Book 1:

The old priest of Apollo, Chryses, comes with treasure to ransom his daughter. The Greeks were in favor of it, but Agamemnon refuses, since he loves the girl better than his own wife. Chryses prays to Apollo, who starts killing people with the disease. Achilles asks the seer Kalchas what he knew, and after gaining Achilles’ promise of protection, he says that the plague is because Agamemnon disrespected Apollos’ priest. Agamemnon says that he will return the woman and make a sacrifice of a hecatomb, but that he will take Achilles’ prize, the woman Briseis. Achilles says that Agamemnon is being greedy and taking back gifts, and has his sword half out, when Athene comes, grabs his hair, and whispers in his ear not to do it. So he says he will not resist Agamemnon, but he refuses to help in the war. Then he goes to the sea, calls his mother, Thetis, and asks him to ask Zeus to give him honor by making the Greeks lose while he does not fight. Agamemnon returns Chryses’ daughter, makes the sacrifices, and the priest asks Apollo to stop the plague. Meanwhile, the gods are away, but when they return in 12 days, Thetis does what he asked, and while Zeus is distressed at how to do it while keeping all his promises, he agrees. At dinner, in front of everyone, Hera tells Zeus she thinks he just agreed to help the Trojans (whom she does not favor). Zeus says that if she keeps trying to pry into his decisions, she is going to drive his heart further from her, then tells her to sit down. Hephaestos tries to soothe everything over, and soon the gods are laughing.

• Homer notes that Briseis did not go willingly.
• Hera and Zeus seem to be emotionally distant, and Zeus identifies it as Hera’s prying nagging.
• Zeus enforces order by the threat of physical violence, which, since he is the strongest, he will win.

Book 2:

Zeus sends Dream to give Agamemnon a message from Zeus that Zeus is giving him the city and that he should not fail to attack. Agamemnon tests the troops by calling them together and saying that Zeus is untrustworthy, that enough is enough, it’s time to go home. So everyone starts loading the ships, except Odysseus is not happy, and Athene tells him to encourage others, which he does. They meet again, and Odysseus says that it is dishonorable to leave without satisfying their objective after spending nine years at it, and besides, the omen at the beginning said they would take Troy after nine years, so the time is now. Old Nestor says that they will never know if Zeus is trustworthy unless they test it. One old complainer takes Agamemnon to task, but Odysseus shuts him up and beats him with Agamemnon’s scepter than he has been running around with encouraging people. In the end, they make a sacrifice and excitedly prepare to attack. Recitation of all the leaders and numbers of ships of each of the Greek kings, with a little of their history. Many are descended from Zeus in some way. Iris notifies the Trojan council of the impending attack, and they have everyone get ready for battle and go out on top of one of the hills in front of the city. Brief recitation of Trojan and alliance leaders.

• Odysseus has only 12 ships, while the mean seems to be 40.
• Agamemnon’s leadership seems to be poor. First he dishonor’s Apollo’s priest against everyone’s recommendation, then, trying to provide a show of force, he takes the prize of the person who identified the problem instead of owning his loss/mistake, and now he does some sort of reverse-psychology loyalty test, which only accomplished what he wanted because of Athene and Odysseus.
• Taking the Trojan women to bed is explicitly seen as part of the victory; that is rape of the conquered is celebrated.

Book 3:

As the two lines are ordered and draw up for the fight, Alexandros (Paris) leaps out in front and challenges Menelaos, who eagerly comes after him. Then Alexandros is afraid and melts into the Trojan lines, whereupon his brother Hector says scornfully that he is a womanizer and coward, despite that he is beautiful. Alexandros says that one cannot reject the gifts of the gods (Aphrodite, in his case), but that if he wants him to fight in single combat, to force the lines back and he would do it. Hector happily did so, although the Greeks continued shooting at him until Agamemnon realized he was trying to tell them something and stopped them. Hector offered single combat between Alexandros and Menelaos, the winner taking Helen and the rest making oaths of friendship. Everyone agreed, grateful for a chance to end the fighting. Lambs were killed, the oaths (to leave peacefully; to return Helen). Meanwhile, Iris tells Helen that Alexandros is fighting in single combat, and she goes to the wall to watch. The old king, Priam, asks her to tell him who some of the prominent men he sees on the Greek lines are, which she does, a little wistfully. The two men put on their armor, Alexandros draws the lot to cast the javelin first, and it hits the shield but does not go through. Menelaos’ throw goes through the shield and the tunic, but Alexandros jumps aside. Menelaos rages at him with his sword, which breaks in pieces, so with a reproach to Zeus, he grabs Alexandros’ helmet and drags him around, and would have killed him, except that Aphrodite broke the strong helmet strap and spirited Alexandros back to his bedchamber; neither Trojan nor Greek could find him (and the Trojans him him for bringing this conflict on them [and/or his character], so they wanted to find him). Aphrodite disguises herself and goes to Helen to tell her to come back to her bedchamber. Helen recognizes the goddess and says that she despises him; Aphrodite gets angry and Helen goes, hidden in Aphrodite’s shining garment. When she gets there, she gets angry with him for his lack of valor (“you claimed you were better than he was, but you’ve fled”), but he says that Menelaos won with Athene’s help, and invites her to bed and they sleep together. (It is unclear how willing she is, possibly even overcome by Aphrodite). Meanwhile, Menelaos rages looking for Alexandros, and Agamemnon proclaims that Meneloas has won and says the Trojans need to return Helen.

• Helen does not seem to have a high opinion of herself, and is wistful about her former life.
• Helen is probably middle-aged; she left a grown child in Greece.
• She does not respect her current husband, although it is unclear if this is just because he fled from battle, or if this is a longer thing.
• Paris seems to always have excuses.

Book 4:

Zeus decides to needle Hera, saying that Aphrodite stood by her man’s side, while they are up here not down with the Greeks. Hera is angry with him for making all her hard work against the Trojans useless. He offers a compromise: they can visit anger on Troy, but need to let him ravage her cities when he is of a mind. She offers him three of her favorite cities, and tells him to send Athene down, which he does, telling her to try to make the Trojans be the one to break the oaths. Athene comes to an archer and suggests that he will win glory for shooting and killing Menelaos, and he sits down and bends his great bone-bow in a circle and fires an arrow at Menelaos. But Athene deflects the arrow so that it hits his belt and only does a glancing blow to the skin. As the blood soaks down, Agamemnon laments the fate of his brother, but his brother pulls out the arrow and says he is not seriously hurt. Agamemnon sends a herald to have Machaon, a healer (and a warrior), come, and he dresses the wound. Now Agamemnon rides his chariot up and down the lines, getting them in order. The Idomeneans, the Aiantes, and Nestor he compliments. Odysseus and the Athenians were both waiting for the conflict to begin, and Agamamnon harangues them for waiting not being eager; Odysseus says that if he sticks around he’ll see Odysseus fighting eagerly enough, and Agamemnon walks back his comment. Then he gives a stinging rebuke to Diomedes and another, who returns back, but Diomedes tells the other to be quiet, that he would not begrudge Agamemnon getting his troops in order. The battle is joined, and some high-ranking Trojans are speared. One of the Greeks is killed as he ran forward killing his man. Many a man from both side lay with his face in the dust that day.

