Funeral Games for Patroclus: Armed Combat (*Iliad* 23)

Funeral Games for Patroclus: Armed Combat (Iliad 23)

Catalogue ID: 04-trojan-cycle/166-funeral-games-armed-combat-iliad-23

Cycle: Trojan — Homeric *Iliad* / Book 23 games

Version line: Homeric — Ajax Telamonian vs. Diomedes in full armor

Sources: Homer, *Iliad* 23.798–825

Source file: /workspace/greek-myth-catalogue/04-trojan-cycle/166-funeral-games-armed-combat-iliad-23.md

Characters

Ajax — combatant; thrusts at Diomedes’ shield
Diomedes — combatant; threatens Ajax’s throat; receives the sword of honor
Patroclus — the dead honored
Sarpedon — former owner of the armor-prize (background)
Trojan assembly — host; stops the fight; awards Diomedes an extra sword

Places

Trojan shore — combat circle

Themes

Narrative

Achilles set out a spear, a shield, and a helmet for an armed combat—fighters to wound one another and take the arms of Sarpedon that Patroclus had stripped (Achilles offers those as the prize set). Great Ajax son of Telamon and Diomedes son of Tydeus rose. They armed, faced each other in the throng’s circle, and charged thrice. Ajax stabbed at Diomedes’ shield; Diomedes’ spear-point continually threatened Ajax’s neck over the shield-rim. Fear for Ajax grew among the Achaeans; they stopped the bout and called equal gifts. Achilles gave Diomedes the great sword he had brought from Thrace (or the long sword as extra honor), and both took prizes. The contest restages in sport the deadly spear-work of the war—checked by the host’s care for his champions. Catalogue it apart from the overview’s single sentence.