Aias
Aias (Lat. Ajax).Son of Telamon, king of Salamis, hence Aias Telamonius. He brought twelve ships from Salamis to Troy (Iliad 2. 557). In the Iliad he is of enormous (pelōrios) size, head and shoulders above the rest (3. 226–9), and the greatest of the Greek warriors after Achilles (2. 768–9). His stock epithet is ‘bulwark (herkos) of the Achaeans’, and his characteristic weapon a huge shield of seven-fold ox-hide. He clearly has the better of Hector in a duel (7. 181–305) after which the heroes exchange gifts, Aias giving Hector a sword-belt in return for a sword; and he is at his memorable best when with unshakeable courage he defends the Greek wall and then the ships (see esp. 15. 676–88, 727–46, 16. 101–11). He is also a member of the Embassy to Achilles, when he gives a brief but effective appeal to Achilles on friendship's grounds (9. 624–42). At Patroclus'...
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