#epic ajax the lesser

[the-delta-42]

Snippets #2

Penelope: *In her room glaring at her guests* Diomedes: *Leaning towards Teucer, whispering* I think she's happy so see us. Teucer: *whispering* I think you're wrong. Helen: Pene-- Penelope: You broke an oath to the Gods and started a war that claimed the lives of many of our friends and is the suspected cause of my husband's absence. Helen: ... Menelaus: ... Penelope: Opening me up to 108 pigs disguised as men trying to claim my hand in marriage and threatening my son's life. Neo: ... Nestor: ... Lil' Ajax: ... Penelope: The same men who are loudly planning to murder Telemachus, force themselves on me and then, presumably, kill me. Guard #1: We can still evacuate you, my Queen. Penelope: A Spartan doesn't run. Guard #8: *Bursting through the door* There's a beggar killing everyone! Penelope:... All her guests: ... Penelope: How? Guard #8: He hid all their weapons and strung the King's bow, he's fighting like he knows these halls like the back of his hand! Penelope & Guests: ... Penelope: *Fiddling with her hair* This Beggar, how tall is he? Guard #8: He comes to your shoulder, I think. Penelope: *Takes a deep breath* Did he mention building the palace? Guard #8:... Penelope:... Guard #1:... Guests:... Guard #8: Oh shit, he's the King. Penelope: Everyone leave, and don't come back for three weeks.

[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

[thhouseofblack]

things of the 21st century that would send the men of the iliad into a cardiac arrest:

1. Women's Rights

2. The Geneva War Convention

3. Odysseus and his story being the most famous and well-known of all of them

[katerinaaqu]

Do you think that Homer, when performed his epics in public, he would also change his voice when he sang every time a different character spoke and be a performer or just sing the whole thing through? 🤔

[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

[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

[likethexan]

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

[mt-isnothere12]

GIUS WHAT ARE THE ILIAD CHARACTERS LAST NAMES GIMME AS MANY AS POSSIBLE

Edit: an anon gave me a whole ass list tysm but i dont have both of the ajaxs yet welp gotta find their fathers and add that suffix

[luminouslumity]

Speaking of Epic, I have thought about this even back when I first heard the opening for The Horse and the Infant; I'm glad I'm not the only one and I'm even happier there's a mashup of it!

[disappointed-time-traveller]

I've had a fic in mind for epic for a while i think i'm finally going to write it now

now i just need to... revise on what happened after the Trojan war

[the-delta-42]

Snippets #4

Telemachus: Diabetes Diomedes: Telemarketing Agamemnon: Arch-hiles Achilles: A game on Odysseus: Nestor, what are they doing? Nestor: Well, Penelope's Bitch, they're going over their code names. Odysseus: *Realises what Nestor called him* Hey! Teucer: He's not wrong, you do ask Penelope's permission to do anything. Lil' Ajax: You didn't build the horse until you got her permission. Odysseus:...That doesn't mean I'm her bitch. Penelope: Yes it does Odysseus: Yes it does

[ilions-end]

Ajax' Abduction of Cassandra [1798/1799], drawn by Joseph Marcellin Combette after a statue by Claude Dejoux

[thhouseofblack]

the feminine urge to write a reaction fic of the men of the iliad watching epic the musical

[kill-me-with-a-spoon]

That is not something I liked but I will admit, Penelope seeing the wildest storm and going "Only my husband, who was named 'Pain in the Ass' by his grandfather, can piss of the gods this much" is hillarious.

I absolutely love that Penelope arranges the competition of stringing Odysseus' bow for the suitors BECAUSE she saw the storm and (rightfully) believes it means Odysseus has returned. She distracts them with a task she knows they can not complete to give Odysseus time to come up with a plan (and she has his bow out and ready for him, she has provided a weapon for him.) She's just as smart and cunning as Odysseus and it's shown beautifully in this saga

[catcas22]

Maedros in Troy AU

Long, long post about my very niche obsession. Original AU by @sweetteaanddragons can be found here.

Every so often when I'm listening to EPIC, my mind will play six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon and I'll end up back at this AU. This particular addition was inspired by my remembering that Achilles was a redhead (Or maybe strawberry-blonde, idk enough about the Greek language to say for sure. His son was a redhead, and he once went by the alias of "the redheaded girl.")

The morning after the sack of Troy is a somber affair, even, surprisingly, amongst the victors. The surviving Achaean princes limp their way back to the feet of the horse, finally able to take a headcount. Odysseus and Ajax the Lesser are missing, Neoptolemus is nursing a nasty leg-wound, and less concerning but equally inconvenient, Menelaus and Helen have absconded to Sparta to start their second honeymoon.

