids burying Ajax: “Instead of obedience and assistance, he showed enmity to his friends, even plotted to kill them, and for this let his body lie on the yellow sand, let it be left to be eaten by birds, and let none of the Achaeans dare to betray him to the earth. If he did not want us to command him on earth, now we want our will to be done over him, lifeless. one state. Do not touch the body if you do not want to descend into Hades yourself." Teucer stubbornly disputes Menelaus, proves that he had no right to command Ajax, the same leader as he, that he would bury his brother without his consent. After a major squabble, in which Menelaus had to give in, he retired, threatening to use force against Teucer.
Teucer began to prepare for the burial of his brother. He brought Tekmessa with a child to his brother's body, forced them to bow before him and, entrusting them to the protection of the immortal gods, instructed Ajax's companions to protect the body from any attack.
He himself retired to find a place for the grave. When Teucer returned, Agamemnon approached him in great anger, already knowing from Menelaus about his stubbornness and threats. But the son of Telamon was not afraid. He reproached Agamemnon for ingratitude to the great hero, to the great merits of the courageous Ajax, and announced that he would repel strength with strength. After a heated argument, disaster would have come if Odysseus had not arrived in time for the noise. Although during the life of Ajax Laertides was his enemy, he was nevertheless so noble that he did not pursue the deceased with his hatred. He began to persuade Atrids not to allow violence, not to despise the rights of the hero, not to deprive the honorary grave of the one who, after Achilles, was the first in the army. "Death makes everyone equal." The speeches of the wise and generous Odysseus reassured the vengeful Atrids: although he did not stop hating Ajax, he nevertheless allowed him to be buried. Odysseus even offered Tevkru his assistance at the funeral, but Telamonides rejected the offer, fearing that the shadow of Ajax would not be offended by this.
So Ajax, who atoned for his guilt by his voluntary death, the hero whom the Achaeans considered the most valiant after Achilles, was honored with a solemn burial. The burial mound of Ajax was poured on the banks of the Hellespont, on Cape Ration, near the grave of Achilles; this mound is visible even to this day.
Based on the book by G. Stoll "Myths of Classical Antiquity"
Ajax appears in the Iliad not only as a warrior, but the usual literary form of perception of the Homeric epic presents him to us as a not too smart giant - the second in military prowess after Achilles. At the same time, Ajax constantly leads the flank of the Achaean army, and the Achaeans are almost always successful on this flank. Achilles, on the other hand, is glorified by the robberies of the small towns of the Troad, and is included in the big battle only at the end of the Iliad. Ajax carries the body of the deceased Achilles out of the battle and - as his friend and leader in valor - claims his armor. Having lost a lawsuit with Odysseus, Achilles - according to a not very intelligible ancient version - falls into a rage and kills himself by throwing himself on a sword. At the same time, he is not buried on a funeral pyre, but in a sarcophagus (wooden coffin), in an earthen grave - perhaps in a tomb that was built during the truce. Usually, in conditions of war in a foreign land, the Achaeans use cremation - it is simply impossible to build tombs in a war.
Ajax leads a significant part of the Achaean army, having advanced to the generals during the war. His own detachment fit in just 12 ships. There is no information in the epic about his Salami detachment or any associates. Apparently, the role of Ajax turned out to be much higher than his status at the beginning Trojan War.
One of the mysteries of Ajax is his neglect of the chariots used by all the other heroes of the battles near Troy. This riddle is solved simply: Ajax gains an advantage over the enemy due to an abnormally large shield that cannot be transported by a chariot. Apparently, Ajax also had a powerful physique, and in a standard chariot he could not turn around. In general, a chariot during a battle in a cramped space is rather a demonstration of status and a tribute to tradition. Both turn out to be unimportant for Ajax, and he simply gets rid of what hinders his victories in battle.
Ajax's shield, rather, was not worn, but moved from place to place. But this circumstance is completely in vain attached to the patronymic of Ajax - Telamonides, which was already interpreted by the ancients as a detail of the shield, its belt belt. The son of the hero, Eurysaces, is quite logically named according to the features that characterize his father - “a wide shield” (but also, quite possibly, an “eastern shield”). And "telamon" is not only a "sling", but also a "support", "holder". Telamones are male caryatids, Atlanteans. From Greek, this architectural term migrated to Latin.
