Black Ships Before Troy Notes – updated 5/18/06

Chapter I, “The Golden Apple,” 4/10/06

Wedding of King Peleus and Thetis (sea nymph) but didn’t invite Eris, goddess of discord (trouble & disagreements). She’s mad! She left a golden apple that said, “To the Fairest.”

Athene said it was hers because she was goddess of wisdom. Hera said it should be hers because she was the wife of Zeus and is queen of all gods. Aphrodite said she should have the apple because she is the goddess of beauty. They are vain and selfish and greedy. Other gods took sides.

In Troy, Paris was born to King Priam and Queen Hecuba. Soothsayers foretold that the baby would burn down Troy and be trouble. King sends baby out to wilderness to die, but a herdsman finds Paris and raises him.

Paris grows up strong and falls in love with Oenone, a wood nymph who could heal the wounds of men.

Three goddesses throw the golden apple to Paris and make him decide who is fairest. They tried to bribe him. If he chose Athene she would give him supreme wisdom.

Hera offers him wealth, honor and power. Aphrodite promises him a beautiful wife. Paris wants a beautiful wife and chooses Aphrodite.

Athena and Hera were angry. Aphrodite sent Paris back to Troy and reunited with his parents. They forgot about the prophecy and were glad to see him.

Across Agean Sea, King Menelaus of Sparta to Helen of the Fair Cheeks get married. He has lots of powerful friends and brothers.

Paris heard of Helen’s beauty and went to see her. He left Oenone weeping. He’s very selfish and spoiled.

Menelaus welcomes Paris to his home. Paris says he was there to meet Menelaus but really he was there to see his lovely wife. Helen likes Paris because he is young. Paris forgets about Oenone and tells Helen he can’t live without her. Paris and Helen leave Sparta together. Helen her husband, baby and honor.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter II, “Ship-Gathering,” 4/12/06

Menelaus returns from hunting and finds Helen has run off with Paris. Black greed and hatred hit Menelaus (he wanted his wife back and was mad). Menelaus summoned his brothers and friends to help him get Helen back. They are going to Troy to fight for her on ships. He calls:

Agamemnon, Nestor, Thisbe, Pytho, Ajax, Diomedes, Odysseus, Idomeneus.

Achilles wasn’t among them. (son of King Peleus and Thetis, the sea nymph…the wedding from the start of the story) His mom protected him from harm by dipping him in the River Styx, but didn’t dip his ankle. She was always afraid of him getting hurt. She had him dressed like a girl and hiding with princesses to avoid Menelaus’ battle to get Helen back.

Odysseus dressed like a trader and brought presents to the princesses. Each girl chose a trinket. Once Achilles saw a sword, his mother’s spell was broken and he joined Odysseus on the ship for Troy.

Achilles went to his home to get 50 fully-manned ships to go with him to Troy. His mom made him choose between short life and fame or long and happy life with no fame. He kissed them both good bye.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter III, “Quarrel with the High King,” 4/13/06

When all Greek leaders got to Sparta to join Menelaus, they went to Troy together. They were a huge mass of ships. Prince Protesilaus, a Greek, was the first to land and the first casualty.

The Greeks were on the beaches of Troy 9 years and fought mostly against the small villages in Troy, not at the great walled city of Troy. They lived in huts they built along the sea shore.

Briseis and Chryseis were beautiful Greek women who were captured after a battle. Chryseis went to Agamemnon as a prize; Briseis went to Achilles because he was the leader of the raid. That was after 10 years of the Greeks being in Troy. Chryseis was the daughter of the priest of Apollo. The priest begged for his daughters return. Agamemnon said no and insulted the priest.

The soothsayer says the Greeks are dying from fever because Apollo is mad at them. Chryseis must be returned to appease Apollo and rid the Greeks of illness.

Hera and Athena are on the side of the Greeks. Apollo and Aphrodite are on the side of the Trojans. Athena says for Achilles to give Briseis to Agamemnon and for Chryseis to be returned to her father. Achilles insults Agamemnon.

