AJAX AND DIOMEDE IN THE ILIAD1)

BY

M. H. A. L. H. VAN DER VALK

Ajax and Diomede are the two principal heroes in the Iliad after Achilles. Diomede especially comes to the fore in E, Z, 0, while Ajax is prominent during the retreat (N, E, 0, P) and in the combat with Hector (H). In the Iliad as well as in the Odyssey Ajax is called the principal hero after Achilles 2), which epithet he also retains in post-Homeric authors 3). As such he is, together with Achilles, the typical opponent of Hector 4). However, a careful study of the Iliad leads to the conclusion that it is not Ajax but Diomede who is the more prominent hero. This appears especially in E, Z, 0 5), where Diomede even fights with gods and endangers the position of Troy to such an extent as even Achilles has never been able to do. The position held by Diomede in E, Z, O is never equalled by Ajax in the Iliad 6). The preponderance of Diomede over Ajax is corrobo- rated by evidence from the other books of the Iliad. Thus in 1 32 ff. and in E 110 ff. Diomede rejects Agamemnon's ignominious advice of leaving Troy. At his initiative the wounded chiefs exhort the other Greeks in E 379 ff. At this moment the Greeks are regrouped not by Ajax but by Diomede and the other wounded chiefs. Especially 1) Special thanks are due to Prof. J. A. Davison of Leeds who was not only so kind as to correct the English style but also made valuable suggestions with regard to certain points in the text. 2) Cp. B 768, P 279, X 469f., À550 f., to 17 f. Cp. also N 321 ff., A 7 and Ajax' epithets gpxoq 'Axaic:w, 7u6pyog'AXocL6v. 3) Cp. Alcaeus, Frag. 15 and the Attic Skolion, Diehl, Anthol. Lyr., II, Scol. An. 15. 4) Cp. H 206 ff., N 190 ff., N 681 ff., N 809 ff., E 410 ff., 0 415 ff., II 358 ff. 5) For reasons of space I do not discuss the older literature on these books. Cp. for this H. J. Mette, Der Pfeilschuss des Pandaros (Halle, 1951), 179. 6) This has been rightly observed by Bethe, Homer III (Leipzig-Berl. 1927), 106 f. Cp. also Schol. AB E 1. The Scholiast is surprised at the fact that Diomede is most important in E, although in reality Ajax was the most important hero after Achilles. 270

significant are the contests in Diomede is victor in the most important contest, viz. the chariot-race, T 499 ff. More interesting is the fencing match between him and Ajax, T 798-825. The poet says that this match remains undecided. Nevertheless, Diomede receives the prize destined for the victor, F 824 f. It is understandable that the Alexandrian critics have athetized the last-mentioned lines as being at variance with T 8231). In reality the lines are genuine and are typical of Homer's mentality since they show his partiality for Diomede, whom he favours at the expense of Ajax. This is also proved by A 457 ff., the beginning of the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans, where the same typical attitude of the poet can be observed. Among the Greek heroes who kill an enemy Antilochus, Ajax and Odysseus are mentioned. Diomede does not occur here, because he plays a prominent part in E and is therefore purposely mentioned for the first time at the beginning of that book. It is significant that Homer did not assign the honour of first killing a Trojan to Ajax but to Antilochus, whereas Ajax comes only second. The reason for this is clear. Antilochus, the son of Nestor, is a representative of the Ionians 2), whereas Ajax is an Aeolian hero 3) originating in Central Greece. It is interesting to notice that the heroes as well as the tribes of Central .Greece are of less importance, especially if compared with the heroes from the Peloponnese. Of the heroes from Central Greece only Ajax is in the first class. The tribes of Central Greece hardly ever come to the fore. In N 685 ff. the Boeotians, Athenians, Lokrians, Phthians and Epeians are mentioned, but are placed in an unimportant part of the battle-field 4). With the exception of the Epeians 5) the other tribes are Central Greek tribes. The Boeotians are especially looked down

1) Schol. AT 'Y' 823. Cp. for the Scholia Bolling, The Athetized Lines ofthe Iliad (Baltimore 1944) 184. 2) For Nestor's Ionian origin, cp. below p. 274 n. 1. 3) Cp. e.g. the patronymikon -ios in Telamonios which points to Aeolian origin (cp. E. Risch, Wortbildung der Homerischen Sprache, Berlin 1937, 104). I hope to have the opportunity to discuss the question of Ajax' Aeolian origin elsewhere. 4) For this I refer to my forthcoming article in Ant. Class. 1953. 5) The Epeians, however, are enemies of the Ionian Nestor. The Athenians, although Ionians, have been placed here, because geographically they belong to Central Greece.