Book 5:

Athene makes Diomedes’ shield and helm burn with divine fire, then talked Ares into both of them not interfering. Several of the kings are shown killing their enemies, but Diomedes goes on a rampage, killing Trojans left and right. The Trojan, Pandaros, shot him with his bow, expecting it to fell him, but Athene healed his wounds. Pandaros gets frustrated that two good shots have been turned aside by gods, and laments that he did not take his father’s advice to take chariots, and threatening to break his bow when he gets home. In addition to healing Diomedes, Athene removes the mists from his eyes that prevent him from identifying gods, telling him not to fight any except Aphrodite. Aeneas sees the damage Diomedes is doing and goes with a friend to stop him. Diomedes wounds Aeneas, who is Aphrodite’s beloved son, and she shields him. He attacks her, poking her hand, and told her to leave the fight to warrior gods and she goes home to her mother to complain; her mother says that even gods must sometimes endure mortals, and healed her. Diomedes continues attacking Aeneas despite Apollo shielding him; Apollo warns him off, then spirits away Aeneas, heals him, and then returns him to battle. Sarpedon lambastes Hector, who responds by shoring up the lines of his troops. Ares starts fighting, and so Diomedes slowly gives way before him. Hera asks Zeus for permission to remove Ares from battle, which he gives, and she and Athena go down to the battle. Athene finds Diomedes in his chariot and tells him that he can attack Ares now, pushes out the other guy who was there and steps into his chariot (the axles of which creak at her weight; just as the old heroes are mightier than men, gods are heavier than men). Athene guides the chariot, and Diomedes hurls his spear at Ares, which Athene directs towards his stomach. Ares leaves the battle and goes to his father Zeus to complain. Zeus says that if he were not his son, he would be off Olympus by now because he is always quarreling, but because he is, he heals him.

Book 6:

The Greeks kills some people, and Menelaos captures Adrestos after his chariot breaks down and throws him, but Agamemnon persuades him not to give any quarter to the Trojans after what they did. Then Nestor encourages the Greeks to stop thinking of plunder and attack now, there will be time for plunder later. The Trojans are hard set upon and afraid. Helenos, the best augur of Priam’s sons, tells Hector to go back to the city and have the women give the best and largest cloth as sacrifice to Athene for her help, so he goes back. As the lines advance towards each other, Glaukos (Trojan) strides between them, and Diomedes asked who he was. After a lengthy family history, Diomedes calls him guest-friend, since their fathers were guest-friends. They exchange armor and agree to fight in different areas, but Diomedes gave bronze armor while Glaukos had gold armor, which was by far the better deal for Diomedes. Arriving to find his mother, who thinks he might be tired from battle (he is not). He tells her to put the best cloth on Athene’s knees and pray for help, which they do, but she does not listen. Then Hector finds Paris and upbraids him, since he is a good fighter on his own, just hangs out here with his wife while everyone else fights for him. His wife was apparently urging something similar, and he was in the process of putting on his armor. Then Hector finds his own wife and son. His wife implores him not to go out, because she is afraid that he will die, and since the Greeks plundered her city, killing her family, she has no one left but him, and she is afraid for him. He says that Troy is doomed, but that he must go and help the others and win glory, even though, in the end, she will be someone else’s slave.

• Homer says that the bronze armor is worth 9 oxen while the gold armor is worth 100.
• Priam apparently has 50 sons and 12 daughters, as there are sleeping rooms for them and their spouses described in his palace.

Book 7:

As Hector returns from the city, Athene comes down from Olympos, and Apollo comes from Pergamum, and they agree to stop the slaughter and with the suggestion of single combat. Helenos heard their deliberations, and suggested single combat the Hector, who was glad. So Hector made all the Trojans sit down in a circle, and Agamemnon did the same. Hector offered himself in single combat, with the rule that the victor gets the armor, but gives the body back. The Greeks were afraid, eventually Menelaos stands up, but Agamemnon and the other leaders refuse to accept him, as he is not Hectors equal and will get killed, so he sits down. Then Nestor shames them (oh if only I were young again, when I defeated Ereuthalion...), and several stand up, including Aias and Diomedes. Aias’ gets chosen by lot, everyone’s favorite, with a shield of seven layers of ox-hide. Aias’ spear goes through Hector’s shield, but he jumps aside; Hector’s spear goes through six of the seven layers. They pull out the spears and attack, and Aias attack causes Hector to fall. They would have been at it with swords, but the heralds step in and suggest that they call the fight because of nightfall. Aias lets Hector choose, and he opts to call it. The Greeks see Aias as victor, although they were equal. Both sides decide they want a pause in the fighting to burn the dead. A Trojan elder says that they should give back Helen, and everyone agrees, but Paris flatly refuses, but he offers to give back all the things he stole from Menelaos’ house when they left, and others besides. So at daybreak a Trojan herald offers this to the Trojans and asks also it they would be willing for a pause. The Greeks refuse the offer of treasure, but accept the pause. So both sides gather firewood and make a funeral pyre. Then during the night, the Greeks pile dirt on top of the pyre, make a fortification from it, dig a trench, and make a wall. Apparently it was so impressive that Poseidon goes to Zeus to complain that it might overshadow the wall that the gods themselves made [the wall around Troy?]; Zeus says “seriously?! After everything is done, just knock down the wall with the sea if you want.”

Book 8:

As dawn came, Zeus said to the gods “look, I’m so much stronger than you that if all of you were hanging on a chord you could not pull me down but I would have no trouble pulling you up. Therefore, nobody is to intervene between Troy and the Greeks.” So he sat down on Mt. Ida and helped the Trojans, making Hector indomitable. Greek archer Teukros killed nine men trying to shoot Hector, and eventually Hector threw a rock at him and hit him square in the collarbone, injuring him. Hera and Athene eventually saddled up the golden chariot to go help the Greeks, but Zeus send Iris to tell them that he would shoot down their chariot and horses and that they would not recover from the injuries for 10 years, nor come back on Mt. Olympos, so Hera turned back, but both were very angry with Zeus. Hector arrogantly beat the Greeks back to their wall, but night came and put a stop to it. The Trojans lit fires all over the plains and rejoiced.

• Zeus seems to rule based solely on the fact that he can defeat all the others (together, even).
• Zeus is upset with Athene for defying him, but less upset at Hera, because she is always defying him, it’s sort of expected.

Book 9:

Agamemnon, depressed, says that they cannot win and they should just leave. Diomedes said that Zeus gave Agamemnon gifts, but not of heart, and that he insisted on staying and fighting, and everyone cheered with him. Nestor suggested that Agamemnon give a banquet (refocusing on Agamemnon as leader), which was done. When they had eaten and drunk their fill, Nestor, “in kind intention toward all” (as he always is described) suggested that they give Agamemnon his prize-girl back. Agamemnon said he had gone mad that day he took her, and he said he would give Achilles seven tripods, ten talents of gold, seven beauties from Lemnos, and Briseis back, an oath that he had not slept with Briseis, plus if they sacked Troy he would get his pick of twenty women (apart from Helen), as much gold and bronze as he could fit in his ship, and Achilles’ pick of his three daughters as his wife, without bride-price. Nestor picked Odysseus, Aias, and Phoinix (a childless friend of Achilles’ father, who acted as a teacher and uncle to Achilles) to go to Achilles with this proposal. Achilles welcomes them, and has his companion Patroklos cook a feast for them. After they had eaten and drunk, Odysseus repeats Agamemnon’s offer. Achilles rejects it, saying he has plenty of wealth, but, remembering the prophecy that he could stay at Troy and have a short life with imperishable glory or return and have a long life without glory, chooses the latter. He had risked his life sacking twelve cities, they gave all the plunder to Agamemnon, who returned pieces of it, and where’s the gratitude? No, tomorrow he was thinking about going home, and invited Phoinix to join him, but he would not force him. Phoinix recalls his care and concern for Achilles, that he taught him everything Achilles now knew, for he was fated to have no son of his own (because he took his mother’s suggestion to sleep with his father’s mistress, and his angry father prayed to the gods, eventually he escaped from his family’s house). He said that even the gods would change their mind when offered gifts. Achilles says that he wants a long, happy life, he’s going back. Aias tries to persuade him, and Achilles says that he agrees with him, but he is angry that Agamemnon disrespected him. So they go back and report that Achilles refuses, and there is a long silence. Then Diomedes said that offering Achilles all these gifts just increased his pride, and said that he would fight again when he had a mind to, and to ignore him until then, and in the morning, Agamemnon, order up the battle lines. They agreed and went to sleep.

• When Achilles asked his mother Thetis to ask Zeus to bring him glory, he seemed to be wanting glory rather than life. Now he seems to be swinging to life rather than glory.
• The notes observe that Agamemnon’s offer uses the word for “unbounded compensation” (as for a ransom) rather than “punitive damages”, which might be why Achilles rejects it. It is a gift, which doesn’t acknowledge the wrong, and implies that the giver is higher than the receiver.

Book 10:

Agamemnon could not sleep, and dressed himself in war gear and a lion’s pelt and went to summon the leaders. He met Menelaos already coming to see him, and told him to find some people and make sure the sentries were watching out. He first wakes Nestor, who thinks it is a good idea and suggests a few people and complains that Menelaos should not be sleeping and letting Agamemnon do all the work. Agamemnon agrees that Menelaos generally seems passive, but it is because he is deferring to Agamemnon, but in this case, Menelaos was up before him. Nestor dresses and puts on a vermillion mantle. The other kings dress in lion, leopard, or wolf pelts. The council crosses the ditch, makes introductory remarks, and then Nestor, asks if there is anyone that would win great glory by spying out the Trojans to see if they are planning to attack or go back to the city, and that person would get a black ewe with a lamb from every king (this is said to be a great gift), not to mention great glory. After some silence, Diomedes volunteers, but asks for a companion to ensure success; he picks Odysseus. They leave and ask Athena for success. Hector, in the Trojan camp, does the same thing (but volunteers the best chariot and horses from the Greeks). A man likewise volunteers after silence, and chooses Achilles’ chariot. This man encounters Diomedes and Odysseus, who capture him and he, terrified, pleads to be ransomed. Odysseus gets information about the Trojan camp, how well-guarded (the Trojans have a watch but the allies do not), who is positioned where, etc. Then Diomedes kills him to ensure he is not rescued or some other way of talking. Odysseus dedicates the man’s gear to Athena. Then they go to the Thracians. Diomedes killes 12 of them in their sleep, while Odysseus quietly gets the chariot and horses, while not upsetting them due to their unfamiliarity with him. Diomedes contemplates killing more Thracians, but Athena advises him to leave now, in case some other god helps the Trojans. Then they return to much celebration, while the Thracians wake up with Apollo’s help to find the chariot gone and twelve men quietly gurgling and dying.

• Odysseus and Diomedes gain great glory by stealing the chariot from within the enemy camp, and they certainly un-demoralized the Greeks, but it is not clear that they actually obtained any information about what the Trojans were planning to do.
• Diomedes promises Athena an animal sacrifice, but Odysseus simply asks for her help and only after getting it (getting information from the Trojan spy is presumably assumed to be from her help; the text only says that she gave Diomedes great power in running the spy down) dedicates what the spy had to her.
• The council appears to meet outside the defenses.
• Narratively, this is a great episode: dangerous spying in the enemy camp, and therefore potential for great glory, and the heroes succeed! They demonstrated bravery, acumen, heartened the Greeks and disheartened the Trojans, but they failed in the stated purpose of the mission.

Book 11:

Zeus sent Hate to the Achaians, who stirred up their hearts so that they wanted battle more than returning to their homes. The lines of men met, like reapers in a fields of a rich man. Agamemnon killed many Trojans and they fled, running back partway to the city. But Zeus sent Iris to tell Hector to not engage Agamemnon while he is raging, but that after he is hit, that Zeus would grant Hector glory to push the Achaians back to their ships. Agamemnon was wounded by Koös’ spear (although Athene kept it from reaching vital organs), which Koös was trying to drag back his brother whom Agamemnon had killed. Agamemnon killed him and continued his raging, but eventually grew tired from the wound, and calling to army to press the attack, he withdraw from the fighting. Then Hector encouraged his men, and they attacked. Odysseus asked Diomedes to help him, but Alexandros (Paris) shot an arrow and punctured his foot. Diomedes mocked him that the wound from the chaser of women was trifling, but a trifling hit of his would kill a man; yet Diomedes had to withdraw, wounded. This left Odysseus alone, and surrounded. Odysseus considered withdrawing, but stayed, for that is valiant. He defended himself well, but had to be rescued. Likewise was Aias encumbered with many spears in his shield, and had to be rescued. Machaon, a king, but also the descendant of Asklepios and a healer, was wounded. Achilles saw Machaon as he rode in on his chariot, and sent his friend Patroclos to see if it really was him. Patroclos finds Nestor, who carried Machaon back. Nestor complains that Achilles is doing nothing, and “if I were only young again” and proceeds to tell the exploits of his first battle, where he killed the chief of the raiding army with the rest that the rest fled and he killed fifty charioteers from behind. Then he tells Patroclus that both sides are tired, and that Achilles could help even by sending his men (who are rested and fresh), and by giving his armor to Patroclus to wear, to strike fear in the heart of the enemy. As Patroclos goes to give this message to Achilles, he sees Eurypilos, also wounded, who relates that all their best men are wounded, and there is nothing to keep the enemy from the Achaians black ships.

• Priam’s regularly get killed, and this chapter observes that some of the them are illegitimate, implying that King Priam had numerous liasons.

Book 12:

The Achaians built their wall in haste, without the proper sacrifices, and so after Troy was sacked, in the tenth year, Apollo and Poseidon, with cooperation from Zeus destroyed the wall. But now the Trojans, led by bold Hector, swarmed around it. Pouldydamas advised Hector not the drive the chariots up to the wall, since there were stakes set there, and also the horses might get trapped against the other side of the wall if the Achaians sallied forth. Hector saw the wisdom of this, but Asios was unwilling, and tried to drive around the edge of the wall, but two of the Achaians defended it, like a lion surrounded by hunters who keeps on fighting, because the will of Zeus was to bring glory to Hector. An eagle carrying a blood-red snake by the middle flew overhead, but the snake writhed and bit the eagle, which dropped it into the Trojan line. Poulydamas advised Hector that this was a portent and that they should withdraw, but Hector took it as cowardice and threatened to kill Poulydamas if he told his council to the men of the line. The two Aiases (the Aiantes) went all along the wall encouraging and rebuking, depending on who needed what. There was continuous thunder as the defenders rained down stones on the attackers, and vice-versa. Zeus sent his son, Sarpedon against the Greeks, and it was so loud that the defenders at that point had to send a messenger to get Telemonian Aias (and his brother, if possible, or the archer Teukos otherwise). Aias and Teukos come and help, which seems to have allowed Hector to break through, as he wielded a large stone that men today would not be able to lift, and broke the hinges of the gate. The Achaians scattered to their ships.