Agamemnon takes Briseis back to his camp away from Achilles. Odysseus takes Chryseis back home. Achilles refuses to fight for the Greeks if he can’t have Briseis. Achilles goes to the beach and cries. His mom, Thetis, comes to him to see what’s wrong. Achilles asks her to go to Zeus and make the Trojans win a battle against the Greeks so that Agamemnon will apologize and give Briseis back.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter IV, “Single Combat,” 4/24/06

Zeus promised Thetis a Trojan victory to punish the Greeks. This is revenge for Achilles to get Briseis back from Agamemnon.

Zeus sends Agamemnon a dales dream to attack Troy and enjoy a promised victory.

Agamemnon’s not sure when he wakes up if his dream is true. He asks the kings and captains for advice. They decide to go to battle.

For the first time the Trojans and Greeks faced each other in battle. Paris came out in potted panther skin and challenged a Greek to single combat. Menelaus, Helen’s rightful husband, comes forward to fight. Paris gets scared and in shame, falls back and hides.

Hector, Paris’ big brother, tells Paris to regain his courage. The results of the battle determine where Helen lives. Greeks agreed.

Helen went to watch the fight of her two husbands. The old Trojan men feel it’s time for Helen to return to Greeks and the war be over. Helen feels bad and King Priam says he doesn’t blame Helen of the war. It is the will of the gods, he says.

Helen says she wished she died rather than leave her baby and husband and starts this war. King Priam comforted her.

They drew names on the battle field to see who would throw the first spear. Paris’ throw was first, but it bounced off Menelaus’ shield.

Paris, the Trojan prince, was being attacked by Menelaus on the battle field. Aphrodite helped Paris by breaking his helmet strap and helping him get away from Menelaus by throwing a cloak of invisibility over Paris. Paris is taken home.

Helen meets Aphrodite on the balcony and Aphrodite persuades Helen to go back to Paris in his hall. Helen goes back to Paris and sees him not looking very tired or warn-out from battle and feels mad at him. Helen says she wishes Paris had died in battle.

Paris tries to sweet talk Helen. Aphrodite uses magic on Helen and makes Helen stay with Paris. Aphrodite does not want Helen to return to Greece with Menelaus because all the other gods and goddesses would mock her.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter V, “The Women of Troy,” 4/25/06

Menelaus was alone on the battlefield after Paris was taken away by Aphrodite. Athena put into the head of Pandarus to kill Menelaus. The blow drew blood but did not kill the king. The battle was very harsh.

A soothsayer told Hector to leave battle and have his mother give offerings to Athena so the battle would be won by the Trojans. Hector reluctantly left the fighting and delivered the message. Then he stopped by to see Helen before returning to the battle.

Hector sees Paris in the chamber with Helen. He tells Paris to go back and fight. Paris gets on his armor and returns with his brother.

Hector goes to say goodbye to his wife. He finds her at the Scaean Gate with their baby. She asks him not to go to battle because she does not want him to die. She says he has been her entire family. He says he must die for his country. The thing he fears most is that Troy will lose the war and the Greeks will enslave Trojan women on foreign soil.

Hector picks up his baby but the helmet scares the baby. Hector takes off the helmet and holds the baby and his wife and says a final goodbye. Then Hector returns to battle and sends his wife to women’s work.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VI, “The High King’s Embassy,” 4/26/06

They had another single combat, and Ajax of Salamis was chosen to fight for the Greeks. Hector was chosen to fight for the Trojans. It was all Athena’s idea.

Hector and Ajax are fighting and it is a really gruesome fight. Hector throws a spear at Ajax and it goes through the bronze and six layers of ox hide. (Luckily it doesn’t go through the 7^th layer of ox hide.) Ajax throws a spear at Hector and it hits him in the neck. Ajax throws a rock at Hector that cracks Hector’s shield and makes it cave in on him.

