#Ajax the Lesser

[the-evil-clergyman]

Ajax and Cassandra by Solomon Joseph Solomon (1886)

[zippyskyfalls]

Ya'll hear me out... instead of the Trojan Horse... it's the Trojan Whores.

"Diomedes will lead the charge! Agamemnon will *** the guards! Menaleus will *** our mates through the gates and *** the whole city at large. Trucer will *** any ambush attack, and little Ajax will stay back. Nester, secure Helen and *** her, Neo; avenge your father, *** the brothers of Hector!"

"YES SIR-"

Au belongs to @anniflamma

[wolfythewitch]

achaean nap pile

[friedmagazinebouquet]

Everytime an Ajax showed up in the Iliad, this was all I could think about

[naori-is-nidaime-hokage]

Kassandra: Helenus, I hate it there, this guy Ajax always look weird at me

Helenus: wait, isn't he dead?

Kassandra: no, that's was greater Ajax

Helenus: I thought that was Teucer?

Kassandra: no, Teucer is his little brother

Helenus: of who?

Kassandra: Ajax

Helenus: which one?

Kassandra: greater

Helenus: I thought his father only have one son?

Kassandra: Teucer is illegitimate

Helenus: so, Teucer is the twink one, right?

Kassandra: which twink

Helenus: red one

Kassandra: no, that's Neoptolemus, son of Achilles

Helenus: the gay one?

Kassandra: that's a tricky one, there is lots of gays...

Helenus: tall and sexy one

Kassandra: no, that's Diomedes

Helenus: huh? Isn't he eaten by horses?

Kassandra: no, that's other Diomedes, this Diomedes is friend of Odysseus

Helenus: that one with big boobs?

Kassandra: YEAH, FINALLY YOU GOT SOMETHING

[littlesparklight]

Got the (foolish lol) idea to go through some of the works I know give physical descriptions of at least some Trojan war characters and collate them. They aren't in alphabetic order, sorry, but the works/authors are colour coded, at least!

I'll do this in two parts; this one for Achaean characters, the next one for Trojans. Watch Philostratus fanboy over Palamedes and Protesilaos (why????) and marvel, when compared to basically everyone else's description, across all works!

Helen The Iliad: 'terribly does she seem like the immortal goddesses to look on' (spoken of her, not narration), divine/shining/noble among women In Hesiod and other works she is given the xanthos = blond/auburn/etc epithet Dares: Helen resembled Castor and Pollux. She was beautiful, ingenuous, and charming. Her legs were the best; her mouth the cutest. There was a beauty-mark between her eyebrows. (Castor and Pollux: they were twins, blond haired, large eyed, fair complexioned, and wellbuilt with trim bodies.) Malalas, Chronographia: full-grown, well-dressed, with fine breasts, white as snow, with beautiful eyebrows, a beautiful nose, shapely, curly-haired, blonde-ish, with big eyes, charming, with a beautiful voice, a formidable sight among women. She was 26 years old. Tzetzes, Antehomerica: white, with soft skin and beautiful eyebrows and nose. Her skin was so white and bright as if it was made of snow. She had lovely breasts and a pretty face; she had languishing and large eyes and a melodious charming voice; she had long, curly, blond hair; she was well-behaved and perfect in everything she did; she was a lot more beautiful than all the other women, just like the moon is brighter than all the stars in the sky. At that time she was twenty six years old.

Agamemnon The Iliad: '[…] tell me the name of this gigantic man. […] To be sure there are other men even greater in height, […] handsome, nor so majestic, for he seems a kingly man.' Dares: blond, large, and powerful. He was eloquent, wise, and noble, a man richly endowed. Philostratus, Heroicus: Agamemnon and Menelaos were alike neither in appearance nor strength. […] He looked majestic and magnificent and like the sort of person who offered sacrifice to the Graces. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: white, big, of a wide chin and dark hair. He was well-bearded, well-educated, resembling the blessed ones.