• The wall seems to made of stone, and very robust (since it took the gods flooding it to destroy it), despite being one night’s work.
• Asios called Zeus a liar, but that did not sway him, who wanted to give glory to Hector. Calling me a liar would not dispose me to help.
• There are metaphors using lions and hunting, one of which (regarding the defenders standing up to Asios) is rather lengthy. These sort of metaphors from other areas of life are frequent.
• The book starts by introducing the scene (the wall) by showing its future destruction. Giving the history (usually past, but sometimes future) of something or someone is also frequent.

Book 13:

Having driven the Trojans to the Achaians’ ships, Zeus, sitting on Mt. Ida, turned his eye elsewhere, thinking no other god would interfere. Poseidon, however, had been admiring the fighting from Samos, and when he saw the Achaians driven upon their ships, for which he was bitter against Zeus, he disguised himself and went to stir up the Achaians in the guise of one or another of their leaders. First he stirred up the two Aiantes, who went to fight against Hector in the center. On the left flank, the Achaians were having more success. Meriones, having failed to kill his man with a spear thrust which broke the shaft, came back behind the lines to get another one. He saw Idomeneus, who Poseidon stirred up, and who said that Meriones should pick any of the spears in his tent (which he won from men he killed), as it was closer. The Idomeneus suggested that they go to shore up the left flank, since the two Aiantes were enough to stop anyone from getting through. Men gathered around them, and men were killed on both sides, but chiefly the leaders of the Trojans, who were graphically killed with a spear thrust through the bronze armor into the belly (guts coming out for one), and through the bottom of the chin upwards, and through the ears. Some were disabled with a hit to the arms and went back to the city. Hector knew nothing of this, and might have been routed, had not Poulydamas told Hector that, even though he does not like his council of late, that while the fighting burns like fire around Hector, at other places the Trojans were weary, wounded, and hanging back, and suggests that they collect the greatest and have a council and see whether they can reach the ships or not. Hector thought this a good idea, and went off to the left flank. There he did not find any of the heroes he expected, except one or two, and Alexandros (Paris), who he shames for losing so many people. Alexandros says that some other time would be the time to withdraw from battle, and that in any case they have fought ceaselessly since Hector started the battle, and that the men he asked about are killed. “Tell us where to go and we will follow, but we cannot fight beyond our strength.” Then a bird winged by Hector’s right hand, which the Achaians took as an omen and were emboldened, while Hector scoffed and said that anyone who tasted the edge of his spear would die of it.

• This chapter had a lot of gloating over deaths.
• People get mad when someone kills their brother, or guest-friend, or brother-in-law, including Poseidon (whose grandson was killed).
• The narrator attributes some events to Zeus, even though the narrator says he stopped watching the battle.
• Poseidon always acts in the shape of another person, so Zeus would not see him. However, one of the Aiantes recognize him as some god by the back of his legs.
• Lots of comparisons to lions and boars fighting valiantly.

Book 14:

Nestor hears the cry of the fighting and tells Machaon, who was wounded and with whom he was tending, to stay there and take the bath that will be prepared. He goes out and sees the situation. Then he debates within himself whether he should join the fight or gather the leaders. He decides the latter. The leaders, wounded, gather, and Agamemnon says “we should put the first row of ships out to sea, and then at night put the rest out; there is no shame in fleeing if you are beaten.” Nestor says that they need to figure out how to do it, since they are wounded and should not fight. Odysseus says that he despises Agamemnon for saying that they should flee, and not only that, but the men will not be able to fight when they see the ships being put out. Agamemnon says that Odysseus has struck him in the heart, and asks someone to recommend a course of action. Diomedes, who has been growing more confident since his killing spree, says that he is the youngest, but cites his lineage to show that he is of fighting stock. He says that they should go into battle, even wounded, but keeping out of missile range, to encourage the men. And they listened and obeyed him. Poseidon came as an old man, and took Agamemnon’s hand, and urged him on, saying that Achilles has no heart, but the gods are not entirely displeased with Agamemnon, and the time will come when the Trojans will stir the dust on the plain as they flee.

When Hera saw Poseidon stirring up the Greeks, she was encouraged, and decided to seduce Zeus. A long description of her preparing herself follows (like that of a warrior putting on armor). Then she asks Aphrodite for something to make her irresistable, lying and saying it was to bring her foster parents back together in love. Aphrodite gives her a “zone” (an English word, apparently) embroidered with desire. After receiving this, she finds Sleep and asks him to put Zeus to sleep; in return she will have Hephaistos create a golden throne (and footstool) for him. He says “no way, last time you asked me to do that, to harm Herakles, Zeus was furious and the only reason I escaped was that I fled to Night, who even Zeus was afraid to upset.” She offers to get him one of the Graces, Pasithea, whom he has been longing for, and he agrees, but makes her swear on the gods in Tartarus and on the river Styx. Then Hera comes to Zeus, claiming to be on her way to bring her foster parents back together, but Zeus is stricken by desire for her. He tells her that he has never desired someone so much as her now, not even—and he lists all his dalliances. Hera says that if that is his desire, they should go back to her rooms on Olympos, otherwise everyone will see and she will be shamed. But Zeus covers them in a golden cloud, and afterwards Sleep sleepens him. The Sleep goes to Poseidon and tells him that Zeus is asleep briefly. So Poseidon, posing as a Greek, gives a short speech and leads the way with his glittering sword. The Argives follow him, Hector giving strength to the Trojans and Poseidon giving strength to the Argives. Telemonian Aias picks up a boulder used to keep the ships in place and throws it at Hector, who wobbles like an oak struck with Zeus’ lightening and falls. The Argives try to get his body, but the Trojans defend it with shields, and put him in a chariot back for the city. At the river Skamander he briefly wakes up, vomits blood, and then collapses again. One of the Trojans kills a Greek and gloats over it, which causes Telemonian Aias to throw his spear at him, which he dodges, and it hits another great warrior behind him, and Aias gloats. The man’s brother then kills another Greek and gloats over that, and the cycle continues. After a while, seeing all the dead, the Trojans flee, and the Muses sing of the men that were killed fleeing.

• Zeus’ marriage appears to be terrible. He is a serial and unrepentant philanderer, Hera criticizes him at every turn, and now she uses sex as a weapon to subvert him. Hera has no problem lying, either, nor bribing other gods, like Sleep. (Although she essentially burns her future leverage with Sleep for a chance to rescue the Argives, by giving him his love.)