Both armies sent heralds to stop the fighting. Hector and Ajax parted as friends and gave each other gifts. Hector gives Ajax a sword and Ajax gives Hector a purple belt.

That night both sides burned the bodies of their dead. Along the beach, the Greeks dug a long ditch to protect their camp and a fortress of stakes and moss.

The next day they fought again and Zeus sent thunderbolts to slow down Diomedes. After the day’s fighting, the Trojans had pushed the Greeks back to the water’s edge. Trojans felt so sure of their victory that they did not go back to the walls of Troy, they camped out on the battle field.

Agamemnon was worried that the battle was going against them and suggested they all just go home and forget about the 10 year battle. But Diomedes said, “No way! We want to stay and finish the war!”

The kings have a meeting. King Nestor said they made a big mistake letting Achilles go. Nestor suggested Agamemnon return Briseis to Achilles along with riches and gold and asks his pardon for the past insult.

Odysseus, Ajax and Phoenix went to Achilles to see if he would come back and help the Greeks. Achilles was really a good fighter and they needed his help. They said that Agamemnon would give back Briseis and lots of other goodies. Achilles had nursed his anger so long that he could not give it up. He would never forgive Agamemnon.

Achilles’ old tutor said for him to give up his anger. Achilles said he would not, and further more he would only fight when Hector was standing at his own ship. The embassy of the three friends had to return to Agamemnon empty handed.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VII, “The Horses of King Rhesus,” 4/27/06

Agamemnon and Menelaus are restless because of all the Trojans camped outside their beachfront base. They wanted to get a spy to find out what the Trojan’s next move is going to be. They woke up old Nestor and the other chiefs for a council meeting to see if the council thought it was a good idea to send a spy. They had a meeting overlooking the Trojan campfires.

Diomedes volunteers if he can choose Odysseus who is a very good disguise artist. They wear leather armor so it doesn’t reflect in the firelight. But the Trojans are planning on sending spies to the Greek camp. Hector promises the spy who brings back information about the Greeks the prize of the two best Greek horses.

Dolon the spy for the Trojans is ugly and foolish and loves horses and runs fast. He puts a grey wolf skin over himself as a disguise. As he is running the Greeks see him coming toward them and lie down and pretend to be dead. Dolon runs by and Diomedes and Odysseus get up and catch him. Dolon begs for his life.

Odysseus makes Dolon tell him everything. Dolon says that Hector was not sleeping, and that a dawn attack depended on Dolon’s information. The Trojans were guarding their families in the city. Odysseus said that Achilles’ horses were not a mortal breed and could only be driven by Achilles or the one Achilles chooses. Dolon would not be able to control Achilles’ horses. Dolon tells Odysseus about King Rhesus’ horses and how swift and white they are. Then Dolon cries for his life again and Odysseus slays him. Dolon’s body is hidden under bushes and marked for later.

King Rhesus and his powerful group of 12 warriors are sleeping when Diomedes silently slew them all. Odysseus stole the gorgeous horses and led them away from the camp.

On the way back Odysseus and Diomedes took Dolon’s hat and armor and weapons. They told their story and the Greeks were happy. With King Rhesus dead the thousand Thracian warriors would go home without a leader.

Odysseus made an offering to Athena with Dolon’s stuff, and he and Diomedes clean up for breakfast.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VIII, “Red Rain,” 5/1/06

It is raining red rain over the Trojan War because Zeus wanted the Greeks to sense a bad omen. But they were not worried because of what Diomedes and Odysseus had done the night before. They had killed King Rhesus and his guards and sent the Thracian army home.

The Trojans are now loosing because they lost the Thracian army and Hector’s two other brothers died too. The Greeks are driving the Trojan army back to the city walls of Troy.

When the Greeks were surging, Agamemnon got wounded but it didn’t kill him. Diomedes hits Hector really hard in the head, but he just hopped in his chariot and kept on going. Paris shot an arrow that pinned Diomedes’ foot down. Then Diomedes got stabbed in the chest. He called to Ajax and Menelaus to come help him. Ajax covered the wounded warrior with his mighty shield, and Menelaus helped him into his chariot.

