Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica Part 27

A battle takes place in which Antilochus is slain by Memnon and Memnon by Achilles. Eos then obtains of Zeus and bestows upon her son immortality; but Achilles routs the Trojans, and, rushing into the city with them, is killed by Paris and Apollo. A great struggle for the body then follows, Aias taking up the body and carrying it to the ships, while Odysseus drives off the Trojans behind. The Achaeans then bury Antilochus and lay out the body of Achilles, while Thetis, arriving with the Muses and her sisters, bewails her son, whom she afterwards catches away from the pyre and transports to the White Island. After this, the Achaeans pile him a cairn and hold games in his honour. Lastly a dispute arises between Odysseus and Aias over the arms of Achilles.

Fragment #2--Scholiast on Homer, Il. xxiv. 804: Some read: 'Thus they performed the burial of Hector. Then came the Amazon, the daughter of great-souled Ares the slayer of men.'

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Pindar, Isth. iii. 53: The author of the "Aethiopis" says that Aias killed himself about dawn.

THE LITTLE ILIAD (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: Next comes the "Little Iliad"

in four books by Lesches of Mitylene: its contents are as follows. The adjudging of the arms of Achilles takes place, and Odysseus, by the contriving of Athena, gains them. Aias then becomes mad and destroys the herd of the Achaeans and kills himself. Next Odysseus lies in wait and catches Helenus, who prophesies as to the taking of Troy, and Diomede accordingly brings Philoctetes from Lemnos. Philoctetes is healed by Machaon, fights in single combat with Alexandrus and kills him: the dead body is outraged by Menelaus, but the Trojans recover and bury it. After this Deiphobus marries Helen, Odysseus brings Neoptolemus from Scyros and gives him his father's arms, and the ghost of Achilles appears to him.

Eurypylus the son of Telephus arrives to aid the Trojans, shows his prowess and is killed by Neoptolemus. The Trojans are now closely besieged, and Epeius, by Athena's instruction, builds the wooden horse.

Odysseus disfigures himself and goes in to Ilium as a spy, and there being recognized by Helen, plots with her for the taking of the city; after killing certain of the Trojans, he returns to the ships. Next he carries the Palladium out of Troy with help of Diomedes. Then after putting their best men in the wooden horse and burning their huts, the main body of the h.e.l.lenes sail to Tenedos. The Trojans, supposing their troubles over, destroy a part of their city wall and take the wooden horse into their city and feast as though they had conquered the h.e.l.lenes.

Fragment #2--Pseudo-Herodotus, Life of Homer: 'I sing of Ilium and Dardania, the land of fine horses, wherein the Danai, followers of Ares, suffered many things.'

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Aristophanes, Knights 1056 and Aristophanes ib: The story runs as follows: Aias and Odysseus were quarrelling as to their achievements, says the poet of the "Little Iliad", and Nestor advised the h.e.l.lenes to send some of their number to go to the foot of the walls and overhear what was said about the valour of the heroes named above. The eavesdroppers heard certain girls disputing, one of them saying that Aias was by far a better man than Odysseus and continuing as follows:

'For Aias took up and carried out of the strife the hero, Peleus' son: this great Odysseus cared not to do.'

To this another replied by Athena's contrivance:

'Why, what is this you say? A thing against reason and untrue! Even a woman could carry a load once a man had put it on her shoulder; but she could not fight. For she would fail with fear if she should fight.'

Fragment #4--Eustathius, 285. 34: The writer of the "Little Iliad" says that Aias was not buried in the usual way [3101], but was simply buried in a coffin, because of the king's anger.

Fragment #5--Eustathius on Homer, Il. 326: The author of the "Little Iliad" says that Achilles after putting out to sea from the country of Telephus came to land there: 'The storm carried Achilles the son of Peleus to Scyros, and he came into an uneasy harbour there in that same night.'

Fragment #6--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. vi. 85: 'About the spear-shaft was a hoop of flashing gold, and a point was fitted to it at either end.'

Fragment #7--Scholiast on Euripides Troades, 822: '...the vine which the son of Cronos gave him as a recompense for his son. It bloomed richly with soft leaves of gold and grape cl.u.s.ters; Hephaestus wrought it and gave it to his father Zeus: and he bestowed it on Laomedon as a price for Ganymedes.'

Fragment #8--Pausanias, iii. 26. 9: The writer of the epic "Little Iliad" says that Machaon was killed by Eurypylus, the son of Telephus.

Fragment #9--Homer, Odyssey iv. 247 and Scholiast: 'He disguised himself, and made himself like another person, a beggar, the like of whom was not by the ships of the Achaeans.'

The Cyclic poet uses 'beggar' as a substantive, and so means to say that when Odysseus had changed his clothes and put on rags, there was no one so good for nothing at the ships as Odysseus.

Fragment #10--[3102] Plutarch, Moralia, p. 153 F: And Homer put forward the following verses as Lesches gives them: 'Muse, tell me of those things which neither happened before nor shall be hereafter.'

And Hesiod answered:

'But when horses with rattling hoofs wreck chariots, striving for victory about the tomb of Zeus.'

