Ajax is the son ofTelamon. Telamon was the son ofAeacus and grandson ofZeus, and his first wife Periboea. By Telamon, he is also the elderhalf-brother ofTeucer. Through his unclePeleus (Telamon's brother), he is the cousin ofAchilles.
Theetymology of his given name is, ultimately, uncertain. The name derives from Archaic Greek Αἴϝᾱς (Aíwās), and is comparable to Etruscan 𐌀𐌉𐌅𐌀𐌔 (aivas), with which it appears to have common roots. Further origin is uncertain, though it has been postulated that Αἴϝᾱς derived from Proto-Hellenic *aiweí, itself from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- (“vital energy, life”). Byfolk etymology, his name was said to come from the root ofaiazōαἰάζω which means "to lament", translating to "one who laments; mourner".Hesiod provided a different folk etymology in a story in his "The Great Eoiae", where Ajax the Great receives his name when Heracles prays to Zeus that a son might be born to Telemon and Eriboea: Zeus sends an eagle (aetos αετός) as a sign, and Heracles then bids the parents call their son Ajax after the eagle.[4]
Many illustriousAthenians, includingCimon,Miltiades,Alcibiades and the historianThucydides, traced their descent from Ajax. On an Etruscan tomb dedicated to Racvi Satlnei inBologna (5th century BC), there is an inscription that saysaivastelmunsl, which means "[family] of Telamonian Ajax".[5]
In the account ofDares the Phrygian, Ajax was illustrated as ". . .powerful. His voice was clear, his hair black and curly. He was perfectly single-minded and unrelenting in the onslaught of battle."[6] Meanwhile, In Homer'sIliad he is described as of great stature, colossal frame, and strongest of all theAchaeans. Known as the "bulwark of theAchaeans",[7] he was trained by thecentaurChiron (who had trained Ajax's father Telamon and Achilles' fatherPeleus and later died of an accidental wound inflicted by a poison arrow belonging toHeracles). He was described as fearless, strong, and powerful but also with a very high level of combat intelligence. Ajax commands his army wielding a huge shield made of seven cowhides with a layer of bronze. Most notably, Ajax is not wounded in any of the battles described in theIliad, and he is the only principal character on either side who does not receive substantial assistance from any of the gods (except for Agamemnon) who take part in the battles, although, in book 13,Poseidon strikes Ajax with his staff, renewing his strength. UnlikeDiomedes,Agamemnon, andAchilles, Ajax appears as a mainly defensive warrior, instrumental in the defense of the Greek camp and ships and that ofPatroclus' body. When the Trojans are on the offensive, he is often seen covering the retreat of the Achaeans. Significantly, while one of the deadliest heroes in the whole poem, Ajax has noaristeia depicting him on the offensive.
TheBelvedere Torso, a marble sculpture carved in the first century BC depicting Ajax.
In theIliad, Ajax is notable for his abundant strength and courage, seen particularly in two fights withHector. In Book 7, Ajax is chosen by lot to meet Hector in a duel which lasts most of a whole day. Ajax at first gets the better of the encounter, wounding Hector with his spear and knocking him down with a large stone,[8] but Hector battles on until theheralds, acting at the direction of Zeus, call a draw, with the two combatants exchanging gifts, Ajax giving Hector his "war-belt, glistening purple" and Hector giving Ajax his "silver-studded sword"[9]
The second fight between Ajax and Hector occurs when the latter breaks into the Mycenaean camp, and battles with the Greeks among their ships. In Book 14, Ajax throws a giant rock at Hector which almost kills him.[10] In Book 15, Hector is restored to his strength byApollo and returns to attack the ships. Ajax, wielding an enormous spear as a weapon and leaping from ship to ship, holds off theTrojan armies virtually single-handedly. In Book 16, Hector and Ajax duel once again. Hector then disarms Ajax (although Ajax is not hurt) and Ajax is forced to retreat, seeing that Zeus is clearly favoring Hector. Hector and the Trojans succeed in burning one Greek ship, the culmination of an assault that almost finishes the war. Ajax is responsible for the death of many Trojan lords, includingPhorcys.
Ajax often fought in tandem with his brother Teucer, known for his skill with the bow. Ajax would wield his magnificent shield, as Teucer stood behind picking off enemy Trojans.
Achilles was absent during these encounters because of his feud with Agamemnon. In Book 9, Agamemnon and the other Mycenaean chiefs send Ajax,Odysseus andPhoenix to the tent of Achilles in an attempt to reconcile with the great warrior and induce him to return to the fight. Although Ajax speaks earnestly and is well received, he does not succeed in convincing Achilles.
