Table of Contents
| Son | Name |
|---|---|
| Jove + Leto | Apollo |
| Peleus | Achilles |
| Atreus | Agamemnon |
| Atreus | Menelaus |
| Jove | Minerva |
| Telamon | Ajax |
| Menoetius | Patroclus |
| Tydeus | Diomed |
| Neleus | Nestor |
| Euaemon | Eurypylus |
| Menoetius | Patroclus |
The anger of Achilles, son of Peleus brought countless ills on the Achaeans.
Superphysics Note!
The counsels of Jove were fulfilled when Agamemnon and Achilles first fell out with one another.
Apollo:
- began their quarrel
- was angry with Agamemnon so he sent a pestilence to plague the people, because Agamemnon had dishonoured Chryses his priest.
Chryses:
- had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter
- had brought with him a great ransom
- bore the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant’s wreath
- beseeched the Achaeans, most of all their chiefs, Agamemnon and Menelaus
Agamemnon and all other Achaeans, may the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to:
- sack the city of Priam, and
- reach your homes safely
But free my daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in reverence to Apollo.
On this, the Achaeans took the ransom while respecting the priest.
But not Agamemnon, who spoke fiercely to him and sent him roughly away.
Old man, do not tarry about our ships and do not come back.
Your sceptre and wreath shall profit you nothing. I will not free her.
She shall grow old in my house at Argos far from her own home, busying herself with her loom and visiting my couch.
So go, and do not provoke me or it shall be the worse for you.
The old man feared him and obeyed.
He prayed to Apollo.
Hear me:
- O god of the silver bow, that protects Chryse and holy Cilla and rulest Tenedos with thy might
- oh you of Sminthe
Apollo heard his prayer. He came down furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and quiver on his shoulder.
He sat down away from the ships with a face as dark as night.
His silver bow rang death as he shot his arrow in the midst of them.
First, he smote their mules and their hounds. Then he aimed at the people. All day long, the pyres of the dead were burning.
For 9 whole days he shot his arrows among the people.
But on the 10th day, Achilles called them in assembly—moved thereto by Juno, who saw the Achaeans in their death-throes and had compassion upon them.
Agamenon, we should now turn roving home if we would escape destruction, for we are being cut down by war and pestilence at once.
Let us ask some priest or prophet, or some reader of dreams (for dreams, too, are of Jove) who can tell us why Phoebus Apollo is so angry.
Calchas son of Thestor, wisest of augurs, who knew things past present and to come:
- rose to speak
- had guided the Achaeans with their fleet to Ilius, through Apollo’s prophecies which inspired him.
Achilles, you bid me tell you about the anger of King Apollo, I will therefore do so.
But consider first and swear that you will stand by me heartily in word and deed, for I know that I shall offend one who rules the Argives with might, to whom all the Achaeans are in subjection.
A plain man cannot stand against the anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now, will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it.
Consider, therefore, whether or no you will protect me.
Fear not, but tell us what you know from heaven.
For by Apollo, Calchas, to whom you pray, and whose oracles you reveal to us, not a Danaan at our ships shall lay his hand upon you, while I yet live to look upon the face of the earth—no, not though you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far the foremost of the Achaeans.
The god is angry not about vow nor hecatomb, but for his priest whom Agamemnon has dishonoured because he would not free his daughter nor take a ransom for her.
So has he sent these evils on us, and will yet send others.
He will not deliver the Danaans from this pestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without fee or ransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb to Chryse.
Thus we may perhaps appease him.
Agamemnon rose in anger.
His heart was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire as he scowled on Calchas:
Seer of evil, You have brought me neither comfort nor performance.
You come seeing among Danaans, and saying that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for this daughter of Chryses.
I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments.
Still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the people live, not die.
But you must find me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without one.
You are covetous beyond all mankind. How shall the Achaeans find you another prize?
We have no common store from which to take one.
Those we took from the cities have been awarded. We cannot disallow the awards that have been made already.
So give this girl to the god. If ever Jove grants us to sack the city of Troy we will repay you three and fourfold.
You shall not outwit me. You shall not overreach nor persuade me.
Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding?
Let the Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own, or that of Ajax or of Ulysses.
But let us do that later.
For now, let us draw a ship into the sea and find a crew for her.
Let us put a hecatomb on board, and let us send Chryseis also.
Let some chief man among us be in command, either Ajax, Idomeneus, or yourself so that we may offer sacrifice and appease the god.
Achilles scowled at him:
You are steeped in insolence and lust of gain. With what heart can any of the Achaeans do your bidding, either on foray or in open fighting?
I came not warring here for any ill the Trojans had done me.
I have no quarrel with them. They have not raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut down my harvests on the rich plains of Phthia.
Between me and them there is a great space, both mountain and sounding sea.
We have followed you for your pleasure, not ours—to gain satisfaction from the Trojans for your shameless self and for Menelaus.
You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize for which I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me.
When the Achaeans sack any rich Trojan city, I never get so good a prize as you do, even if I do most of the fighting.
When the sharing comes, your share is far the largest, while I must go back to my ships and take what I can get and be thankful, when my labour of fighting is done.
So I shall go back to Phthia with my ships? I will not stay here dishonoured to gather gold and substance for you.
Fly if you will, I shall make you no prayers to stay you.
I have others here who will do me honour, and above all Jove, the lord of counsel.
There is no king here so hateful to me as you are, for you are ever quarrelsome and ill-affected. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made you so?
Go home, then, with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons.
I care neither for you nor for your anger; and thus will I do: since Phoebus Apollo is taking Chryseis from me, I shall send her with my ship and my followers, but I shall come to your tent and take your own prize Briseis, that you may learn how much stronger I am than you are, and that another may fear to set himself up as equal or comparable with me.
Achilles was furious. He could not decide whether to draw his sword and kill Agamemnon, or to restrain himself and check his anger.
Suddenly, Minerva came down from heaven and seized Achilles by his yellow hair, yet no other man could see her.
I come from heaven. Please calm down.
Juno has sent me, who cares for both of you alike.
Cease this brawling and do not draw your sword.
Rail at him if you want. Your railing will not be vain, for you shall hereafter receive gifts 3 times as splendid because of this present insult.
So hold and obey.
Goddess, however angry a man may be, he must do as you two command him.
This will be best, for the gods ever hear the prayers of him who has obeyed them.
He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and thrust it back into the scabbard as Minerva bade him. Then she went back to Olympus among the other gods.
But Achilles again began railing at Agamemnon.
Wine-bibber, with the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, you never dare to go out with the host in fight, nor yet with our chosen men in ambuscade.
You shun this as you do death itself. You would rather go around and rob his prizes from any man who contradicts you.
You devour your people, for you are king over a feeble folk. Otherwise, you would insult no man.
So I surely and solemnly swear that hereafter the sons of Achaeans shall look fondly for me but shall not find me.
In the day of your distress, when your men fall dying by the murderous hand of Hector, you shall:
- not know how to help them
- rend your heart with rage for when you insulted the bravest of the Achaeans.
With this, Achilles dashed his gold-bestudded sceptre on the ground and took his seat, while Agamemnon was beginning fiercely from his place on the other side.
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