by D M Smith
When Menelaus was aware of the rape, he came to Agamemnon at Mycenae, and begged him to muster an army against Troy and to raise levies in Greece. And he, sending a herald to each of the kings, reminded them of the oaths which they had sworn, and warned them to look to the safety each of his own wife, saying that the affront had been offered equally to the whole of Greece. And while many were eager to join in the expedition, some repaired also to Odysseus in Ithaca.
—Apollodorus, Epitome
Odysseus
They came to the island of Ithaca to recruit Odysseus, son of Laertes. It had been foretold to Odysseus that if he went to Troy he would only return home after twenty years, alone and destitute. And so, when he heard that the emissaries were coming, he feigned insanity; he put on a felt cap and joined a horse and an ox to the plough.[45] However Palamedes, when he saw this, suspected that it was a ruse. Snatching Odysseus’ son Telemachus from his cradle, he laid the infant in the path of the plough and said, “Drop this pretence and come join our alliance!” Then Odysseus gave his word that he would come, and from that day on he was hostile towards Palamedes.
—Hyginus, Fabulae, XCV
Cinyras
Menelaus went with Odysseus and Talthybius to Cinyras in Cyprus and tried to persuade him to join the allies. He made a present of breastplates to the absent Agamemnon, and swore he would send fifty ships, but he sent only one, commanded by the son of Mygdalion, and the rest he moulded out of earth and launched them in the sea.[46]
—Apollodorus, Epitome
Achilles
When Achilles was nine years old, Calchas declared that Troy could not be taken without him; so Thetis, foreseeing that it was fated he should perish if he went to the war, disguised him in female garb and entrusted him as a maiden to Lycomedes [King of Skyros]. Bred at his court, Achilles had an intrigue with Deidamia, daughter of Lycomedes, and a son Pyrrhus[47] was born to him, who was afterwards called Neoptolemus. But the secret of Achilles was betrayed, and Odysseus, seeking him at the court of Lycomedes, discovered him by the blast of a trumpet. And in that way Achilles went to Troy.[48]
He was accompanied by Phoenix, son of Amyntor. This Phoenix had been blinded by his father on the strength of a false accusation of seduction preferred against him by his father’s concubine Phthia. But Peleus brought him to Chiron, who restored his sight, and thereupon Peleus made him king of the Dolopians.
Achilles was also accompanied by Patroclus, son of Menoetius[49] and Sthenele, daughter of Acastus; or the mother of Patroclus was Periopis, daughter of Pheres, or, as Philocrates says, she was Polymele, daughter of Peleus. At Opus, in a quarrel over a game of dice, Patroclus killed the boy Clitonymus, son of Amphidamas, and flying with his father he dwelt at the house of Peleus and became a minion of Achilles.
—Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, III
The Greeks Assemble at Argos
Argos, the kingdom of Diomedes, was chosen as a good place to convene and lay plans for the coming war. Thus when the moment was right came Ajax the son of Telamon, famed for his courage as much as his physical strength, and with him Teucer, his brother. Idomeneus and Meriones, who were inseparable, arrived soon after. Following them came Nestor with Antilochus and Thrasymedes, his sons by Anaxibia. Then Peneleus came with Clonius and Arcesilaus, his cousins, then Prothoenor and Leitus, the leaders of the Boeotians. Schdius and Epistrophus arrived from Phocis, Ascalaphus and Ialmenus from Orchomenus, as well as Diores and Meges, the sons of Phyleus. Thoas too, the son of Andraemon, and Eurypylus, the son of Euaemon, from Ormenion, and then Leonteus.
Then came Achilles, the son of Peleus and Thetis; he was in the first years of his manhood, tall and handsome. Such was his zeal for the glory of war that he had already distinguished himself as a mighty champion. Even so, it must be admitted that he possessed a certain heedlessness; a savage impatience. He was accompanied by his dear friend Patroclus, and Phoenix, his guardian and teacher.
Then there were Tlepolemus the son of Heracles, and after him Phidippus and Antiphus, the grandsons of Heracles, clad in beautiful armour. After them came Protesilaus the son of Iphiclus with his brother Podarces. There too was Eumelus of Pherae, whose father Admetus had once delayed his own death by having his wife die in his stead, and Podalirius and Machaon from Tricca, the sons of Asclepius, enlisted in this campaign because of their skill in medicine. Then Philoctetes the son of Poeas, the former companion of Heracles, who had received his bow and arrows after his ascension to godhood, and handsome Nireus.
