©David Claudon, 2001

"Zeus--god of greatness, god of glory, all you immortals! Whichever contenders trample on this treaty first, spill their brains on the ground as this wine spills--theirs, their children's too--their enemies rape their wives!"

But Zeus would not fulfill their prayers, not yet. . . (Book 3: 352-357)

• Achilles (Achilleus)..."brilliant," "swift runner," "blazing"
• Agamemnon..."lord of men," "skilled breaker of horses," "field marshall," "flaring his great crimson cape"
• Great Telamonian Ajax (Aias)... "like the giant god of battle," "bearing his huge body-shield like a rampart, heavy bronze over seven layers of oxhide"
• Antilochos
• Diomedes..."impetuous," "half the size of his father, and he was short and slight," "resolute," "staunch," "powerful," "lord of the war cry"
• Idomeneus..."Cretan captain"
• Menelaus (Menelaos)..."red-haired," "lord of the war cry"
• Nestor..."the clear speaker of Pylos," "the seasoned charioteer"
• Odysseus..."the raider of cities," "shorter than Agamemnon, but broader across the shoulders, through the chest," "trusty," "the great tactician"
• Patroclus (Patroklos) ..."that gentle man, the soul of kindness to all"
• Phoenix..."old charioteer," sent by Peleus to watch over Achilles

• Andromache..."white-armed"
• Aeneas (Aineias)..."counselor of the Trojans"
• Antenor...Trojan counselor to Priam
• Briseis..."in all her beauty"
• Deiphobus (Deiphobos)
• Hecuba (Hecabe)..."warm, goodhearted woman"
• Hector (Hektor)..."the heart inside you is always tempered hard," "tall," "his flashing helmet," "firebrand"
• Helen..."fair-haired," "of Argos," wears "glinting silver robes," "white-armed," "the radiance of women," "child of Zeus"
• Paris (Alexandros)..."lithe," "the skin of a leopard slung across his shoulders, a reflex bow at his back and battle-sword at hip and brandishing two sharp spears tipped in bronze," "long flowing locks," "handsome," "magnificant as a god," "prince of beauty"
• Priam..."noble"
• Sarpedon..."heroic"

• Aphrodite..."golden," "long lithe neck, the smooth full breasts and the fire in those eyes"
• Phoebus Apollo..."the Archer," "wolf-god," "lord of the silver bow," "lord of the golden sword"
• Ares..."violent," "destroyer of men," "blazing"
• Artemis
• Hades
• Hephaestus..."the Master Craftsman," "the famous crippled Smith," "immense hulk...shrunken legs," "burly arms,...massive neck and shaggy chest...."
• Hera..."the Queen," "white-armed," "insatiable," "ox-eyed"
• Hermes
• Iris..."wind-quick messenger," "golden wings"
• Pallas Athena..."grey-eyed," "flashing-eyes," "bright-eyed," "third-born of the gods," "like a shooting star," "the queen of plunder"
• Poseidon
• Thetis..."the Old Man of the Sea's daughter," "with glistening feet"
• Xanthus...river god
• Zeus..."father of men and gods," "thunder-shielded"

Geographical Names

To see a closeup, click on the map

• Achaea (Achaia)...the land of the Achaeans
• Argos...located just below Mycaene...where Helen came from
• Dardanelles...the straight of water between the Aegean & the Marmara Sea
• Hisarlik...modern name for Ilium
• Mt. Ida...mountain south-east of Ilium, where Zeus watches the war
• Ilium (also called Ilios or Troy), "windy," "well-built heights,"
• Crete (Krete)
• Mycenae (Mykenai)...city ruled by Agamemnon
• Mt. Olympus (Olympos)...home of the gods
• Sparta in Lacedaemon...city ruled by Menelaus

• The Epic Cycle
• Aristos...being the best at whatever is called for by the situation
• Aristeia...exploits which gain the warrior prestige
• Arete...merit others bestow on you for your exploits
• "Catalogue of Ships"...the listing of all the troops from Book 2
• Diomedeia...Book 5
• "in medias res"...epics begin "in the middle of things"
• Heinrich Schliemann