Menelaos The Iliad: xanthos = blond/auburn/bright, 'standing towered with his broad shoulders. Dares: moderate stature, auburn-haired, and handsome. He had a pleasing personality. Philostratus, Heroicus: Agamemnon and Menelaos were alike neither in appearance nor strength. […] [he] wore his hair boyishly long, as was the Spartan custom, and the Achaeans made allowance for him when he was visiting, since they did not mock those who came from Euboea even though their hair was ridiculously long. He says he conversed most easily and very concisely, mixing pleasant speech with his discourse. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: the bodily frame smaller [than Agamemnon]; he had a breadth, though. He had a red skin, dense beard and blond hair.

Odysseus The Iliad: 'lesser in height than Agamemnon […], but he seems broader in the shoulders and chest.' (Also shorter than Menelaos.) Dares: tough, crafty, cheerful, of medium height, eloquent, and wise. Philostratus, Heroicus: extremely skilled in public speaking and clever, but he was a dissembler, a lover of envy, and praised malice. His eyes were always downcast, and he was the sort of person who engages in self-examination. He appeared more noble than he was in military matters; surely he was not well versed in preparing for war, in commanding naval battles and sieges, or in drawing of spear and bows. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: middle-aged, pot-bellied, white, with plain hair, nose looking down and fiercely glaring.

Achilles Dares: a large chest, a fine mouth, and powerfully formed arms and legs. His head was covered with long wavy chestnut-colored hair. Though mild in manner, he was very fierce in battle. His face showed the joy of a man richly endowed. Philostratus, Heroicus: For Achilles' physique appeared startling and divine […] When he became an ephebe, a brightness radiated from his face, and his body was beyond natural size, since he grew more easily than do trees near springs. […] hair is thick, lovelier than gold, and becoming no matter where and how either the wind or he himself may move it. His nose is not quite aquiline, but almost so; his brow is crescent-shaped. The spirit in his eyes, which are bluish-gray, casts off a certain eagerness even when he is still; when he is rushing on, they spring out along with his purpose, and then he seems more lovely than ever to those who cherish him. (long hair until Patroklos dies) Tzetzes, Posthomerica: tall, of a beautiful chest, graceful in everything, white, of blond curly and thick hair. He had a big nose, melodious voice and the eyes of a woman. His glance was terrible, in a race was swift-footed; he had long legs and scanty beard.

Patroklos Dares: handsome and powerfully built. His yes were gray. He was modest, dependable, wise, a man richly endowed. Philostratus, Heroicus: Patroklos, although he was not much older than Achilles, was a divine and sensible man, […] In size and bravery he was between the two Ajaxes. He fell short of the son of Telamon in all things, but he surpassed both the size and bravery of the son of Locris. Patroklos had an olive complexion, black eyes, and sufficiently fine eyebrows, and he commended moderately long hair. His head stood upon his neck as the wrestling schools cultivate. His nose was straight, and he flared his nostrils as eager horses do. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: middle-aged, potbellied and well-bearded. He had blond hair, red skin and lovely face.

Ajax, the son of Telamon The Iliad: 'outstanding among the Argives in height and broad shoulders' ; repeatedly called only second to Achilles in everything but looks. Dares: powerful. His voice was clear, his hair black and curly. He was perfectly single-minded and unrelenting in the onslaught of battle. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: brave, great, quick, with a nice nose and curly hair; He had a dark skin; he was well-bearded and grim-looking. He was more beautiful than everybody, except for Achilles.

Ajax, the son of Oileus The Iliad: lesser [than Ajax the great] by far, for he was a small man […] Dares: stocky, powerfully built, swarthy, a pleasant person, and brave. Philostratus, Heroicus: appeared less intelligent [than Diomedes and Sthenelus] […] looking fierce, and throwing his long hair back Malalas, Chronographia: tall, strong, tawny, squinting, good nose, curly hair, black hair, thick beard, long face, daring warrior, magnanimous, a womanizer. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: tall and had bright eyes. He was nice, had long face and dark curly hair.

