Hero Biography - Aias
present...
Aias
Ajax was famous as the proverbial second-best of the Achaeans. In the tales of the poets, he was the second-best Achaean warrior after Achilles; in Classical Athens it would become illegal for the Aiantid tribe (named after Ajax) to ever come last in any public competition, because Ajax never took well to losing. In Sophocles' tragic play Ajax, the great hero, having just lost a competition over the dead Achilles' arms to Odysseus, tries to kill all the Achaean leaders and then commit suicide, though even in this he was frustrated. His life was very short, and far more is known about his deeds in the Trojan War than in his former life.
Once, in times past, mighty Heracles came to visit his friend Telamon on the island of Salamis in the Saronic Gulf. The two had a great feast, and then they retired to Telamon's garden to drink together. Heracles prayed to his father, Zeus, asking that Telamon might be granted a brave son, and one who would be invulnerable. Soon afterwards, the bird of Zeus, an eagle (called 'aietos' in the Greek tongue) appeared in the air above them. Heracles told Telamon that this was a sign that Zeus had answered the prayer:
"Telamon, you will have the son that you ask for. Name him after the bird that appeared: wide-ruling Aias, awesome in the war-toils of the people."
(Pind. Isth. 6.51)
While Telamon did indeed have a brave son, Ajax (in our tongue), he was not granted invulnerability. On the other hand, the boy soon became known for his great strength and handsome appearance. He obtained a fine shield from Tychius, a craftsman of Hyle in Boeotia, made from seven hides of bulls covered by a layer of bronze. As a young man he became one of the suitors of Helen, daughter of Tyndareus, though he was ultimately unsuccessful, as Menelaus (the son of Atreus) was selected to be Helen's husband. In order to prevent bloodshed, cunning Odysseus had suggested that all the suitors should swear an oath to protect the marriage, no matter who was chosen to be the husband. This was known as the 'Oath of Tyndareus'. Thus, since Ajax failed in his suit, he is one of the many Achaean princes to swear to protect the marriage of Menelaus and Helen.
And so it is that, at a young age, Ajax was called to lead the warriors of Salamis to war against the Trojans, in order to win Helen back from her lover Paris. When he arrived in the Trojan land, he sacked the city of King Teleutas (an ally of Troy), killed the king and took his daughter Tecmessa as a prize. He then married Tecmessa and had a son by her, Eurysaces ('Broad Shield'). Now Ajax is in command of the Salaminians before Troy, and looking towards future glory and victory... as long as someone else does not steal these from him!
For more information on Salamis and other Aristeia factions view this thread.
Reply With Quote
(Okay, just once)
Originally Posted by Zhuge_Liang