Paris loosed another arrow that hurt the Greek doctor, Machaon, who needed to be taken back to old Nestor to be healed. Nearly all the Greek leaders that were fighting were wounded and they couldn’t fight any more.

Achilles was standing on the bow of his ship and saw Machaon being brought to Nestor. Achilles sent Patrocolus to find out what was wrong with the healer. Machaon said he would be fine after a few days.

Old Nestor told Patroclus to put on Achilles armor and go out to fight to help the Greeks. That would make the Trojans worried and fearful.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter IX, “Battle for the Ships,” 5/2/06

Hector was urging his horses and chariots across the ditch outside the Greek beach camp. The horses wouldn’t cross, so the Trojans left their chariots on the other side and crossed on foot. All foot soldiers followed their chiefs; Hector, Paris, Helenus, Aeneas, Asios, and Sarpedon.

The Trojans are attacking the fortress that the Greeks have made at the beach. Zeus sends an eagle to drop a blood-red snake on the Trojan soldiers who get more charged up to fight harder. Zeus gives Hector the power to throw a giant rock at the Greek gate and open it at last.

Poseidon, god of the ocean and earthquakes, was looking that way and saw the desperate state of the Greeks. He drove his chariot all the way over there between the waves with sea monsters around him like dolphins around bows of a ship.

Hector and Ajax came together and Ajax threw a rock and it hit Hector. Hector fell and was in bad shape. The Trojans stopped fighting and carried Hector away thinking he was dead. The Greeks cheered in victory. Then Zeus looked towards Troy and saw Hector was vomiting black blood, and knew that his brother Poseidon must have been helping the Greeks. Zeus sent Apollo to breathe fresh life into Hector.

Hector rises again and the Trojans beat back the Greeks. Hector said that he would kill any of his men who scavenged armor because he needed them to fight up front. Hector decided to burn the ships and calls for fire. All the Trojans took branches on fire down to the boats and tried to set the boats on fire. The Greeks were on the boats trying to hold them off so they couldn’t catch fire to the ships. The battle was like a whirlpool. Patroclus comes out of his hurt friend’s hut and saw the great fight and flames.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter X, “The Armor of Achilles,” 5/3/06

Patroclus is upset because the Greeks are all dying in the battle with the Trojans. Patroclus remembered old Nestor’s idea of Patroclus wearing Achilles armor to lead the Myrmidons in battle and help save the Greeks. Achilles agreed to let Patroclus take his famous armor. (Everybody knows what Achilles’ armor looks like and it was made by the gods.) But Achilles made Patroclus promise to only lead the Trojan’s away from the ships, and then return home.

The charioteer gets Achilles’ chariot ready for battle. The Myrmidons are told that Achilles will lead them in battle and they must put on their armor and ready their spears. Seeing “Achilles” in his glorious armor put fresh heart into the Myrmidons, but it was really Patroclus in disguise.

As Patroclus rides out with the Myrmidons, Achilles pours a glass of wine out of the old ceremonial gold cup and prays to Zeus to let Patroclus come back unharmed but with lots of glory and honor. Zeus grants half the prayer, but not the other.

Patrocolus killed Sarpedon, leader of the Lycians and leader of all the Trojan allies. Then the Greeks started to take his armor but when they went to get his body, unseen Sleep and Death, Sarpedon’s brothers, take his body home to their dad, Zeus.

Zeus is mad that his son got killed so he sends Battle Madness to Patroclus who charges on toward Troy forgetting his promise to Achilles. Patroclus tried to climb the walls of Troy three times.

Hector starts charging toward “Achilles” who is really Patroclus. Patroclus throws a huge rock at Hector, but it kills the Trojan charioteer instead. After Patroclus charged Hector three times, Apollo hit Patroclus from behind and his helmet falls off. The Greeks see who he really is. One of the Trojans spears Patroclus in the back and then Hector spears him from the front. Right before Patroclus dies; he tells Hector that HE will die soon in the very same place. It was well known that dying men see far.