Diomedes Dares: stocky, brave, dignified, and austere. No one was fiercer in battle. He was loud at the war-cry, hot-tempered, impatient, and daring. Philostratus, Heroicus: steadfast and having eyes that are blue-gray and not black at all and a straight nose; his hair was woolly and dirty. […] modest upon rebuke, checked the eruption of his anger, and refused to insult the troops or to be disheartened. He himself considered it appropriate for an army to appear unwashed, and he commended sleeping in any opportune place; his provisions consisted of what was available, and he did not take pleasure in wine unless troubles came upon him. Diomedes and Sthenelos were the same age. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: [he had a] body that was worth of four young men. He was in good shape with a flat nose, narrow neck and blond hair.

Sthenelos Philostratus, Heroicus: a good size and towering, gray-eyed, with an aquiline nose, fairly long-haired, ruddy, and hot-blooded. […] lacked Diomedes' insight, his power of speech, and his patient endurance which belong to both soul and body. He gave way to anger, was contemptuous of the throng of battle, was savage upon being rebuked, and was prepared for a more delicate lifestyle than was needed for a military camp.

Nestor Dares: large, broad and fair. His nose was long and hooked. He was a wise adviser. Philostratus, Heroicus: (statue, but also the real man?) with a beard that is majestic and well-proportioned; his ears display what he went through at wrestling school, and his neck is restored to its strength. In truth, Nestor stands upright, not defeated by old age, with black eyes and without a drooping nose. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: big, had a nose looking downwards and a fiercely glaring. He had a long face, flame-coloured skin, blond hair and he was wise.

Antilochos The Iliad: Younger than the rest. Philostratus, Heroicus: Because Antilokhos was still young and not mature enough for war when they assembled at Aulis, his father did not agree to his wish to serve as a soldier. (he arrives in the fifth year.) For Achilles' physique appeared startling and divine, but that of Antilokhos seemed to all to be pleasant and gentle. […] Antilokhos resembled Nestor, but that he was swifter, trim in physique, and paid no attention to his hair. He gave me the following details about Antilokhos: He was most fond of horses and hunting with dogs. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: younger than the other Achaeans. Almost a boy, he was white, with a beautiful neck and a big nose. He was storm-footed, provoked fear with his eyes and a beard just sprouting. He was blond with beautiful hair and grey eyes.

Neoptolemus Dares: large, robust, and easily irritated. He lisped slightly, and was good-looking, with hooked nose, round eyes, and shaggy eyebrows. Philostratus, Heroicus: he was good-looking and resembled his father, but was inferior to him in the same way that beautiful people are inferior to their statues. Malalas, Chronographia: of good stature, good chest, thin, white, good nose, ruddy hair, wooly hair, light-eyed, big-eyed, blond eyebrows, blond beginnings of a beard, round-faced, precipitate, daring, agile, a fierce fighter. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: red hair, that's why many had called him Pyrrhus. He was of young age, white or somewhat grey, the colour of the milk; He had beautiful nose and chest, hair curly and was daring; He hadn't ever been hurt, embittered, reckless and of a too wild temper; Thin tiny hair was growing from his beard.

Palamedes Dares: tall and slender, wise, magnanimous, and charming. Philostratus, Herocius: So then in height he was the same as the greater Ajax; in beauty, Protesilaos says, he vied with Achilles, Antilokhos, Protesilaos himself, and with the Trojan Euphorbus. His soft beard was springing up and with the promise of curls; his hair was cut close to his skin; his eyebrows were noble, straight, and came together above the nose, which was perfect as a square and stately. The resolve of his eyes appeared unshaken and fierce in battles, but when he was at rest their gaze was full of comradely affection and affable; he also is said to have possessed the most marvelous eyes among mortals. And in truth, Protesilaos also says that when he was naked, Palamedes weighed halfway between an athlete and a lithe person, and that he had a toughness about his face that was much more pleasant than the golden locks of Euphorbus. Tzetzes, Antehomerica: He was tall, white, with his hair blond and filthy; he was slim and had a long face; he was a servant of wisdom and of Ares. His hair was blond and visibly dirty, because he didn't trouble himself with stupidities like his hair.

Podalirius Dares: sturdy, strong, haughty, and moody.

Nireus The Iliad: the most beautiful man to come beneath Ilion of all the Danaans, after blameless Achilles. Iphigenia in Aulis: repeats the 'most beautiful after Achilles' description.