Book 15:

Zeus wakes up, sees Poseidon helping the Greeks, and gets angry at Hera. She says that Poseidon helping was his own idea; nothing to do with her. (Rather, it was the opposite: she helped him, unknown to him.) Zeus says that if this is so, she will fly to Olympos and tell the others not to interfere, and to send Iris the messenger and Apollo. Then he describes what will happen (at least some of which he will do): Hector will push the Argives back to the ships, then Patroclos will fight with Hector and die, and then Achilles will kill Hector, and always the Greeks will advance on the city until they take it with Athene’s help. Hera does what Zeus asked, and tells Ares that his son was killed. In anger and grief Ares suits up to kill someone in revenge, but Athene takes his armor and holds him back, saying that Zeus will rage at you and all of us, and anyway, by now some skilled Greek will have already died, and so she gets him to see better sense. Iris and Apollo go to Zeus. Zeus give Iris a message to take to Poseidon: stop helping the Greeks and go back to Olympos or the sea, and if you keep seeing yourself as my equal, we’re going to fight it out, and you will lose. Poseidon has a similar reaction as Achilles at Agamemnon’s similar assertion of status. He tells Iris that Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon are all brothers, so equal in status, and they drew lots for their portion of the cosmos; Zeus is the one putting on airs. Iris asks if Poseidon really wants that to be his message back; even the great can bend a little. Poseidon says that is well-spoken, and agrees to withdraw. Iris returns, and Zeus said that was a good choice by Poseidon, since otherwise there would have been a battle and they both would have worked up a sweat until he was victorious. Then Zeus tells Apollo to help Hector reach the ships.

Apollo openly shows himself to Hector, and apparently heals him, since he returns to the battle. Then the Greeks are afraid and flee to the ships and Nestor prays to Zeus that if he ever offered valid sacrifices in the past, to hear him now and help them. Zeus thunders in reply, which Hector takes as assurance of their victory. Telemonian Aias sees that some god must be against them, since nothing works, and even Teukos’ bowstring breaks (on the bow Apollo gave him) as he tries to shoot Hector. Zeus is waiting for just one ship to be fired before helping the Argives, but hard though Hector tries, he cannot manage it. The Greeks fight doggedly, and their leaders continually urge them on, since they will not see their home if they are slaughtered by their ships; salvation is in our own hands. Telemonian Aias, with long spears, keeps killing anyone who comes near with a torch.

• That one phrase of Athene’s suggest that Zeus is an angry father, who lashes out at the family in addition to the one who crossed him. Athene seems to be a sibling scared for her brother as well as for the rest of them.

Book 16:

Patroclos came to Achilles crying, and Achilles asked why he was crying like a little girl clinging to her mother when a city was conquered; he Achilles’ father died or something? Patroclos responded, who can do anything with you and your anger? But our companions are being killed at their ships. At least let me take your and fight, and maybe the Trojans will think it is you. Achilles said that he never intended to be angry forever, only until war came to his ships. He told Patroclos to take his armor, and fight, but to not try to overshadow his (Achilles') glory by running the Trojans back to their city, but to come back to him, safe. And also, tell the Myrmidons to assemble and join the battle. When they were assembled Achilles acknowledges that they had been grumbling at him from keeping them from the battle, but now they are to fight.

By this point, Telemonian Aias had grown tired, and then Hector sliced through his spear and cut off the bronze head, which Aias recognized as a god’s work. So Hector fired the ship. Then Achilles’ army (without him) came, and the Trojans fell back, assuming that Achilles had put away his anger, and once the fire had been extinguished the Argives gained confidence. Men killed each other on both sides. Then Zeus laments to Hera the imminent demise of his son Sarpedon, and wonders if he should snatch him from fate. Hera acknowledges he could do this, but then there would be many gods who would feel ill-treated that they could not save their sons, and Zeus lets him die, as Patroclos kills him. The Trojans fell back beyond the wall, but the ditch caught many of the horses and trapped men, and Patroclos intentionally blocked escape. Then the Trojan fled, and Patroclos, who had already killed quite a few, killed more of the fleeing, and pursued them to the city wall. Three times he tried to climb the short part and was repulsed; the fourth time Apollo told him that this was not his destiny, and he retreated quite a distance, but continued killing many. Oh Patroclos, if only you had listened to Achilles your king and not let anger cloud your thinking, but Zeus makes men dim-witted! Eventually Apollo hit him in the head, stunning him and knocking off his armor. Then one of the Trojans hit him in the back with a javelin, but pulled it out and fled, afraid to face him. Patroclos was still alive, and Hector came and finished him off. He gloated over him, but Patroclos said that Hector was only his third killer, and warned that his death was near. Hector scoffed at the prophecy: it is equally likely that I shall kill Achilles!

Book 17:

Menelaos, seeing Patroclos die, goes and stands over his body. He kills any Trojan attempting to get the body. Then Apollo tells Hector to stop chasing the immortal horses of Achilles left untended by Patroclos’ death and to get Patroclos’ body, and he comes with a number of companions. Menelaos, outnumbered has to retreat. But he looks about the battle for Telemonian Aias, and finding him, entreats him to fight for Patroclos’ body. Hector has stripped Patroclos’ armor (really Achilles') by this point, but leaves when he sees Menelaos and Aias coming. Hector promised half of the loot to the person who brought back the body, and many tried, but were killed. Both sides fought to obtain the body, and encouraged each other of the glory to be gained or retained, but it remained a stalemate. Apollo prevents a Trojan panic Aeneas by telling Hector that he is ashamed of him for running. At some point Hector went back towards to city to get Patroclos’ armor (which he had sent to the city after he won it), and put it on. Athene also came as one of the old men to Menelaos, since Zeus had begun aiding the Greeks, and she said to Menelaos it would be a shame if they lost the body. Menelaos said he wanted to do so, if only Athene would give him strength to do it. Athene was pleased that she was the first god on his lips, and strengthened his aching hands and shoulders. Aias eventually recognized that Zeus had shifted to aiding the Trojans, since it was obvious to a child that the Greek’s throws missed while even the lousy Trojan throws hit. He told Meneloas to send a messenger back to Achilles to tell him that his dearest companion was dead, which was done. Then, with Menelaos and Meriones carrying the body and Aias defending their backs, they took it into the Greek lines. This resulted in an attack from the Trojans (or perhaps rather they fled back from Hector and his companions who were pursuing Aias and the body-carriors), and the Greeks were overwhelmed and fled to their ships.

• Zeus, observing, is sad for Hector, who he knows is about to die, because he put on Patroclos’ (Achilles') armor, “which he ought not to have done”.

Book 18:

Nestor’s son makes it back to Achilles and tells him that Patroclos is dead. He puts dirt on his head, tears his cloths, and weeps, and all his captured women weep also. Thetis, weeping over the imminent death of her son, comes to him (accompanied by her sisters) and asks why he is weeping: Zeus has accomplished for him everything that he asked. Achilles agrees, but said it is no pleasure to him, since his dearest friend died as a result. And he is sad for his mother, that he will soon die, because there was a prophecy that he would die soon after Hector, whom he is now determined to kill in revenge. His mother is sad, but tells him to wait until dawn, and she will bring him back some armor. Meanwhile, the heroes are trying to get Patroclos’ body back to the ships; the two Aiases prevent Hector from getting it, but cannot prevent him from relentlessly pursuing. Iris comes with a message from Hera, telling Achilles to armor up and drive away the Trojans. He asks who sent the message: Hera, and not with the knowledge of the gods. He says that he cannot fight until dawn at his mother’s command, but accepts the suggestion to appear at the battle. Athene makes a glowing cloud and a flame above him, and his gives his scream three times, and three times the Trojans fall back in fear, which allowed the heroes to get the body back. Night fell.