Neoptolemus, in particular, has been having a day. First he got paired with Odysseus, which he has come to learn means he's going to be acting as the muscle while the Ithacan takes the credit. Then Odysseus was granted the honor of ending Hector's bloodline, and Neo couldn't even say anything because the order came directly from the mouth of Zeus. (Odysseus already took his father's armor. Could Neo not at least be allowed his vengeance?) Then Hector's woman took a swipe at him with a dagger, which Neo handled quite easily, then a madman burst out of the crypts and nearly cut his leg off, which presented a bit more of a challenge.

The princes compare notes, slowly piecing together a picture of The Stranger who carved a bloody swath through their armies and then disappeared as quickly as he materialized. Finally, Eurylochus says what everyone else has been thinking (fearing). Towering in stature, redhaired, wearing armor that turned their blades and wielding a sword that pierced through bronze like soft clay? They all know who that sounds like.

Yes, the others reluctantly admit, The Stranger is most definitely the ghost of Achilles, returned from the grave to once again punish them all for the sake of some personal slight. (Neo can't stop thinking about the look in the man's eyes, that look of pity or maybe disappointment before he left the youth bleeding on the steps of Hector's tomb).

Diomedes is the only one to object. Aside from Neo, he was the only one to get a good look at The Stranger and live to tell about it. That wasn't Achilles. In fact, he made the man bleed, so he wasn't a ghost either. No one else seems convinced.

Neo confirms that Odysseus went into Hector's tomb alone, and only The Stranger emerged. Sage nods are exchanged amongst the other princes -- Achilles must have returned to avenge his old comrade, Greater Ajax. But then why would he kill so many Achaeans after presumably taking his vengeance on Odysseus? (Agamemnon scoffs. As if Achilles ever needed a reason to be a pain.)

Then a messenger arrives, breathlessly announcing that Ajax the Lesser has been found. Specifically, he has been found dead by a blow from The Stranger's magic sword, lying at the feet of a toppled statue of Athena.

Now that's clearly an omen of some sort, though no one can agree on what message to take from it. Athena is Odysseus's patron, but is the toppled statue a sign of judgement or of disrespect? Does this have anything to do with The Lesser's cousin The Greater? Nestor suggests consulting the Trojan oracle Helenus. They left the boy tied up on Agamemnon's ship after Odysseus finished with him, and he was still alive the last time they checked. Perhaps he can interpret the omen.

This plan only makes it as far as the beach, where the gang discovers that both the oracle and Agamemnon's flagship have been stolen.

Suddenly it all makes perfect sense. Diomedes explodes -- yet again, Achilles is punishing them all for the sake of his feud with Agamemnon. The High King sputters out a denial -- he and Achilles were square when the man died. His conscience is perfectly clean. He still looks as if he is actively having a heart attack.

Nestor attempts to intervene. Diomedes shouldn't jump to conclusions... But if Agamemnon knows of anything that might have brought a vengeful Achilles back from the grave, he really should tell them. They promise they won't be mad.

Agamemnon has the horrible, sinking feeling that this might be about the fact that he took a leak on the ashes of Achille's funeral pyre. But he's certainly not going to admit to that. Wounded or no, Neo has a good couple of inches on him, and the kid is built like he strangles oxen for a hobby. He has that same twitchy look in his eye that his father always had.

This man cannot have been Achilles, he insists, and Agamemnon is going to bring back his head to prove it! (No one else is willing to set sail while the son of a Nereid might be after their heads, and Agamemnon is quite sure that they're one more bad omen away from sacrificing him to appease Achilles. It's what he would do, were he in their position.) Eurylochus and his crew quickly get pressed into service -- they need a captain, and Agamemnon needs a boat. And don't they want to avenge their fallen king?

Neo insists on coming along, much to Agamemnon's horror.

Maedhros isn't ready to panic just yet. Disorienting as that first night was, he's now fairly certain that he knows where he is. He's on the eastern side of the Sea of Rhûn. This is an inland sea, and the climate and general look of the people suggest that he's somewhere south and east of Dorwinion. He's a long way from home, to be sure, but at least he knows how to get back. He takes a moment to privately curse that storm Maia for dragging him so far out of his way.

He's fairly certain that the woman he rescued is the baby's mother. At least, she seemed very relieved to have him back. So if he recalls the storm Maia's threats correctly, that would make her the prince's widow. The others seem to tentatively consider her to be in charge, and she's at least attempted to communicate with him. Maybe she can help him get his bearings.

Unfortunately, she doesn't speak any of the Easterling tongues he learned from Bór. That's not terribly surprising. Rhûn is a land of many nations, and this particular clan must be rather isolated if they're still casting weapons out of bronze. That's fine. He might not invent new languages on a whim as his father did, but he does enjoy learning them.