The genus of Ajax comes from the neighboring island of Salamis. Aegina. Aegina is the name of his great-grandmother, whose son Ayak (Eak) was considered the son of Zeus. The cult of Ayak is known along the shores and islands of the Saronic Gulf. The consonance with the name of the great-grandfather for Ajax is not accidental. This is Ayak Jr., similar to his ancestor and called by the same name, but in a diminutive and caressing sound. desire to combine the two generic names and issuing it to one carrier can only confuse everything in the world, and this liberty will not solve a single problem - neither chronographic nor dynastic. On the contrary, the elimination of Telomon from the genealogy also kills the ancestral history of Achilles. Nevertheless, such operations are very popular among "analysts" - the connection of the incompatible and the separation of the inseparable. From this, in the place of history, which is subject to reconstruction, only scattered shards of unreliable knowledge remain.
The same result will come from the “guess” that Ajax’s patronymic is not a patronymic at all, but an epithet that has turned into a patronymic. All justification in this case rests on the inseparable connection of the name and patronymic with the name of Ajax. It is believed that this is the proof of this transformation. Indeed, “Telamonid” is not used separately in relation to Ajax (as, for example, for Achilles - Pelid). But this is because with such a name (only by patronymic) in the context, Ajax can be confused with his half-brother Teukrom, who is also Telamonides.
The fantasy association of Ajax the Great and Ajax the Lesser Oylid, which some "analysts" allow, is not justified in any way. There is only a reference to the use of the name Ajax in the Iliad without specifying which Ajax is being referred to. But this is quite clear from the context. To introduce two heroes of the same name into the epic would be a strange undertaking. Rather, the existence of two characters of the same name confirms the historicity of the events of the Iliad, and not the attempts of some rhapsodists who have lost their minds to divide the once single image in two, giving the stumps opposite properties. Even if some Greek tribes had cults of heroes of the same name, then they certainly would not have allowed them to unite into one cult, where it is not clear whether the cult hero is tall or small, whether he wields a spear or prefers a bow, has a huge shield or is deprived of it , had one parent or another.
In the legends, there are many heroes of the same name (and in the Mycenaean tablets too), and in ancient times confusion sometimes arose - the events of the life of one were attributed to another. But almost all errors can be corrected and consistent genealogies can be compiled. At the same time, it should be noted that the ancients also did not strive at all to mix characters of the same name, if they knew that they came from different localities and had different parents.
Before the duel with Hector, the Achaean heroes cast lots, and among them are both Ajaxes. The Achaeans pray that the lot will fall on Ajax. Which one is not said. And this becomes an occasion for “analysts” to connect the unconnected: they say that initially there was only one Ajax. In fact, the context suggests that the Achaeans could have desired the loss of the lot of Ajax Telamonides. Only he could resist Hector. All other heroes (in the absence of Achilles) were simply doomed to defeat. Therefore, the Achaeans prayed for victory, and not for some two-faced Ajax, with whom they sometimes try to replace the characters of the Iliad.
The confrontation between Hector and Ajax in the Iliad occurs many times. They see each other in battle eight times. Which gives reason to "analysts" to believe that this is a recurring plot based on some kind of folklore legend about the rivalry of two heroes. Why some folklore subtext should be added to the fact of the Iliad is not clear. Many years of war pushed many commanders on one side and the other. Hector was in the habit of outflanking all the troops of the Trojans and allies, and Ajax commanded one of the flanks of the Achaeans. Therefore, they could not meet. And when meeting - do not join the battle. Because the custom of the war of those times required the commander not only to lead the troops, but also to participate in the battle in the forefront. Even if Hector avoided a collision with the strongest warriors of the enemy, he understood that he could not do this all the time. The glory of a warrior was the basis for leadership, and without it the warriors would not obey him.
The ritual duel between Hector and Ajax was interrupted by the onset of twilight and was marked by this moment with a significant advantage of Ajax. It is clear that in this case fighting to the death might not be in the interests of either side, since this would renew the war, and not ensure a truce. And then there would be no time to bury many fallen soldiers. Therefore, the fight is stopped, perhaps with the aim of preventing Ajax from developing an advantage and finishing off Hector.
By the way, the wounding of Hector's knees after the defeat of his shield by a stone thrown by Ajax suggests that Hector also used a huge shield that covered him from the neck to the ankles. Perhaps the wound was due to the impact of the lower edge of the shield on the knees of the warrior, and not at all the penetration of the stone through the shield, which is simply impossible in reality. And another time, the stone of Ajax pierces Hector's shield and wounds him in the chest. And if we assume that a stone can pierce a shield that not every spear can pierce, then this is also incredible. In addition, in this case, the hand holding the shield may be more likely to be affected. Perhaps in this case, too, the stone, which cannot compete with the penetrating power of the spear, only turns the shield around so that its edge strikes the warrior in the chest.