Poulydamas, in kind intention toward all, stood up and advised that they retreat to the city, because otherwise they might find themselves fleeing for it in the morning, if Achilles joins the battle, since the Greeks were manageable without him, but now he will be looking to sack the city. Athene took away their wits, and Hector says “no way am I retreating back to the city since Zeus gave us victory all the way to our ships, and if anyone is scared for his possessions [i.e. Poulydamas], give them to the demos; it’s more useful for one of us to use them than the Argives.” The men cheer his statement, instead of the wise council (as stated by the narrator) of Poulydamas.

Thetis goes to Hephaistos’ house, where he is working on ten tripods that are self-moving. Twelve golden creations, in form like young women, come to serve her (in addition to his new wife, who greets Thetis warmly). Thetis was one of two goddesses that caught Hephaistos when he was thrown from Olympos the second time, and he made many wonderful things in the cave by (in?) the ocean. But, he and his wife note, she has not visited often. Thetis laments that Zeus forced her into a marriage with mortal and now her husband is old and infirm, and her son is fated to die soon. She asks that he make Achilles a shield and helm and greaves for Achilles, which he ready agrees to, and promptly makes a shield filled with five different scenes, wrought of gold and silver.

• The notes say that Achilles realizes he prefers the life of his friend living to glory (in his speech to his mother), but the text does not explicitly say that.
• There is a comment that Hector was prevented from gaining eternal glory by capturing the body; why would capturing the body bring glory? Because not only was he able to kill Patroclous (already glory), but because he was stronger than the people protecting his body?
• The narrator thinks that Poulydamas’ advice of strategic retreat is good advice. I am no ancient warrior, in a situation where one particularly skilled man could have a large influence on the battle, but Hector’s advice seems better, so I am curious if others of the era would have considered it good advice.

Book 19:

Dawn rose over Ocean (the world-river that encircles the world), and Thetis came back with the armor, where she found the Myrmidons grieving. Only Achilles could look at the armor; the others were too afraid. Achilles looked at the intricate details for a while, and then expressed concern that Patroclos’ body would rot. Thetis said that he should not worry; she will look after it and drive the flies away. Then, when they had left, she poured ambrosia down the nostrils and bathed it in ambrosia (thus making the body “immortal”, that is, embalmed). Achilles summons the Argives to council with his (apparently unique) cry. He addresses Agamemnon, wishing that a god had killed the girl (Briseis), and saying that staying by the ships in his anger killed many good men. He proclaims his anger put away. Then Agamemnon acknowledges his deed, but deflects responsibility to the god Delusion, who, he notes in a long explanation, deceived even Zeus, when Hera got him to alter a vow so that the child born this day would be ruler of all, and then stayed the imminent birth of Heracles and rushed the birth of a grandson of Zeus, whose father was a king. He offers the gifts again, which Achilles accepts but says he does not care, the main thing is to get to the battle immediately. Odysseus offers appreciation for the reconciliation and the desire for battle, but says that it is important to eat before a battle, because a day of battle makes one’s knees weak suddenly. Achilles is frustrated, and says that he, at least, will not eat, even if all the rest are not able to. Odysseus reiterates the importance of eating. Agamemnon tells him to appoint men to bring the gifts into the assembly (so all can see that what was promised [only yesterday!] is delivered), which is done. Then he sacrifices a boar and swears that he has not slept with Briseis and may Zeus and Helios bring retribution on him if he swore falsely. Then everyone prepares, and at the end Achilles puts on his armor [in an armor-donning set piece]. Zeus tells Athene to put ambrosia in his stomach, so that his knees will not fail suddenly, which she is happy to do and comes down as a hawk.

• Zeus tells Athene to do it sort of indirectly, first by accusing her of not caring for her chosen.
• Agamemnon is noted as sitting, which the notes suggest could be because he is making abasing himself; making himself lower than those standing (e.g. Achilles).
• Agamemnon acknowledges what he did, but pretty transparently avoids taking responsibility for it by saying that the gods made him do it. Other people invoke the irresistible will of the gods, but usually in regards to outcomes they have no control over (e.g. Hector going on a rampage, repeated setbacks in battle being evidence of Zeus’ desire for the Trojans to win)

Book 20:

Zeus summons all the gods to Olympus, and all of them come, even every nymph and river. He told them that he would stay here and watch (“to pleasure my heart”), but gave them leave to help whichever side they wanted, because otherwise he feared that Achilles would “swarm their fortress”, since before now they were terrified of him [and now he is enraged, so presumably more fearful]. So the usual contingent went down, and encouraged both sides, with Zeus urging them on [unclear if “them” is the gods and/or the fighters]. It seems that the strong fighters avoided Achilles, so Apollo encouraged Aeneas to fight Achilles. Aeneas said that the last two times he fought he had to be rescued by a god, but Apollo (in a mortal form) reminded him that his divine parentage (via Zeus, and possibly Aphrodite) was higher than Achilles (from a sea nymph). So Aeneas went, but Hera came to Poseidon and Athene and said they needed to do something. Poseidon said that the others on the Trojan side (Ares, Apollo, and Artemis) would not risk open battle because the gods on the Achaian side were too strong, so we should not fight unless they do. So he suggested they all go off and watch, which both sides did (unclear if the other side was already doing this, or joined the Achain side when they saw them do it). Aeneas and Achilles traded insults, and while Aeneas’ throw only went halfway through Achille’s divine shield, Achilles’ spear went clean through the edge of Aeneas’ shield, which made him very afraid. Poseidon said to the three that they needed to save Aeneas, since Achilles was going to kill him because he believed Apollo was helping him (Apollo was not helped, had just egged him on). Hera said, “you’ll have to do it, or just watch, since Athene and I have sworn many oaths not to help the Trojans”. So Poseidon wrapped him in mist, took him to the back of the army, and told him not to do that again. Achilles was frustrated at seeing his thrown spear at his feet and his enemy gone, and went off to fight someone whom the gods were not helping. He killed three people shortly afterwards, including the youngest son of Priam (and thus Hector’s youngest brother), whom his father loved most and forbade from fighting, but went anyway. This enraged Hector and he went off to fight Achilles, but Athene blew back his javelin throw. When Achilles charged with his sword, Apollo wrapped mist around him and moved him, which happened three times. Then Achilles got frustrated again, and went off and killed a bunch more Trojans, like a sword-wielding mountain forest fire that consumes the trees around its edges.

• It seems like Zeus enjoys the battle and does not want it to be too short. Either that, or there is some reason why Achilles cannot conquer Troy himself, since the beginning omen said that Zeus would give the city over to the Achaians on the tenth year.
• The gods help more openly this time.
• Ares, god of war, does the least of all the gods that intervene (and in this book, nothing). Perhaps that is a commentary on or reflection on the nature of war? Athene seems to be more the sort that wins battles, while Ares just fights for fighting.