Menestheus came from Athens, and Ajax the son of Oileus from Locris. From Argos, Amiphilochus and Sthenelus; Amphilochus was the son of Amphiaraus, and the other was the son of Capaneus. With them came Euryalus, the son of Mecisteus. From Aetolia came Thersander, the son of Polynices, and last of all Demophoon and Acamas. These were all the descendants of Pelops. And there were many others hailing from various regions, some the companions of kings and others being rulers themselves, whose names it does not seem necessary to list.
When all had assembled at Argos, Diomedes supplied them with lodgings and provisions. Agamemnon distributed a great amount of gold brought from Mycenae to each individual, and thus increased their yearning for war. Then by common consent the leaders swore an oath, binding them in fellowship. Calchas, Thestor’s son, who was gifted in the art of divination, ordered a hog to be brought which he divided into two parts. He aligned them east and west, and when this was done he ordered them all to draw their swords and pass between them. And then, smearing their blades with its blood, and completing the other necessary rites, they pledged themselves to war against Priam and the destruction of the entire kingdom of Troy. This done, they sacrificed many victims to Ares and Harmonia[50] in a bid to win their favour.
Then in the temple of Argive Hera they made ready to elect a leader. And so every man received a tablet, upon which he inscribed—in Phoenician letters—his choice for the commander-in-chief. In this way Agamemnon was appointed. Thus with the consent of the majority he assumed command of the undertaking, which seemed proper, as it was for the sake of his brother that they now went to war, and also because he held great wealth and power that far surpassed the other kings of Greece. Then, the command of the ships was given to Achilles, Ajax, and Phoenix. Meanwhile Palamedes, Diomedes, and Odysseus were tasked with overseeing the armies at camp; logistics and the setting of watches. Having done these things, every man returned to his own kingdom to outfit his armies for the campaign.
During this time all of Greece was inflamed with zeal for the war: armour, weapons, horses, galleys; all these things were stockpiled over the course of the next two years. And in these preparations all the young men strove to outdo one another in the performing of his military duties. But the building of ships was held to be of chief importance, lest the innumerable hosts coming from far and wide be delayed from sailing. And they were filled with great amounts of grain and other necessities; this was done upon the command of Agamemnon, so that their endeavour would not be hampered by a scarcity of provisions.
As well as ships there were many horses and chariots of war, but the greater part of the army was made up of infantry; a want of fodder in Greece made the use of cavalry prohibitive. In addition there were many people recruited who were skilled in the use of nautical equipment.
At the same time Lycian Sarpedon could not be induced to join the expedition against the Trojans; neither by the friendly persuasion of Phalidis, King of the Sidonians,[51] or with outright bribery. Indeed, already Priam had offered greater gifts, which he later doubled as a reward for Sarpedon’s loyalty.
The fleet, which came together from all the different kingdoms of Greece, took all of five years to be assembled and furnished for war. And when they were ready to embark, with nothing to delay them but the absence of soldiers, the chiefs gave the signal to converge on Aulis.
—Dictys Cretensis, Ephemeris belli Trojani, I
V.
All the leaders then meet together at Aulis and sacrifice. The
incident of the serpent and the sparrows takes place before them, and Calchas foretells what is going to befall. After this, they put out to sea, and reach Teuthrania and sack it, taking it for Ilium. Telephus comes out to the rescue and kills Thersander the son of Polynices, and is himself wounded by Achilles. As they put out from Mysia a storm comes on them and scatters them, and Achilles first puts in at Skyros and married Deidamia, the daughter of Lycomedes, and then heals Telephus, who had been led by an oracle to go to Argos, so that he might be their guide on the voyage to Ilium.
—Proclus, Chrestomathy
Catalogue of the Greeks
The armament mustered in Aulis. The men who went to the Trojan war were as follows. Of the Boeotians, ten leaders: they brought forty ships. Of the Orchomenians, four: they brought thirty ships. Of the Phocians, four leaders: they brought forty ships. Of the Locrians, Ajax, son of Oeleus: he brought forty ships. Of the Euboeans, Elephenor, son of Chalcodon and Alcyone: he brought forty ships. Of the Athenians, Menestheus: he brought fifty ships. Of the Salaminians, Telamonian Ajax: he brought twelve ships.