When Patroclus is killed, Hector tries to steal his body. Ajax, assisted byMenelaus, succeeds in fighting off the Trojans and taking the body back with his chariot; however, the Trojans have already stripped Patroclus of Achilles' armor. Ajax's prayer to Zeus to remove the fog that has descended on the battle to allow them to fight or die in the light of day has become proverbial. According toHyginus, in total, Ajax killed 28 people at Troy.[11]
A copy of the 4th century BC fresco from theFrançois Tomb, showing the sacrifice of Trojan slaves. Ajax the Great is the second from the right
The Argument between Ajax and Odysseus over Achilles' armour, by Agostino MasucciSorrowful Ajax (Asmus Jacob Carstens, c. 1791)
As theIliad comes to a close, Ajax and the majority of other Greek warriors are alive and well. When Achilles dies, killed byParis (with help from Apollo), Ajax and Odysseus are the heroes who fight against the Trojans to get the body and bury it with his companion, Patroclus.[12] Ajax, with his great shield and spear, manages to recover the body and carry it to the ships, while Odysseus fights off the Trojans.[13] After the burial, each claims Achilles' magical armor, which had been forged onMount Olympus by the smith-godHephaestus, for himself as recognition for his heroic efforts. A competition is held to determine who deserves the armor. Ajax argues that because of his strength and the fighting he has done for the Greeks, including saving the ships from Hector, and driving him off with a massive rock, he deserves this magical protection.[14] However, Odysseus proves to be more eloquent, and with the aid of Athena, the council gives him the armor. Ajax, distraught by this result and "conquered by his own grief", plunges his sword into his own chest, killing himself.[15] In theLittle Iliad, Ajax goes mad with rage at Odysseus' victory and slaughters the cattle of the Greeks. After returning to his senses, he kills himself out of shame.[16] TheBelvedere Torso, a marble torso now in the Vatican Museums, is considered to depict Ajax "in the act of contemplating hissuicide".[17]
InSophocles' playAjax, a famous retelling of Ajax's demise, after the armor is awarded to Odysseus, Ajax feels so insulted that he wants to kill Agamemnon and Menelaus. Athena intervenes and clouds his mind and vision, and he goes to a flock of sheep and slaughters them, imagining they are the Achaean leaders, including Odysseus and Agamemnon. When he comes to his senses, covered in blood, he realizes that what he has done has diminished his honor, and decides that he prefers to kill himself rather than live in shame. He does so with the same sword which Hector gave him when they exchanged presents.[18] From his blood sprang a red flower, as at the death ofHyacinthus, which bore on its leaves the initial letters of his nameAi, also expressive of lament.[19] His ashes were deposited in a golden urn on theRhoetean promontory at the entrance of theHellespont.[20]
Ajax's half-brother Teucer stood trial before his father for not bringing Ajax's body or famous weapons back. Teucer was acquitted for responsibility but found guilty of negligence. He was disowned by his father and was not allowed to return to his home, the island ofSalamis off the coast of Athens.
Homer is somewhat vague about the precise manner of Ajax's death but does ascribe it to his loss in the dispute over Achilles' armor; when Odysseus visitsHades, he begs the soul of Ajax to speak to him, but Ajax, still resentful over the old quarrel, refuses and descends silently back intoErebus.
Like Achilles, he is represented (although not by Homer) as living after his death on theisland of Leuke at the mouth of theDanube.[21] Ajax, who in the post-Homeric legend is described as the grandson of Aeacus and the great-grandson of Zeus, was thetutelary hero of the island of Salamis, where he had a temple and an image, and where a festival calledAianteia was celebrated in his honour.[22] At this festival a couch was set up, on which thepanoply of the hero was placed, a practice which recalls the RomanLectisternium. The identification of Ajax with the family of Aeacus was chiefly a matter which concerned the Athenians, after Salamis had come into their possession, on which occasionSolon is said to have inserted a line in theIliad (2.557–558),[23] for the purpose of supporting the Athenian claim to the island. Ajax then became anAttic hero; he was worshipped at Athens, where he had a statue in the market-place, and the tribeAiantis was named after him.[20] Pausanias also relates that a gigantic skeleton, its kneecap 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter, appeared on the beach nearSigeion, on the Trojan coast; these bones were identified as those of Ajax.
In 2001, Yannis Lolos began excavating aMycenaean palace near the village of Kanakia on the island ofSalamis which he theorized to be the home of the mythological Aiacid dynasty. The multi-story structure covers 750 m2 (8,100 sq ft) and had perhaps 30 rooms. The palace appears to have been abandoned at the height of the Mycenaean civilization, roughly the same time the Trojan War may have occurred.[24][25]
According to tradition, Ajax came to the aid of the Greeks at theBattle of Salamis. In his honour a festival, the Aianteia (Αἰάντεια), was established. Each year, young Athenian ephebes travelled to Salamis to compete alongside the youth of Salamis in friendly contests of foot-racing and boat-racing.[26]
^Tzetzes, John (2015).Allegories of the Iliad. Translated by Goldwyn, Adam; Kokkini, Dimitra. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. pp. 41, Prologue 526.ISBN978-0-674-96785-4.
^Most, Glenn Warren (2007).Hesiod, The Shield. Catalogue of Women. Other fragments (2018 revised ed.). Loeb Classical Library. p. 295, fragment 188.ISBN978-0-674-99721-9.
^Papachristos, Maria.Miti e Leggende. Volume 5 of Miti e Leggende dell'antica Grecia. Edizioni R.E.I. (2015).ISBN9782372971621
Tzetzes, John,Allegories of the Iliad translated by Goldwyn, Adam J. and Kokkini, Dimitra. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, Harvard University Press, 2015.ISBN978-0-674-96785-4
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