After the ritual fight, the heroes exchange gifts: there is no hatred between them. This contrasts strikingly with the attitude of Achilles towards Hector, who responds to the natural death in battle of his friend Patroclus with such an outburst of vindictive anger that cannot be combined with any customs of war. Therefore, Ajax and Hector are epic heroes in the full sense of the word, and Achilles rather asserts a new image of the hero, corresponding to the period of protracted wars, in which the customs of war of former times are collapsing and mutual atrocities very quickly destroy civilization.
Ajax is one of the most popular characters in Greek vase painting. While the primacy in the art of vase painting was with the Peloponnese, its images are tied to the peninsula. The dominance of Athens led to the mass production of pottery depicting Ajax in Attica. From this one could conclude that Ajax became a political figure for the Athenians in the struggle with Megara for the right to own Salamis, but rather there is only a transition of primacy from the Peloponnese in the archaic to Athens in the classical period. Note that the vase painting of the classical period does not give us any idea of any exceptional physical qualities Ajax, nor his huge shield. The image of the warriors is quite standard - both in terms of armament and body dimensions. Only the images of the allies of the Trojans - Lycians, Thracians, who have characteristic headdresses and armor, are noticeably different.
Confusion arises about the large “sakos” shield, which means either a “tower-type” shield (for Ajax), or a Boeotian shield - initially round, but with fragments selected on the sides, making it similar to the “eight”. And such a Boeotian shield resembles the Mycenaean "eights" in human height. It is clear that all these shields are not of some regional origin (even if the Iliad reports the Boeotian origin of the Achilles shield), but of a common Mycenaean. The later depiction of the Boeotian shield on Hellenistic coins (as a symbol of the Boeotian Union) is, of course, a tribute to tradition, and not at all a memory of Ajax. Ajax had a shield of a different shape - a tower.
In many ways, the perception of Ajax by the ancient Greeks was accidental - in connection with the naval battle at about. Salamis in 480, when the Greeks defeated the Persian fleet. Ajax was remembered as a locally revered hero and the victory was associated with his help. Also the cult of Ajax was known among the Locrians in Italy. But there is nothing unusual in all this: the deification of Homeric heroes in the classical era was widespread. As well as the invention of plots based on Homer. Greek tragedians conjectured Homer - so entertaining that today's "analysts" consider these conjectures to be completely accurate knowledge. Namely, for example, that Ajax committed suicide with the very sword that Hector had given him as a gift. Well, the corpse of Hector, of course, dragged behind the chariot of Achilles, tied with a belt donated by Ajax. "Analysts" firmly believe Sophocles, but flatly refuse to believe Homer, who does not mention anything of the kind. We prefer not to confuse history and literature and believe Homer.
Farewell to Hector and Andromache. Hector quickly brought rich gifts to the goddess and was already hurrying back to the battlefield, but his beloved wife Andromache met him at the very gates and said: “Oh, my Hector! Courage will kill you! I will remain a widow, and without you it is better for me not to live in the world! You are everything to me - father, brother and husband. Have pity on me and our little son, don’t take more soldiers out into the field, stay in the city!”
Hector answered her: “And I myself know that the day will come, Troy, my king-father, all the people will perish. But your fate saddens me even more, beloved Andromache! Some Greek will take you captive, and in a foreign land they will point their fingers at you and say: “Here is the wife of Hector, who was the most glorious of the Trojan heroes!” It will be hard to hear such words. Better to kill me before this happens! No one will descend into the kingdom of gloomy Hades against the dictates of fate, neither the brave nor the coward will escape their fate. It would be a great shame for me to remain in Troy and not participate in the battle! Go, take care of household chores, but we, men, will take care of the military!” Hector put on his helmet and went out of the city gates.
Combat between Hector and Ajax. Hector returned to the Trojans, they perked up, seeing their leader again on the field, and rushed at the Greeks with renewed vigor. So strong was their onslaught that the Achaeans began to slowly retreat to the ships. Athena saw this and rushed to the aid of the Greeks. But on the way she met Apollo, and they agreed to stop the battle for one day, to give the heroes a break. They inspired Hector with the idea to challenge the most glorious of the Greek heroes to single combat. Hector immediately stopped the battle, as did Agamemnon. Tired fighters sat down on the ground, Hector stepped forward and challenged. The Greeks conferred for a long time on who to accept him, many were eager to measure their strength with a glorious hero; they decided to cast lots so that the will of the gods would determine who would join the battle. The lot fell on the mighty Ajax.
