The Iliad Flashcards
Scamander
A river God. Tries to drown Achilles, but Hephaestus drives the god back with flam
Thetis
Sea Nymph and Mother to Achilles. Gets Zeus to help the Trojans and punish the Achaeans at the request of her angry son
Achilles
Son of Peleus and Thetis
Agamemnon
Leader of the Achaean army, stole Achilles’s war prize
Menelaus
King of Sparta; the younger brother of Agamemnon.
abduction of his wife, Helen, by the Trojan prince Paris that sparks the Trojan War
Duels Paris
Diomedes
The youngest of the Achaean commanders
After Achilles withdraws from combat, Athena inspires Diomedes with such courage, strength, and the ability to see the gods that he actually wounds two gods, Aphrodite and Ares.
Odysseus
A fine warrior and the cleverest of the Achaean commanders. Great public speaker.
Convinced the Achaeans to not flee to their ships despite Agamemnon unsuccessfully testing their courage
Great Ajax
An Achaean commander, Great Ajax is the second mightiest Achaean warrior after Achilles.
His extraordinary size and strength help him to wound Hector twice by hitting him with boulders in their duel. The duel ended when they agreed to stop for nightfall, at the request of Zeus.
He often fights alongside Little Ajax, and the pair is frequently referred to as the “Aeantes.”
Little Ajax
An Achaean commander. He often fights alongside Great Ajax, whose stature and strength complement Little Ajax’s small size and swift speed.
Nestor
King of Pylos and the oldest Achaean commander. Although age has taken much of Nestor’s physical strength, it has left him with great wisdom. Often acts as an advisor for the Achaean commanders
Great public speaker,
Idomeneus
King of Crete and a respected commander. Idomeneus leads a charge against the Trojans in Book 13.
Idomeneus
King of Crete and a respected commander. Idomeneus leads a charge against the Trojans in Book 13.
Phoenix
A kindly old warrior, Phoenix helped raise Achilles while he himself was still a young man. Achilles deeply loves and trusts him
Phoenix begs Achilles, in a lengthy speech, to fight for the Achaeans in book 9.
Calchas
Important fortune-teller
Calchas’s identifies the cause of the plague ravaging the Achaean army in Book 1
Helen
Most beautiful women in the ancient world. Stolen from Menelaus and given to Paris
Priam
King of Troy
Father of Hector and Paris
Too old to fight, but very wise
Hector
Resents his brother Paris for the war.
Mightiest warrior in the Trojan army
Paris
Son of Priam and Hecuba
His stealing of Helen sparks the Trojan war
Chryseis
Chryses’ daughter
Agamemnon’s war prize he has to give up to stop Apollo’s disease
Chryses
Priest of Apollo. Has Apollo disease the Achaeans until his daughter is returned
Briseis
Achilles’s war prize which Agamemnon steals
Hecuba
Wife to Priam, mother to Hector and Paris
prays to Athena for mercy with other nobelwomen
Agamemnon’s wife’s name
Clytemnestra
hector’s son name
Astyanax
Name of Helen’s mortal father
Tyndareus
Aeneas
Son of Aphrodite. Was being aided by Aphrodite when Diomedes wounded her too
Helenus
Trojan fortune teller and warrior
Tells Hector to tell Hecuba and Trojan noblewomen to pray to Athena for mercy
Son of Priam and Hecuba
Glaucus
Trojan. After Zeus stole his wits, Glaucus traded his golden armor with Diomedes’s bronze armor
Andromache
Wife of Hector
What should one make of the changeability of the plan of Zeus?
- Zeus sides with the Trojans because Thetis, Achilles’s mother, asks for his help.
- Zeus gives the “ok” for Athena to start conflict between the two armies by shooting a Achaean disguised as a Trojan after Menelaus’s and Paris’s duel
- Zeus grants Athena and Hera to give the Achaean the upper hand, giving Diomedes strength and the power to see the gods
- Zeus tells Hector and Greater Ajax to stop dueling for nightfall, acting as a neutral middle man
- In book 16 Zeus wants to protect his son Scamander
He seems to have many different interests
Patroclus
Loyal to both Achaeans and Achilles. Very close to Achilles
His death spurs Achilles to fight the Trojans
Sarpedon
Son of Zeus whom Patroclus kills. Zeus gets revenge by helping along Patroclus’s death.