And it is said that, because this reply was specially admired, Hesiod won the tripod (at the funeral games of Amphidamas).

Fragment #11--Scholiast on Lycophr., 344: Sinon, as it had been arranged with him, secretly showed a signal-light to the h.e.l.lenes. Thus Lesches writes:--'It was midnight, and the clear moon was rising.'

Fragment #12--Pausanias, x. 25. 5: Meges is represented [3103] wounded in the arm just as Lescheos the son of Aeschylinus of Pyrrha describes in his "Sack of Ilium" where it is said that he was wounded in the battle which the Trojans fought in the night by Admetus, son of Augeias.

Lycomedes too is in the picture with a wound in the wrist, and Lescheos says he was so wounded by Agenor...

Pausanias, x. 26. 4: Lescheos also mentions Astynous, and here he is, fallen on one knee, while Neoptolemus strikes him with his sword...

Pausanias, x. 26. 8: The same writer says that Helicaon was wounded in the night-battle, but was recognised by Odysseus and by him conducted alive out of the fight...

Pausanias, x. 27. 1: Of them [3104], Lescheos says that Eion was killed by Neoptolemus, and Admetus by Philoctetes... He also says that Priam was not killed at the heart of Zeus Herceius, but was dragged away from the altar and destroyed off hand by Neoptolemus at the doors of the house... Lescheos says that Axion was the son of Priam and was slain by Eurypylus, the son of Euaemon. Agenor--according to the same poet--was butchered by Neoptolemus.

Fragment #13--Aristophanes, Lysistrata 155 and Scholiast: 'Menelaus at least, when he caught a glimpse somehow of the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of Helen unclad, cast away his sword, methinks.' Lesches the Pyrrhaean also has the same account in his "Little Iliad".

Pausanias, x. 25. 8: Concerning Aethra Lesches relates that when Ilium was taken she stole out of the city and came to the h.e.l.lenic camp, where she was recognised by the sons of Theseus; and that Demophon asked her of Agamemnon. Agamemnon wished to grant him this favour, but he would not do so until Helen consented. And when he sent a herald, Helen granted his request.

Fragment #14--Scholiast on Lycophr. Alex., 1268: 'Then the bright son of bold Achilles led the wife of Hector to the hollow ships; but her son he s.n.a.t.c.hed from the bosom of his rich-haired nurse and seized him by the foot and cast him from a tower. So when he had fallen b.l.o.o.d.y death and hard fate seized on Astyanax. And Neoptolemus chose out Andromache, Hector's well-girded wife, and the chiefs of all the Achaeans gave her to him to hold requiting him with a welcome prize. And he put Aeneas[3105], the famous son of horse-taming Anchises, on board his sea-faring ships, a prize surpa.s.sing those of all the Danaans.'

THE SACK OF ILIUM (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: Next come two books of the "Sack of Ilium", by Arctinus of Miletus with the following contents.

The Trojans were suspicious of the wooden horse and standing round it debated what they ought to do. Some thought they ought to hurl it down from the rocks, others to burn it up, while others said they ought to dedicate it to Athena. At last this third opinion prevailed. Then they turned to mirth and feasting believing the war was at an end. But at this very time two serpents appeared and destroyed Laoc.o.o.n and one of his two sons, a portent which so alarmed the followers of Aeneas that they withdrew to Ida. Sinon then raised the fire-signal to the Achaeans, having previously got into the city by pretence. The Greeks then sailed in from Tenedos, and those in the wooden horse came out and fell upon their enemies, killing many and storming the city. Neoptolemus kills Priam who had fled to the altar of Zeus Herceius (1); Menelaus finds Helen and takes her to the ships, after killing Deiphobus; and Aias the son of Ileus, while trying to drag Ca.s.sandra away by force, tears away with her the image of Athena. At this the Greeks are so enraged that they determine to stone Aias, who only escapes from the danger threatening him by taking refuge at the altar of Athena. The Greeks, after burning the city, sacrifice Polyxena at the tomb of Achilles: Odysseus murders Astyanax; Neoptolemus takes Andromache as his prize, and the remaining spoils are divided. Demophon and Acamas find Aethra and take her with them. Lastly the Greeks sail away and Athena plans to destroy them on the high seas.

Fragment #2--Dionysus Halicarn, Rom. Antiq. i. 68: According to Arctinus, one Palladium was given to Darda.n.u.s by Zeus, and this was in Ilium until the city was taken. It was hidden in a secret place, and a copy was made resembling the original in all points and set up for all to see, in order to deceive those who might have designs against it.

This copy the Achaeans took as a result of their plots.

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Euripedes, Andromache 10: The Cyclic poet who composed the "Sack" says that Astyanax was also hurled from the city wall.

Fragment #4--Scholiast on Euripedes, Troades 31: For the followers of Acamus and Demophon took no share--it is said--of the spoils, but only Aethra, for whose sake, indeed, they came to Ilium with Menestheus to lead them. Lysimachus, however, says that the author of the "Sack"

writes as follows: 'The lord Agamemnon gave gifts to the Sons of Theseus and to bold Menestheus, shepherd of hosts.'