The golden-haired girl hasn't stopped watching him. She looks away with a pained expression every time he catches her at it, but even now he can feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. He saw eyes like that once before -- the first time he saw a mirror after Thangorodrim.

The others give her a wide berth, though she does nothing apart from sit curled under the mast, arms around her knees. During their flight, she broke from her stupor long enough to lead them to this ship -- the same ship where they found the prisoner who Maedhros assumes to be her twin brother. It almost seemed as if she knew where...

But that would be ridiculous. She couldn't have known. Maedhros rather forcibly shrugs the notion off. They're twins. He's seen Amrod and Amras do far stranger.

On his first night, Maedhros was too preoccupied to look up. Even had he chanced to look at the sky, the smoke of the city's burning would have blotted out the stars. He spends the following day tending to the wounded, despite having nothing but torn clothing and seawater, and offering what comfort he can, despite speaking not a word of their language. When the sun sets, he forces himself to stay awake. One look at the stars will give him his heading, and from there he can plan the route home...

Oh. Maedhros doesn't know those stars.

Maedhros is beginning to suspect that he isn't in Rhûn.

More coming soon, by request of @sweetteaanddragons !

[katerinaaqu]

A question about visual arts this time

Do you have any favorite classics artwork(s) that is Iliad related? Like ancient potteries of Homeric heroes, mural arts, paintings during the medieval Europe, etc?

Oh my that is a very good question! There are so many pottery painting and murals of later years that portray so greatly the epic cycle that is so hard to choose!!! But I believe one of the old masters is definitely Exekias! As you remember from my small analysis on the preparation of Ajax suicide. He creates some amazing pasterpieces with the Iliad protagonists and he is very detailed in his style. See for example the famous depiction of Ajax and Achilles playing a board game:

His lines are very bold and his work is very detailed and not only that he includes even thematics that are lesser known such as the preparation of the suicide instead of the act itself or this board game that ellegedly happened in the middle of a battle. Of course we also have the so-called "Siren Painter" with the amazing depiction of Odysseus resisting the sirens songs from the Odyssey

But to focus more on Iliad as you requested (or the general aspects of the war) One of my favorites is definitely this Kylix that was drawn by a painter named Douris. here's an image of Odysseus approaching mourning Achilles (his arms are hanging from a wall which is a very interesting detail)

This Kylix involves the sharing of the arms of Achilles and the medalion in the middle depicts Odysseus handing over to Neoptolemous the arms of his father while holding a boetian-style shield instead of the well known shield of the homeric poems (and it is interesting given how most Neoptolemous depictions involve him killing Priam -he seems so innocent here doesn't he?!-):

A roman wallpainting from Pompeii is definitely one of my favorite Patroclus representations along with of course the infamous scene with him being taken care of by Achilles in a Kyllix

The fight over the body of patroclus in the black-figure style is also amazingly expressive:

The Berlin Painter has definitely one of the most expressive depictions of the battle between Achilles and Hector:

This depiction is around the neck of a crater, the figures are named and I loved how Hector is bleeding profoundly while untouched Achilles is going for the kil with his spear. Euphronius painter also has a very brutal scene of Achilles slaying Troilus:

An Amphora mostly black but for one red figure seems to be depicting Antilochus and is a really rare one from one I can tell!

I love how his long, wavy hair is arranged under the helmet and his obviously youthful appearance (he is a great source of inspiration for my Achilles and Antilochus story). I also love the Triptolemous Painter for making this depiction of the council of Achilles:

Not only do I love the cheeky pose Odysseus has; trying to transfer his ature through painting! Not only do we again see the arms of Achilles to the walls but also we have old Phoenix to the background with his hair tonred up with white color (thankfully rescued by passage of time) with his long hair thugged with the hair band and all!

Kleophades Painter has one of the most brutal scenes of the murder of Priam I have ever seen!

This seems to follow the line of the myth that Virgil speaks of in Aenead; Neoptolemus kills Astyanax before his grandrather before killing him too. In here he seems to have laid the dead baby to his knees and almost seems like either repeatedly stabbing him or beating him to death while Priam tries to shield his head. The baby also seems to have been repeatedly stabbed as well! And blood splattered everywhere!

For Diomedes this is definitely one of my favorites; the stealing of the horses with Odysseus

One can see his youthful appearance compared to Odysseus as they drive the horses away or the exchange of the weapons with Glaukus

I love his youthful appearnce and the thin features and yet the stout body to show his warrior status and the way he receives the shield with care in this, shows much on his personality really.

*

Oh there are so many different depictions by ancient art alone! I would be more than happy to elaborate further with specific images on specific heroes if you want on future reblogs because honestly the category is huge! Even scenes like geometric time paintings seem to be quoting Homer and either the funeral of Patroclus or Hector:

Thank you for the intriguing question! Made me remember many of these masterpieces!