Death of Protesilaos

marble statue of fallen warrior; Greek, c.500-480 BCE
Sculpture from the East Pediment of the late archaic Temple of Aphaia in Aegina.
Munich, Glyptothek. Credits: Barbara McManus, 2005

Alas! Black earth now holds warlike Protesilaos, fulfilling the prophecy of the divine mother of Achilles. Never again shall his father or his new bride see him again. May this tale of mine, Podarkes, full brother of high-hearted Protesilaos, bear witness to his everlasting glory.

His lust for battle blinded him to the wiles of Odysseus. After the fleet had grounded at the shores of Ilium, three champions of the Achaeans–Protesilaos, Ajax, and Odysseus–each eagerly waited to jump upon land and be the first to slay his man. But mindful of the prophecy of Thetis, none dared to do so. At last, cunning Odysseus secretly threw down his shield onto the soil and jumped upon his shield. Seeing Odysseus jump down, Protesilaos without hesitation jumped onto the Trojan soil and began his slaughter. Like a lion coming upon unshepherded herds of goats or sheep leaps upon them intending wicked acts, just so warlike Protesilaos attacked the Trojans and their allies, killing many great warriors. His evil destiny was sealed when he encountered brilliant Hector, leader of the Dardanians, in one-on-one combat. Protesilaos fought valiantly, but proved no match for the best of the Trojans.

In the end his will was accomplished and his glory achieved. Protesilaos, first of men, was the first of the Achaeans to land upon Trojan soil, the first slay Trojan blood, and the first to die gloriously in the din of Ares!

At Troy!

Lust for fighting and the slaughter prevent me from sleeping tonight. With the arrival of rosy-fingered dawn, we will take to the plains of Troy and win glory and honor. Diplomacy has failed. Those haughty sons of Priam have refused our offers. Event the skillful tongue of wily Odysseus, cleverest of all men, could not convince them to give back Helen. Fools! Tomorrow they will feel the battle frenzy of the Achaeans, and green fear will overcome them at the sight of our greatest warrior, Achilles. None, even brilliant Hector, can match him in the din of battle, that scion of Ares!

I pray to the gods that I may live up to the name given to me by my beloved mother and father–Protesilaos, first of men. May I be the first of the Achaeans to strike down my man and the first to gain glory on the plains of Ilium. I fear not the words of Thetis that the first man to land on Trojans shores will be the first to die. Thetis fears for the death of her son and will stop at nothing to protect him. She bluffs to prevent her eager son from fighting. Her words are of no consequence to me.

Loss of Philoctetes

Jean Germain Drouais 1763-1788: Philoctète dans l'île de Lemnos. Musée des beaux arts, Chartres.

The long journey has already taken its toll, as the Achaeans have once more been punished by a child of Leto.  Philoctetes, the best of archers among the Achaeans, is gone. Angered at the murder of his son Tenes, a serpent of Apollo struck one of our own, Philoctetes, in retaliation. The pain of the incurable wound proved unbearable to the man, and the stench of it unbearable to the rest of us. Reluctantly, Agamemnon was forced to abandon the man on Lemnos. That magnificent bow, a gift of Heracles, which once struck fear into the hearts of Trojans, will now be a curse to the birds alone. Poor Philoctetes! The loss of the man and and the bow is great. Mark my words! We will find that the second sacking of Troy will prove difficult without that bow.

Departure

The sacrifice of Iphigenia. Pompei, casa del Poeta Tragico. National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

We are off! A thousand ships under the command of the lord of men Agamemnon have set sail for the plains of Ilium. But the departure has come at a cost. Agamemnon has slain his daughter and, in doing so, has split the mind of the army. Achilles was opposed to the plan, and now strife has arisen between the best of the Achaeans–a curse to the Danaans, but a thing of joy to the Trojans!

Aulis

This delay at Aulis has lasted far too long. The Panachaean fleet has assembled at this wretched harbor in preparation to sail to Troy; however, adverse winds have prevented the voyage. Better would it have been not to join this stalled expedition and remain at home with my new bride, than to be stranded on this rocky coast with no chance for glory! Calchas has proclaimed that Agamemnon has angered Artemis of the showering arrows, who now demands the sacrifice of his youngest daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon now has the difficult task of choosing between being a father or a general. May he choose the latter! I am eager to set sail...

Who I am

 χαίρετε!

For those who may not know me, I am Protesilaos, son of Iphiklos, grandson of Phylakos, chief of the Phylakaeans. Soon I will leave my homeland and my beloved wife Laodameia to join the rest of the Danaans in an assault against the sons of Priam.  I, along with my brother Podarkes, will lead forty black ships to the plains of Ilium in fulfillment of the oath sworn to Tyndareus, father of Helen. Great glory will be mine!