Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
Neptune cheer them on and help them. He therefore held on at the
point where he had first forced his way through the gates and the
wall, after breaking through the serried ranks of Danaan warriors. It
was here that the ships of Ajax and Protesilaus were drawn up by
the sea-shore; here the wall was at its lowest, and the fight both of
man and horse raged most fiercely. The Boeotians and the Ionians
with their long tunics, the Locrians, the men of Phthia, and the
famous force of the Epeans could hardly stay Hector as he rushed
on towards the ships, nor could they drive him from them, for he
was as a wall of fire. The chosen men of the Athenians were in the
van, led by Menestheus son of Peteos, with whom were also
Pheidas, Stichius, and stalwart Bias: Meges son of Phyleus,
Amphion, and Dracius commanded the Epeans, while Medon and
staunch Podarces led the men of Phthia. Of these, Medon was
bastard son to Oileus and brother of Ajax, but he lived in Phylace
away from his own country, for he had killed the brother of his
stepmother Eriopis, the wife of Oileus; the other, Podarces, was the
son of Iphiclus son of Phylacus. These two stood in the van of the
Phthians, and defended the ships along with the Boeotians.
Ajax son of Oileus never for a moment left the side of Ajax son of
Telamon, but as two swart oxen both strain their utmost at the
plough which they are drawing in a fallow field, and the sweat
steams upwards from about the roots of their horns- nothing but
the yoke divides them as they break up the ground till they reach
the end of the field- even so did the two Ajaxes stand shoulder to
shoulder by one another. Many and brave comrades followed the
son of Telamon, to relieve him of his shield when he was overcome
with sweat and toil, but the Locrians did not follow so close after
the son of Oileus, for they could not hold their own in a hand-to-
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