Patroclus was dead so Hector took off Achilles armor and put it on himself and sent his armor to be put as an offering to Athena. Then Hector joined the fight to see who would get Patroclus’ dead body. The Trojans wanted to throw it to the dogs in the city. The Greeks wanted to give him an honorable burial. Patroclus’ charioteer found another soldier to drive the horses. Zeus revives the horses. The Greeks win and take Patroclus’ body back to the ships.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter XI, “Vengeance for Patroclus,” 5/4/06

Antilochus, son of Nestor ran back from battle to tell Achilles that his friend Patroclus was dead. Achilles vowed to go kill Hector in vengeance, but he had no armor. His mother, Thetis, came to him from the waves to comfort him. She said he could not go into battle without armor, but that she would go to Hephaestus, lord of armorers, and get a new set made.

Achilles goes up on to the wall at the Greek camp at the highest part and screamed his battle cry across the plain. The Trojans all get scared and run away. The Myrmidons grab Patroclus’ body and take it back to Achilles’ hall. The slave women bathed his body and cried. Achilles and the Myrmidons were all crying. Patroclus was bathed of battle dust and blood and wrapped in a white cloth to shroud his body.

Thetis went to Olympus and Hephaestus made the armor. The shield has pictures of fields, vineyards, and men and women dancing to a flute and more. Achilles put the armor on and was ready for battle, but Odysseus made him accept Agamemnon’s apology and gifts first. Achilles didn’t eat breakfast because he wanted to kill Hector first. (Hera gave Xanthus the power to speak.) His horse, Xanthus, said that Achilles was going to die. Achilles said he wanted to kill Hector before he returned to camp.

Achilles slew every Trojan on his way to Troy. The gates of Troy opened to let the retreating Trojans in. Hector remained outside to face Achilles.

Hector’s courage left him and he ran three times around the walls of Troy. Finally he regained courage and faced Achilles at the gate. Hector could feel the wind of Achilles’ thrown spear over his shoulder. Hector threw his own spear in return at Achilles and it hit the beautiful new shield, but bounced off.

Achilles had one spear left and Hector had none. Hector got his sword out but before he could strike, Achilles stabbed him in the throat with the long spear. Hector begged to have a proper burial for his father, but Achilles said he would feed the body to the dogs and ravens. Then Hector said his brother Paris would kill him in retaliation. All the Greek front-fighters went up and stabbed Hector’s body. Then Achilles put a leather thread through Hector’s ankles and dragged his body behind the chariot all the way back to the Greek camp.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter XII, “Funeral Games,” 5/8/06

The Trojan people were wailing when they were watching the battle and Hector was slain. Andromache, Hector’s wife, heard about her husband’s death. She ran to the Scaean Gate and was horrified to see Achilles drag Hector’s body disrespectfully back to the Greek camp. Andromache was crying for her babe who had no father and for her husband who would not have proper burial and so he would wander uncomforted between the land of the living and the dead.

Patroclus’ ghost came to Achilles in his sleep and asked him to burn and bury his body. Patroclus was wandering outside the gates of Hades and the dead men would not let him in. Achilles tries to hug Patroclus, but you can’t hug a ghost, so the vision disappeared. Achilles awoke and sent men to cut down trees for a funeral pyre. Once the pyre was built the Myrmidons each threw a lock of their hair on the pyre and Achilles cut off all his hair and put it in Patroclus’ right hand. He also put cattle, horses, hounds, 12 Trojan prisoners, and jars of oil and honey. The winds blew the fires to burn hot all night long.

The Greeks put the ashes of Patroclus in a gold drinking cup and Achilles asked to have his ashes mixed with Patroclus’ after his death. Then they had funeral games to honor the dead. They had a chariot race won by Diomedes who got a slave and a three footed gold cauldron for a prize.