Book 21:

At the crossing of the river Skamandros, pursued by raging Achilles, half fled towards the city, and Hera covered them with mist. The other half fled into the river, like locusts driven into the water by a fire. Achilles left his spear by a tree on the bank and leapt in, killing with with his sword. As the fish huddle across the bay from a dolphin eating its fill, so were the terrified Trojans. After Achilles had tired of killing, to chose twelve youths alive, bound them, and had them sent back to the ships to fulfill his promise to Patroclos to kill twelve men for him. Then he found Lykaon, whose father’s city he had sacked twelve days earlier, and had held for a ransom of a hundred oxen. Lykaon evaded the spear and grasped his knees again and pleaded for his life, but Achilles was worried that people he had killed were coming back to life, and anyway, better men had died for Patroclos, so he killed him, and threw the body in the river, gloating. This was too much for Skamandros, who was sick of the killing. When Achilles killed another man, who was a grandson of another river, Skamandros, who had been debating what to do, told Achilles to stop killing in his waters, which he said he would do, but not stop killing Trojans. Skamandros rose, flooding, and though swift-footed Achilles ran, the river was always about his feet, and he was afraid he would die in the river (and not get a burial, and thus be forgotten), and not in glorious combat. Achilles prayed to Zeus, and Hera told Hephaistos to set fire to the river, which he did until the river was boiling and promised not to interfere, at which point Hera told Hephaistos to stop. Hera and Athene told Achilles not to stop until he had bottled up the Trojans in their city, and to go back to the ships once he had killed Hector.

Now the gods started fighting, which entertained Zeus [they could not die and healed quickly]. Ares said to Athene he would pay her back for guiding Diomedes to wound him earlier, but Athene laughed as he tried to spear through Zeus’ aegis (which is impenetrable) and picked up a boundary stone and threw it, unstringing Ares. Aphrodite came and led him away, which prompted Hera to say, “Shame, Athene, for letting her get away”, and Athene happily hit Aphrodite in the breasts and sent her and Ares sprawling. Poseidon challenged Apollo, asking why he helped the Trojans when then two of them served the Trojans (Laomedon) for a year—Poseidon building a wall and Apollo tending the flocks—and were then refused their wages, but Apollo said it was imprudent to fight each other over mortals. His sister, Artemis, scolded him for giving Poseidon an easy victory, but Hera said she could not win against stronger gods, and taking Artemis’ bow, boxed her ears with it until Artemis twisted out and went to Olympus, where she whined to an amused Zeus. The rest of the minor gods decided not to fight and went to Olympus, but Apollo went to Troy to ensure that Achilles did not sack it until the fated time.

Priam told them to open the gates to let the men flee into it. Apollo put courage into the heart of Agenor son of Antenor, who stood in front of the gate to face Achilles. But as Achilles came on, he still had a conversation with his heart about the wisdom of standing or fleeing, but stood, taunted Achilles, and threw his spear, hitting the new greaves, and the bronze spearhead bounced off. Then Apollo hid him in mist, placed him where he could get into the city, and took Agenor’s form, running off away from the city. Swift-footed Achilles chased him, and while he tried in vain to catch him, the Trojans fled, streaming, into the city to save themselves.

• Ares, god of war, is here clearly shown as an unintelligent wuss, and easily bested by Athene.

Book 22:

Once the Trojans were in the city, gulping water like fawns, Apollo asked Achilles why he was chasing him, a god who could not be killed. Achilles was greatly vexed, accused the god of stealing glory from him, and said he would punish him if only he had the strength to do it. Then he ran back to the city. Meanwhile, Hector was standing in front of the gates, with his mother and father pleading with him to defend Troy from the inside, because if Achilles kills him, Priam prophesies (or is just imagining what would happen?) that he would be killed and eaten by his own dogs in front of his house. His mother says similar things and pulls out a breast and says “if these breasts ever brought you comfort, come back inside the city”. Hector has a conversation with himself, where he is afraid to go in the city because the other people in the army might be angry at him for overreaching himself yesterday and bringing disaster on them, and briefly considers taking off his armor and parlaying, offering to give Helen and all the treasures of the city to the Greeks, but rejects it saying who knows if Achilles might not just kill him unarmed. But then when giant Achilles comes close, Hector is terrified and flees. Three times they run around Troy, but Achilles is always able to deflect Hector back into the plain.

The gods are watching, and Zeus sees that Hector’s time has arrived, and he lets Athene ensure that this happens. It sounds like Zeus also wanted Hector to go out with some glory, and not killed fleeing. So Athene goes as one of Hector’s trusted brothers, and said that “he” could not stay back in the citadel, but came to help, and “his” encouragement gave Hector the courage to stop and face Achilles in combat. Hector asked to swear oaths that they would return the body of whichever fell to their side, but Achilles refuses, saying that he cannot forgive Hector for what he did. Achilles threw his spear, but Hector was watching and ducked (and Athene returned it to Achilles). Hector threw his spear and hit the shield straight on, and just bounced off. Then he asked his brother for another spear, but his brother was not there, and now he realized that he had been tricked, and the gods (Athene) had lured him to his death. Achilles runs up with his sword, and sees that the only part unarmored is the neck and collar bone, which he slices open. Then Hector’s spirit forsakes its youth and manhood and Achilles gloats over him, and just before he dies, Hector warns him that his (Hector’s) body might end up a curse of the gods for Achilles and lead to his death before the Skaian Gate; Achilles just says “the gods will kill me whenever they feel like it”. Then the other Greeks come up and each stab Hector out of anger for the defeat of the previous day, and Achilles hitches Hector’s legs to his chariot so that his head rests on the ground and lets the horses drag him back to the camp however they will. Meanwhile, Priam laments his son (one of many killed recently), the Hekabē, his mother, laments him. His wife Andromachē is working on a weaving, anticipating his return, when she hears his mother lamenting, and goes, and finds out that Hector is dead. Then she laments, describing how their young son will grow up in hardship, excluded from the banquets, and ultimately killed in front of the city gates.

• Both Achilles and Hector consider Athene to be the one who killed Hector, yet the glory is somehow Achilles'.
• Both Achilles and Hector are both deceived by a god.

Book 23

Achilles put Hector face-down in the dust in front of Patroclos, then got ready a funeral banquet, and the blood of thousands of animals was caught in cups around Patroclos. They slept, and the ghost of Patroclos came to Achilles while he was sleeping, asking him to bury him so he could cross to Hades (the ghost was unaware that his funeral was the next day) and told him that he was fated to die in front of Troy, and asked him to bury their bones together. Achilles, waking, tried to embrace the ghost, but could not, and draws the conclusion that the dead have form, but no life. In the morning, Achilles requests Agamemnon to order to people to get timber for a huge pyre, which is done, and a pyre built 100 feet on each side. Patroclos is placed on the center, the twelve Trojan youths killed and placed around the edges, with some horses (since Patroclos was a charioteer). Achilles cuts his hair and puts it over Patroclos, as do the others, and the body is covered with their hair. The pyre does not light, and Achilles remembers that he forgot to pray to the winds, and offers them abundant sacrifices. Iris goes and rouses them from a banquet, and they come and blow, and the pyre burns. All night long Achilles pours out wine, and finally sleeps a little after dawn, until he is awakened by the sound of the leaders of the Greeks. He asks Agamemnon to douse the pyre in wine, and to take the bones of Patroclos, which he puts in a two-handed vessel and wraps them with fat. He also adds the rest of his hair that he had been saving to give to a river god when he came home, but he the god that since the god is not doing that (since he will die at Troy), he is giving the hair to Patroclos.