Of the Argives, Diomedes, son of Tydeus, and his company: they brought eighty ships. Of the Mycenaeans, Agamemnon, son of Atreus and Aerope: a hundred ships. Of the Lacedaemonians, Menelaus, son of Atreus and Aerope: sixty ships. Of the Pylians, Nestor, son of Neleus and Chloris: forty ships. Of the Arcadians, Agapenor: seven ships. Of the Eleans, Amphimachus and his company: forty ships. Of the Dulichians, Meges, son of Phyleus: forty ships. Of the Cephallenians, Odysseus, son of Laertes and Anticlia: twelve ships. Of the Aetolians, Thoas, son of Andraemon and Gorge: he brought forty ships. Of the Cretans, Idomeneus, son of Deucalion: forty ships. Of the Rhodians, Tlepolemus, son of Heracles and Astyoche: nine ships. Of the Symaeans, Nireus, son of Charopus: three ships. Of the Coans, Phidippus and Antiphus, the sons of Thessalus: thirty ships.
Of the Myrmidons, Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis: fifty ships. From Phylace, Protesilaus, son of Iphiclus: forty ships. Of the Pheraeans, Eumelus, son of Admetus: eleven ships. Of the Olizonians, Philoctetes, son of Poeas: seven ships. Of the Aeanianians, Guneus, son of Ocytus: twenty-two ships. Of the Triccaeans, Podalirius: thirty ships. Of the Ormenians, Eurypylus: forty ships. Of the Gyrtonians, Polypoetes, son of Pirithous: thirty ships. Of the Magnesians, Prothous, son of Tenthredon: forty ships.
The total of ships was one thousand and thirteen; of leaders, forty-three; of leaderships, thirty.[52]
So Agamemnon in person was in command of the whole army, and Achilles was admiral, being fifteen years old.[53]
—Apollodorus, Epitome
The Serpent and the Sparrows
Vengeance would not long have been delayed, but the fierce winds raged over seas impassable, and held the ships at fishy Aulis. They could not be moved from the Boeotian land. Here, when a sacrifice had been prepared to Zeus, according to the custom of their land, and when the ancient altar glowed with fire, the Greeks observed an azure coloured snake crawling up in a plane tree near the place where they had just begun their sacrifice. Among the highest branches was a nest, with twice four birds—and those the serpent seized together with the mother-bird as she was fluttering round her loss. And every bird the serpent buried in his greedy maw.
All stood amazed: but Calchas, who perceived the truth, exclaimed, “Rejoice Pelasgian men, for we shall conquer. Troy will fall; although the toil of war must long continue—so the nine birds equal nine long years of war.” And while he prophesied, the serpent, coiled about the tree, was transformed to a stone, curled crooked as a snake.
—Ovid, Metamorphoses, XII
Telephus
After this the winds drove the entire Greek navy to the region of Mysia, and with the signal promptly given they steered their ships to shore. But as they attempted to land they were met by armed guards, for Telephus, the ruler of Mysia, had charged these men with protecting the region from a seaborne incursion. Accordingly, they now prohibited the Greeks from coming ashore, or even setting foot on land until their arrival had been reported to the king. But some of the men ignored their warnings and began to disembark, and as they did so the guards obstructed them with the utmost force. Seeing this, the Greek commanders would not let such violence go unanswered, and taking up arms they leapt from their ships and cut down the guards in wrath; nor did they spare those who fled in terror, slaying any within their reach.[54]
The first of those to evade the Greeks now came to warn Telephus that many thousands of hostile soldiers had landed, and having slain his watchmen now occupied the beaches; each man’s fear causing him to invent some new detail. Telephus, upon hearing these reports, gathered the men he had about him and all of those who could be mustered in haste, and swiftly came to meet the Greeks. Thus the two opposing armies formed battle lines, and rushed together with great force. The men fought hand-to-hand, cutting each other to pieces, with the deaths of those around them urging them to greater violence.