Achilles brought all the prizes to give away. The other games included a boxing match, wrestling, and a footrace.

The last game was fighting in armor to see who could shed the first blood. The prize was Sarpedon’s armor. Ajax and Diomedes fought so hard the crowd begged them to stop. The day ended with a feast in Achilles’ hall.

Achilles couldn’t sleep so he went to pace on the seashore. For twelve days he dragged Hector’s body around Patroclus’ burial mound. Apollo protected Hector’s body from further harm, and the gods decided Achilles was dishonoring himself and so this savage treatment must cease.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter XIII, “Ransom for Hector,” 5/9/06

The gods made King Priam get presents ready for Achilles to buy back Hector’s body. King Priam is mourning the loss of his son. The presents were really nice stuff like robes and mantles and tunics and cauldrons and bars of gold and beautiful golden cup. Thetis went to talk to her son, Achilles, about the treatment of Hector’s body. King Priam went to give Achilles the stuff.

Hermes was making all of the Greeks sleep so they wouldn’t attack Priam when he got to the Greek camp. Priam kissed the hand of Achilles, the hand that killed his son. The Myrmidons were unloading the ransom. Priam said to Achilles, “Please have pity on me and give me my son back.” Achilles cried with Priam and agreed to release the body. Achilles told his slaves to clean Hector’s body and cover it with the finest mantle. Achilles and Priam ate together, while Hector’s body was readied for the trip home in the wagon.

When they carried Hector’s body in to Troy, Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen were all lamenting for him. Achilles granted them eleven days without fighting so Troy could bury Hector with a proper burial ritual. They built a funeral pyre, burned Hector’s body and took his ashes and charred bones and wrapped them in fine purple cloth and put them in a gold box and put it in a chamber. Afterward, the Trojans had a big feast.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter IVX, “The Luck of Troy,” 5/10/06

Troy is waiting for allies to come help them fight. In Athena’s temple is kept a black shield called “The Luck of Troy,” or “The Palladium.” The Trojans believed the shield gave them luck in battle. Odysseus wanted to steal it so the Trojans would loose heart.

A beggar came to Diomedes’ tent and told of how he came to the camp. The beggar stayed in camp, ate food, told bad stories to make men mad, and stole Nestor’s gold cup. The young men whipped the beggar in front of the Trojan gate and left him there to die.

The beggar tells Helen he as been in her country and knows of her family. She wants to hear his stories. Helen feels sorry for the beggar and brings him inside the gate. After she cleans him up she sees that he is Odysseus, a friend from her past in Greece.

Helen tells Odysseus the Amazons are coming to help Troy. Odysseus tells her that he will not tell the Greeks about the Amazons, and when the Greeks finally break into Troy he will come and save her and give her back safely to King Menelaus. She gives him a gold vial of sleeping medicine as a parting gift, along with clothes and a sword. He hides them all.

Odysseus slept in the temple of Athena at night. The priestess saw his gold vial and tasted it and fell asleep. Odysseus stole the Luck of Troy and left the city. Back at camp, the Greeks are surprised at Odysseus’ trick and pleased to have the Luck of Troy. In Troy all hope was lost with their treasure.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VX, “Warrior Women,” 5/11/06

Paris got the Amazons who are famous women warriors. They are equals to the strongest men. The leader, Penthesilea, accidentally killed her sister and that’s why she wants to die in battle too because she doesn’t feel any sweetness in her life.

Odysseus kept his promise to Helen, and didn’t tell Greeks about the Amazons coming. The Amazons made it safely to Troy and were welcomed with flowers, a feast and kissed feet.

Penthesilea said she was going to kill Achilles with her new sword given her by King Priam. But, Andromache said that if Hector couldn’t kill Achilles, then how could Penthesilea kill him.

Penthesilea led the Trojans in battle on the fields before the Greek ships. The Greeks thought it might be a god leading their attackers. Lots of Greeks died, but half the Amazons died too. Then Penthesilea got mad and pushed the Greeks back to their ships with flames and threats.