Machaon Dares: large and brave, dependable, prudent, patient, and merciful.

Idomeneus The Iliad: Older than most of the rest, gray-haired. Malalas, Chronographia: above average height, dark-skinned, good eyes, well set, strong, good nose, thick beard, good head, curly hair, a berserker when fighting. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: quick, had a dark skin, of middle age. He had a short curly hair, wide chin and beautiful nose.

Meriones Dares: auburn-haired, of moderate height, with a well-proportioned body. He was robust, swift, unmerciful, and easily angered. Malalas, Chronographia: shortish, wide, white, good beard, big eyes, black hair, curly hair, flat face, bent nose, quick-moving, magnanimous, a warrior. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: short; he had wide shoulders and beautiful curly hair. He was white; he had crooked nose, nice chin, wide face.

Philoctetes Philostratus, Heroicus: his hair was gray because of age (he was about sixty years old), he was more vigorous than many of the young men, his gaze was most fearsome among mortals, his words most brief Malalas, Chronographia: a good height, well set, dark skinned, eyebrows meeting, brave, good eyes, good nose, black hair, hairy, sensible, accurate archer, magnanimous. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: tall, beautiful, of dark skin and with meeting eyebrows

Protesilaos Dares: fair-skinned, and dignified. He was swift, self-confident, even rash. Philostratus, Heroicus: He is about twenty years old at most. Because he sailed to Troy at such a young age, he has a full, splendid beard and smells sweeter than autumn myrtles. Cheerful eyebrows frame his eyes, which gives him a pleasant, friendly manner. When he exerts himself, he looks intense and determined. But if we meet him at ease, ah, how lovely and friendly his eyes appear! He has blond hair of moderate length. It hangs a little over his forehead rather than covering it. The shape of his nose is perfect, like the statue's. His voice is more sonorous than trumpets and comes from a small mouth. It is most enjoyable to meet him naked, since he is well built and nimble, just like the herms set up in race courses. His height is easily ten cubits, and it seems to me that he would have exceeded this had he not died in his early twenties. Tzetzes, Antehomerica: a lovely face and courage in his eyes; his hair was blond and long; his skin was smooth and dark; he was bold, graceful, with beautiful body and beard; he was vigorous, although much younger than Antilochus.

Calchas Malalas, Chronographia: short, white, all grey, including the beard, hairy, a very fine seer and omen-reader. Tzetzes, Posthomerica: small, white, thin and shaggy-haired. He had his hair grey in the front and white the rest of it.

[lions-and-men-musical]

What is Lions & Men: The Musical?

Lions & Men is a WIP 10-episode show that reinterprets the Trojan War into a sci-fi setting!

As of now, it’s just a passion project, but I would like to make it into a real thing eventually!

On this blog, I’ll be posting mostly concept and character art, as well as progress updates and some song demos (eventually).

I LOVE getting asks! ask any questions/feedback you may have!

[incorrecthomer]

[akekiitaz]

Age headcanons for my favourite acheans when the trojan war started because I want to and CAN share them!!!

Achilles: 23. Yes, considering that, he had Neoptolemus young. It was more common at the time, from what I've seen. He is young and stupid.

Agamemnon: 40. 10 years older than Menelaus. I doubted for a second they'd be so close with a 10-year age gap, but then i remembered how close me and my older brother who's also 10 years older are, and it only made me more convinced of that age gap.

Ajax, the great: 34. Five years older than his half brother. Honestly, I am kind of choosing this one only using the fact Telamon and Nestor were argonauts in some versions as a metric, for I have not found any other indicators of his age.

Ajax, the lesser: 30. I mean, I can only see him as younger than Ajax the great. Also, I am using the fact his father was an argonaut as a metric for that age ONCE AGAIN.

Antilochus: 18. Some claim Nestor said he was too young to join the war when it started, and only joined in the middle. He would have joined at 23.

Diomedes: 26. Some interpretations say he was the youngest among the acheans, but I find that unlikely. I chose the interpretation he is only the youngest among the kings.