There on the front line Thersander, the son of Polynices, encountered Telephus and was slain by him, but not before he had felled many enemies—among them a companion of Telephus, whom he had chosen as one of his generals for his strength and intellect. By degrees these victories had caused Thersander to become overconfident, and on account of this he was killed. His bloody body was carried from the field hoisted upon the shoulders of Diomedes, because of the fellowship that had begun with their fathers. It was then cremated, and the ashes buried in the traditional manner.[55]
But Achilles and Telamonian Ajax took notice of the great losses they were suffering in this encounter, and divided the army into two parts. They now took the time to exhort and encourage the men, which seemed to imbue them with a fresh energy, and thus they returned to the fray with greater strength. These two generals led the onslaught, rushing into a veritable wall of enemies. In this way, being the first or among the first into every battle, they had won fame and glory amongst friend and foe alike.
Meanwhile Teuthranius, begotten of Teuthras and Auge, and thus half-brother of Telephus on his mother’s side, saw Ajax winning great glory fighting against his people, and in hastening to challenge him became yet another victim of his spear. Seeing this Telephus was greatly shaken, and wishing to avenge his brother’s death he attacked the enemy battle line. Having put to flight those who had stood against him, he was pursuing Odysseus through a vineyard which was located near the battlefield when he tripped on the root of a vine, and fell. It was then that Achilles, observing from afar, hurled his spear and struck the king in his left thigh. But Telephus quickly got up and extracted the weapon from his body, and protected by a band of his men who had rushed to his aid he avoided a swift death.
And now the better part of the day was spent, with both armies having fought without rest, their leaders engaged in a vigorous struggle. In fact many of the Greeks, already weary from sailing, were considerably disheartened by the presence of Telephus. He was the son of Heracles indeed; tall in stature, and endowed as he was with a strength comparable to that of his divine father. Thus with the advent of night all were glad for a respite from the battle. The Mysians returned to their homes, and the Greeks to their ships. Many men on both sides had been slain, but a greater part had suffered injury; very few had left the battlefield unscathed.
On the following days envoys were sent from both sides, so that funeral rites could be performed for those who had fallen in battle. A truce was duly arranged, and the bodies of the dead were collected, then cremated and buried.
In the meantime Tlepolemus and the brothers Antiphus and Phidippus, who were the sons of Thessalus and grandsons of Heracles, having learned that Telephus was the ruler of these parts, placed confidence in their kinship, and so they came to him and told him who they were and with whom they had sailed. After a heated discussion they accused him of aiding his enemies and betraying his own kin, for Menelaus and Agamemnon, who had assembled this great army, were the descendants of Pelops.[56] Then they told him of the crime Paris had committed in the h
ome of Menelaus, and the rape of Helen. It was fitting, they said, on account of his kinship with the Greeks, and in particular Paris’ violation of the laws of hospitality, that he should wish to aid them; even as Heracles had in his many labours, the monuments to which existed throughout the whole of Greece.
Telephus, despite the terrible agony of his wound, courteously answered that it was they who were at fault; he did not know that those who had landed upon the shores of his kingdom were his allies and kinsmen, and had he been made aware of this he would have come forth to greet them as friends. They might have enjoyed his hospitality, he said, and he would have furnished them with gifts when it was time for them to depart. But the offer to join the war against Priam he must refuse, for Astyoche, a daughter of Priam, was his wife and the mother of his son Eurypylus.[57] Then he swiftly announced to his men that they should stand down and permit the Greeks to come ashore. Tlepolemus and those who had come with him were placed under the protection of Eurypylus, and escorted back to the ships to give Agamemnon and the rest of the kings news of the peace and concord with Telephus.
Upon hearing this, the Greeks at once stopped their preparations for war. The council then sent Achilles and Ajax to meet with Telephus, and seeing that he was wracked by great pain they consoled him, and encouraged him to take heart. But Telephus, when his pain had lessened somewhat, accused the Greeks of having come without sending a messenger ahead. Then he wished to know how many among them were the descendants of Pelops, and requested that they come to meet him. So they promised to inform the others of the king’s desire.
Now all of the descendants of Pelops besides Agamemnon and Menelaus gathered together and came to Telephus as one, and there was much gaiety and rejoicing when they were presented to the king. He received them as guests, and endowed them with many generous gifts.[58] Not forgetting the rest of the soldiers who waited among the ships, the munificent king also had a quantity of grain and other necessary supplies delivered to the fleet. However, observing that Agamemnon and his brother were absent, the king implored Odysseus to go forth and summon them. These therefore, having received his message, came to Telephus and exchanged gifts, as per the royal custom, then sent for Podalirius and Machaon, the sons of Asclepius, to come and heal his injury; thus they promptly came to inspect the wound and provide suitable medicine.