Ajax and Achilles came back from another raid and started helping the Greeks fight. Penthesilea threw a spear at them both, but couldn’t penetrate their armor. Achilles killed her and her white horse and laughed out loud.

Achilles saw that Penthesilea was young and fair and he wept over her. The Greeks sent the queen and her spear-maidens back to Troy. King Priam burned them in a funeral pyre and put their ashes in gold caskets and buried them in a long dead king’s funeral mound.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VIX, “The Death of Achilles,” 5/15/06

King Memnon is the leader of the Ethiopians that came from Africa to help Troy. Polydamas is a Trojan leader who thinks that they should give back Helen to the Greeks with twice the jewels and then stop the war. Paris wants to keep Helen as long as possible, so he called Polydamas a coward in a rage.

Battle began with the Ethiopians. King Memnon went after Antilochus (Nestor’s son) and killed him. Nestor went to get Achilles to save his son’s body from dishonor. Achilles went to get the body and Memnon stabbed Achilles in the arm.

Achilles ended up stabbing and killing King Memnon. Then Paris loosed an arrow into the battle mass and Apollo guided it to hit Achilles’ ankle. This is the spot that Thetis left unprotected when she dipped Achilles in the River Styx.

When Achilles took the arrow out he stumbled and shouted, “What coward has shot me from far away.” Hector’s dying words came true that Paris would kill Achilles at the Scaean Gate. The Greeks and Trojans were fighting over Achilles’ body because the armor was so precious. Finally Odysseus lifted it and Ajax helped him carry it back to the dark ships. Achilles was prepared for the funeral.

Thetis came to see her dead son and gave gifts to the winners of the funeral games. After the fire burned out, Achilles’ white ashes were mixed with Patroclus’ ashes in the gold cup. Thetis gave her son’s armor to the bravest of the ones who saved his body back from battle.

The Trojan captives had to decide who was the bravest warrior to get the shield. Dionysus made Ajax speak drunkenly when he pled his case to the captives and the Trojan’s chose Odysseus to the prize. Ajax couldn’t speak with anger so his friends dragged him back to his ship. He wouldn’t eat or sleep or talk all day. Then at night he was going to try to go kill Odysseus but he saw the field of sheep instead. Ajax in frenzied rage wildly slew all the sheep. In the morning Ajax realized in shame what he had dishonored himself by killing sheep and so he fell on his own sword.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VIIX, “Poisoned Arrow,” 5/16/06

The Greeks found Ajax dead and they lamented over him. Odysseus said that he would rather have Ajax alive than have Achilles’ armor. They burned and buried Ajax’s body and lamented again. They realized they were losing too many good warrior leaders so they went to Calchas, the soothsayer. Calchas said to fetch the archer from the island of Lemnos, Philoctetes. The Greeks ten years before had left him on the isle of Lemnos because of his stinky foot and loud moans.

Odysseus and Diomedes set sail for Lemnos. When they got there they found Philoctetes because he was crying so loudly. They followed his moans to a cave that was littered in bird scraps to find him. Philoctetes dipped his arrow in his own venom and tried to shoot his former sword brothers. Diomedes and Odysseus told him that if he goes back to Troy with them, they will clean him up and fix his foot. He agrees. They give him a good meal and bandages.

They healed Philoctetes and treated him with kindness. He went into battle with them and loosed a poisoned arrow at Paris. The poison hurt Paris and he went to Oenone’s cave for help since she can heal any man’s wound.

Paris went to Oenone’s cave and beseeched her to take away his pain. She said no, go let Helen help you, and lamented. Then she changed her mind and went to the door but couldn’t find him. He had already died.

The Trojans built a funeral pyre for Paris and everyone stood around it weeping. Oenone draped herself in veils like a bride and jumped on the pyre to be with Paris. She wanted to be with him for eternity.