Then Achilles holds funeral games. He sets out prizes and then announces the game and invites people to compete. The first is the chariot race. Nestor advises his son that his horses are not the fastest, but if he can get a close turn around the post he can win—skill is better than speed. Diomedes comes in a clear first with his newly won team of Trojan horses, and Nestor’s son comes in second with an underhanded move against Meriones. Eumelos was in first, but Apollo knocked the whip from Diomedes’ hand, causing his horses to go slower. Athene saw the underhanded move and gave it back, then wrecked the chariot of Emelos (it seems implied that Eumelos tried to cheat with the gods’ help?). Achilles said he deserved second prize, but Nestor’s son objected, saying second prize was rightfully his but Achilles could give extra gifts if he wanted. Achilles recognized the positions as reversed from him and Agamemnon, and agreed. Then Meriones argued that Nestor’s son had won with an underhanded trick, asking him to swear an oath that he did not use trickery. Nestor’s son says “you are older and I want to stay in your good graces, so I will give you my prize, the mare.” Meriones says that Nestor’s son has always been helpful and loyal and not prone to youthful indiscretions like this, so he gives the mare back.

The rest of the games go without incident. Achilles gives Nestor a gift, since he is old and cannot compete, which Nestor receives in joy, and says that it is true he is old, but when he was young... and relates a story about how he won 4 out of 5 games at a funeral in his youth. Next is the boxing, where the champion knocks the opponent down in blow. Then Odysseus and Telemonian Aias wrestle for several bouts, and Achilles eventually calls the match, telling them to share the prizes. (Which seems difficult, since one was a tripod [worth twelve oxen] and one was a woman skilled with her hands [worth four oxen, and presumably a good weaver].) In the foot race, Nestor’s son Antilochos was narrowly winning, until Odysseus prayed to Athene in his mind, and she gave him fleet legs, and then Antilochos slipped in dung from the oxen killed for dinner the day before. He jokes that Athene made him slip on the dung, and takes last prize, joking that the gods favor the elders; Aias (who was last who actually finished) was slightly older, and then works in a complement to Achilles’ speed, which earns him an extra half-talent of gold from Achilles. Diomedes and Telemonian Aias fight in single combat, but so close were they to killing each other that the crowd urged the match be called. Achilles gave Diomedes the sword of Sarpedon (whom Patroclos’ killed and stripped), but told them both to share the armor. Polypoitos (a commoner?) won the shot-put by overthrowing the field a oxen-stick’s worth from everyone else. For archery he tied a wild pigeon to a post far away. Hitting the pigeon got the first prize of ten iron double-axes, but hitting the string and cutting it got half-axes. Teukros did not promise Apollo anything, so Apollo made his shot miss just slightly and cut the string, and the pigeon flew away. Quickly Meriones grabbed the bow, promised Apollo sacrifices, and shot at the pigeon, which he hit, earning the first prize. Spear throwing was set up, but Achilles said that Agamemnon was obviously so much better that he gets the first prize (a beautiful cauldron) and gave the bronze spear second prize to Meriones.

• The poet makes a point of the shields and swords being bronze, but here has pig iron as the shot-put weight (and prize), and iron axes.
• Given the fact that the woman was valued at 1/3 of the tripod, that she was a working-woman slave, not one of the beautiful, highborn woman like Achilles’ plunder.
• The gods seem fine with cheating—helping their favorites with through extra help.

Book 24:

Twelve days after the funeral for Patroclos, Achilles still could not sleep, and still angrily hauled Hector’s body behind his chariot, around the tomb of Patroclos. Except for Poseidon, Hera, and Athene, who had an implacable hatred for Troy, the other gods were upset at the excessive dishonoring of Hector, who had always given them proper sacrifices, and would have had Hermes steal the body if the three had not refused. So on the dawn of the twelfth day, Zeus had Iris summon Thetis. When she comes, Zeus tells her to tell Achilles that he is to let Priam ransom Hector; Achilles says “if that is what the lord of Olympus wishes, I will do it.” Then Iris goes to Priam and tells him that Zeus wants him to go, alone (plus a driver for the cart), to the ships of the Achaians and ransom Hector, and that Achilles will allow it and Zeus will make sure he is protected. Priam has smeared himself with feces (in order to be more corpse-like himself) and has mourned without eating for twelve days. Now he gets up (and presumably washes himself), yells at his remaining sons whom he thinks are the unworthy ones and tries to beat them with a stick, and then puts many treasures in the cart: twelve talents of gold, a tripod or two, beautiful cloth and clothes, and a beautiful cauldron. His wife tries to dissuade him from going, assuming that he will be killed, but Priam says that he saw the immortal himself speaking to him, and he will go. After he gets everything ready she asks him to pour a libation to Zeus and ask for an omen, a large bird on the right side. He says that praying and giving a libation is a good idea, and washes his hands and pours the libation and asks for the omen. Zeus sends a large eagle over the right side of the city. So he leaves riding a horse (or chariot, unclear), while his herald drives the smooth-running ox cart. By the time he gets to the plain it is getting dark, and Zeus sends Hermes to protect Priam. Hermes poses as a young man, and in the course of a somewhat suspicious conversation on the part of Priam reveals that he is (posing as) on of Achilles henchmen, and promises to guide him there safely. When they get to the ditch and wall, he puts the sentries to sleep, and when they get to the wall around Achilles shelter (which had a door that took three men to open and close, or one Achilles), Hermes unbars it and opens it. Once inside, he reveals who he really was, and says he must leave, since the other gods will be upset if he honors Achilles with his divine presence. (Later, Priam reveals that he was pretty sure that it was a god, when he got through the doors so easily.)

Unseen by Achilles two companions, Priam enters and clasps Achilles’ knees and asks for his son’s body, appealing to Achilles’ concern for his own aged father, and for the fact that he has kissed the hands of the man who killed not only Hector, but the best of his children. Achilles agrees, but says not to ask to heartily, lest his anger cause him to renege and anger the gods; likewise he orders the body washed and prepared, but out of sight, in case he gets angry and kills Priam and angers the gods. Having done that, he insists that they eat, noting that even after Leto’s children, Apollo and Artemis, killed her twelves sons after Niobē boasted that she bore twelve sons, but Leto only two, Niobē did not fail to eat as she mourned. He has a “gleaming sheep” killed, and the body is skinned and the meat cut into little pieces, and they eat. They each admire each other (internally). After they had “put aside the desire for food”, Priam asks for a place to sleep, since he has not slept in twelve days. Achilles gives orders for two beds to be made outside (one for Priam and one for his herald), and then asks how much time Priam needs for a funeral, because the men are eager to attack. Priam says that a proper funeral would take twelve days, if that be agreeable, and Achilles promises no fighting until then. Priam sleeps, but is woken up by Hermes asking why he sleeps when Agamemnon would love to have him alive. Then Hermes drives the cart back to the Skamadar, where he leaves him. Then the body is taken into the palace and the mourning (which professional mourners to lead) begins. Hector’s mother laments the loss of her child. Hector’s wife laments her husband, and her pain, and her son who will be a slave for someone, or perhaps killed at Troy because his father killed someone’s brother or son or friend. Helen, sister-in-law, laments Hector, who in twenty years was the only one who was kind to her, and he was consistently kind and protected her from the others (of Priam’s 50 sons and sons-in-law), and says that she should have died rather than come.

The Trojans mourn as Priam described they were, cutting timber for nine days to make the pyre, burning it on the eleventh, and on the twelfth, quenching the fire with wine and building a barrow. Finally they feasted, and thus they buried Hector.

• Helen says that she has been in Troy twenty years, which is either a mistake (although her earlier comment is about the same time range) since the war has been going on for nine years, or as the comments suggest, one version has an unsuccessful first invasion that took ten years to regroup.