Menelaus: 30. Not very old, not very young. He is in the middle ground, in my opinion.

Nestor: 53. He, according to some interpretations, met and had a similar age to most of the achean's fathers, so I used it as a metric for his own age.

Neoptolemus: 6, 16 when he joined the war. Many describe him to be in his "late teens".

Odysseus: 34. He is described as an "raw old man" during the illiad if I am not mistaken, nine years after the war starts, so I believe that makes sense. Odydio toxic age gap yaoi

Patroclus: 25, older than Achilles, but only by two years. A bit more wise than him.

Teucer: 29. Guess what's the metric? Yeah, his dad being an argonaut. Then again, I do not know much about Teucer. Feel free to tell me about him.

[sera8273]

I love how the fandom for EPIC whenever they make animatics all unanimously agree on stuff.

Like how Odysseus is shorter than every single God/Godesses or literally every single other person he meets or talks to.

Or like how certain characters are drawn. Take Little Ajax for example! Almost every single artist I’ve seen portrays him like hes this kid who just came into this war willingly for like fun or something-

EXAMPLES:

@gigizetz (The smol bean is Ajax and the Archer is Teucer.) And the smile that Teucer give him is giving off sibling vibes-

@Rochi on YT (Teucer doesn’t even look concerned- his face just reads ‘come on now, this again?’)

@Sasha’s Work on YT (I’m that this one is just inserted OC’S but come on! That smol bean!)

But when I see comments on YT and stuff. They talk about how Lil Ajax, Ajax the Lesser, who is this apparent buff ass man who is like feared by some. (Am I correct?)

But let’s be honest, Lil Ajax will always be a Lil smol bean to the fandom

[lyculuscaelus]

The difference in popularity when it comes to the nine ἀριστῆες who volunteered to duel with Hector (ten if we’re counting Menelaus) has never ceased to amuse me. Like, despite being specifically listed by Homer to tell you that they’re the best of the best and having a bunch of mentions in the Iliad, Idomeneus and Meriones just didn’t get the popularity as Diomedes and Odysseus got, then Agamemnon and the two Aiantes having the next tier of popularity. Still, I believe the two of them were mentioned every now and then. Meanwhile, do I even need to mention Eurypylus son of Euaemon and Thoas son of Andraemon?

[codyton]

Greek Heroes and my lists they are on:

TW: This post contains mentions of SA, so read at your own discretion

(Note: This is all my research, feel free to reply with more information ty)

The Good List:

- Perseus, never once betrayed his friends or SA someone.

- Orpheus, only ever made one big mistake

The Thin Line List:

- Musical Odysseus, betrayed his men and their ideals

- Myth Odysseus, betrayed his men

The Shit List:

- Achilles, tried to kidnap a woman as a slave and SA’d her

- Theseus, literally tried to groom Helen of Troy

- Ajax The Lesser, he knows what he did.

- Heracles, cheated on his wife (Megara) almost or more than his dad did

[yinmndragon]

One thing I'm fucking sick in the epic fandom is that little Ajax is after shown as a kid

He wasn't a kid he was simply called that cause his brother Ajax the greater was simply a huge meat wall of a human

Little Ajax also known as Ajax the lesser was only called that cause his brother was humongous

He was a great warrior but compared to his brother he just didn't seem as impressive

To add to that he wasn't even that short he was about average height but Ajax the greater was a giant

Edit: I would like to apologise for I have made a goof and have been made aware of it they weren't brothers they just had the same names (tbh it'd be pretty fucked if they were brothers with the same name) and they were only compared because they had the same name but my point still stands

[wolfythewitch]

drink with me

[hermesmoly]

I may dislike Paris but I do like him better than Lesser Ajax, which has got to be the worst character in the Epic Cycle

[residentmiddlechild]

Cassandra by ABBA // Fire of Troy by Kerstiaen de Keuninck // Cassandra by ABBA // Cassandra by Frederick Sandys // Cassandra by ABBA // Ajax and Cassandra, Solomon J. Solomon // Ajax and Cassandra, Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein // Cassandra by ABBA // Cassandra’s Lament by Unknown // Cassandra by ABBA