The ashes of Paris and Oenone were mixed together in a gold cup and buried in one vault. The wood nymphs planted two wild roses on the common grave that plaited (wove or braided) into one.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter VIIIX, “The Wooden Horse,” 5/17/06

Helen was not returned to the Greeks after Paris’ death because they thought the Greeks would kill Helen.

The Greeks got pushed back to the black ships. Calchas, their soothsayer, told the Greeks to trick the Trojans.

Odysseus was given an idea by Athena to make a wooden horse to give to the Trojans. It would be hollow so a score of men would fit inside. The rest of the ships would sail off to seem to the Trojans to have stopped the battle. But they would only go out of the Trojan’s sight and wait till night to sneak back. The Trojans would think that the horse was a trophy of war that the Greeks made to appease Athena. It was an apology for stealing the Luck of Troy, and to ensure the Greek’s safe journey home. The Trojans would open the Scaean Gate to let the horse in, and not know they Greeks were inside its belly.

Sinon is a young soldier who was not a front fighter, so the Trojans wouldn’t know him. He was the one to be left behind by the Greeks to tell the “story” and make the horse gift believable to the Trojans.

Odysseus, Diomedes, Menelaus, Epeius (horse builder) and others will be inside the horse.

Odysseus was offered a city by Menelaus as reward for being such a good friend and tricky fighter. Odysseus refuses the city but asks for another favor instead. Menelaus agrees to the favor without knowing what it is.

The warriors inside the horse wore soft cloaks to muffle the sound of their armor.

The Trojans saw the smoke from the abandoned camp on the beach. King Priam and his soldiers went to the camp armed. They saw the wooden horse. Laocoon, the priest of Poseidon, came running from Troy shouting that the horse was a trick and probably had men inside. The Trojan soldiers found Sinon and forced him to speak. He told the story about how he came to be disfavored and left behind by the Greeks.

Two sea serpents sent by Poseidon crushed the priest and ate his two sons. The Trojans thought this was because the priest did not allow the Trojans to accept the offering for Athena. King Priam ordered the men to take the horse in to Troy and put it near Athena’s temple.

Cassandra, Paris’s sister, had foreknowledge and said not to bring the horse inside the gate. She said it would be the end of Troy. But they dragged it in on hemp ropes and log rollers and place it in the center of the citadel.

Black Ships Before Troy Notes

Chapter IXX, “The Fall of Troy,” 5/18/06

The men and women of Troy rejoiced with this gift from the Greeks. After their festival they lay asleep. Sinon was waiting for a signal from the high king’s ship to let the soldiers out of the horse. Once he saw the red flashing light, Sinon made a shore bird call to the men inside the horse who got ready to descend. Epeius opened the trap door and lowered a rope.

The Greeks came out of the horse and opened the Scaean Gate to the rest of the Greeks. All night they were fighting and killing people and burning down Troy.

Diomedes led a bunch of Greeks into the palace. A young warrior dragged King Priam by his long white hair to the altar steps and ran his sword threw him. They dragged off the queen and princesses as captives.

The Greeks were crashing down the walls of Troy. Menelaus seeks Helen in the home of Deiphobus, and finds him dead. Bloody footprints lead away from Deiphobus’ body to the hall beyond.

Menelaus finds Odysseus in the hall. Odysseus asks for the favor promised him earlier by Menelaus. Odysseus asked Menelaus to spare Helen’s life because she had saved his life when he stole the Luck of Troy. Helen came out of her hiding place and fell to her knees at Menelaus’ feet. She reached up beseechingly to her husband’s knees. If he hadn’t promised Odysseus, he would have slain her. But he then remembered their happy times together. She got up and Menelaus hugged her. He forgave her as he coughed in the smoke of burning Troy.

The next morning all the soldiers divided up all the riches and the slaves. Andromache’s son lay dead below the ramparts where he had been thrown. The Greeks took their slaves down to the ships. Andromache went with the new king of the Myrmidons. Princess Cassandra went with Agamemnon, the high king. Only Helen was treated like a queen. Then they headed home. If only Eris had been invited to the wedding or Paris killed at birth.