Ajax came out to the place of the duel, huge, powerful, formidable, he was like Ares himself! He carried in front of him a shield bound with copper, as big as a tower, and brandished a heavy spear. Even Hector, who had not known fear before, became timid! But he did not refuse the duel, he was the first to throw his spear at the enemy: it stuck into Ajax's shield, but did not break through it. Ajax threw a spear: it pierced Hector's shield through and through, but the Trojan hero jumped aside and thereby escaped certain death. The heroes pulled out their spears and again collided; Hector's spear bent from powerful blows, he then grabbed a huge stone and threw it at Ajax: the copper that covered him rattled, but the Greek only laughed and threw an even larger stone at Hector. Hector fell to the ground, but Apollo immediately helped him up. The heroes grabbed their swords and, probably, would have cut each other to pieces, but then the heralds entered the field and proclaimed: “You are great warriors, and Zeus loves both of you equally! End your fight - night is coming and you need rest!
Truce. The heroes lowered their weapons, and Hector said: “Truly, Ajax, you are a great warrior! We may still meet with you in battle, but today, in memory of our duel, we will honor each other with gifts. Let people say: "They fought, burning with enmity, parted like friends." Having said this, Hector handed Ajax his formidable sword, adorned with silver, and Ajax handed him a precious purple belt.
The Greeks and the Trojans concluded a truce with each other for a day to bury the dead, and dispersed. All the next day they picked up the fallen on the field and performed funeral rites over them, knowing that the next day there would be even more of them.
Ajaxes, in the Iliad there are two Greek heroes, two inseparable friends, who together sought the hand of the beautiful Helen and fought together near Troy. Most likely, they originally formed a single mythological image. In a figurative sense, "two Ajaxes" are inseparable friends. In the Iliad, they are usually depicted side by side: Homer compares them to two mighty lions or bulls.
Ajax Oilid, king of Locris (Central Greece), son of Oileus and Eriope, in the Iliad leads a militia of 40 people. He was famous as a javelin thrower and a runner, second only to Achilles in speed. Ajax Oilid was distinguished by his impudent disposition, disrespect for the gods: he committed violence against Cassandra, who sought protection at the altar of Athena, and he himself was forced to seek refuge at the altar of this goddess when the Achaeans, on the advice of Odysseus, decided to stone him. The angry goddess sent a storm on the Achaean ships returning from Troy, but Ajax clung to the rock, loudly boasting that he was alive against the will of the gods. In response, Poseidon split his rock with a trident and Ajax died at sea. The inhabitants of Lokrid atoned for the sacrilege of their king for a thousand years, sending annually two virgins as servants at the altar of Athena. According to Apollodorus and Polybius, the custom ceased only after the Phocis War (4th century BC). Of the two Ajaxes, Ajax Oilid bears the nickname "small", as he is inferior in height and strength to Ajax Telamonid. Images of Ajax Oilides are known mainly from Locridian coins. The scene of violence against Cassandra is a frequent subject of vase painting and frescoes.
Ajax Telamonides, king of Salamis, son of Telamon and Periboea, grandson of Aeacus, cousin of Achilles. Hercules, a friend of Telamon, appears in the legend of his birth, who begged Zeus to grant the king of Salamis a valiant son. The name Ajax is derived from the messenger of Zeus - the eagle. Under Troy, Ajax brings 12 ships. During the Trojan War, he became famous as a hero second only to Achilles. The Iliad more than once notes his enormous growth (because of which he gets the nickname "big Ajax"), amazing strength: he breaks through Hector's shield with a huge stone, and especially describes his seven-skinned shield, covered with copper and held by strong straps (Telamon in - Greek denotes a belt). Ajax covers the body of Patroclus with his shield, in the battle near the ships he fights with Hector. After the death of Achilles, it is Ajax who protects his body and expects to receive the armor of his deceased friend. But Odysseus achieves armor by cunning, and Ajax decides in revenge to kill the Achaean leaders, but Athena sends madness on him. Ajax mistakes a herd of cattle for his enemies. When the hero's mind clears, he commits suicide by throwing himself on the sword. In the future, even in Hades, Ajax cannot forget the insult inflicted on him by Odysseus, and his shadow is stubbornly silent.
