Wearing a Mist About his Shoulders

Then, his strength all spent, spake to him Hector of the flashing helm: "Who of the gods art thou, mightiest one, that dost make question of me face to face? Knowest thou not that at the sterns of the Achaeans' ships as I made havoc of his comrades, Aias, good at the war-cry, smote me on the breast with a stone, and made me cease from my furious might? Aye, and I deemed that on this day I should behold the dead and the house of Hades, when I had gasped forth my life."

Then spake to him again the lord Apollo, that worketh afar: "Be now of good cheer, so mighty a helper hath the son of Cronos sent forth from Ida to stand by thy side and succour thee, even me, Phoebus Apollo of the golden sword, that of old ever protect thee, thyself and the steep citadel withal. But come now, bid thy many charioteers drive against the hollow ships their swift horses, and I will go before and make smooth all the way for the chariots, and will turn in flight the Achaean warriors."

So saying, he breathed great might into the shepherd of the host. And even as when a stalled horse that has fed his fill at the manger, breaketh his halter, and runneth stamping over the plain—being wont to bathe him in the fair-flowing river--and exulteth; on high doth he hold his head and about his shoulders his mane floateth streaming, and as he glorieth in his splendour his knees nimbly bear him to the haunts and pastures of mares; even so swiftly plied Hector his feet and knees, urging on his charioteers, when he had heard the voice of the god. But as when dogs and country-folk pursue a horned stag or a wild goat, but a sheer rock or a shadowy thicket saveth him from them, nor is it their lot to find him; and then at their clamour a bearded lion showeth himself in the way, and forthwith turneth them all back despite their eagerness: even so the Danaans for a time ever followed on in throngs, thrusting with swords and two-edged spears, but when they saw Hector going up and down the ranks of men, then were they seized with fear, and the spirits of all men sank down to their feet.

Then among them spake Thoas, son of Andraemon, far the best of the Aetolians, well-skilled in throwing the javelin, but a good man too in close fight, and in the place of assembly could but few of the Achaeans surpass him, when the young men were striving in debate. He with good intent addressed their gathering, and spake among them: "Now look you, verily a great marvel is this that mine eyes behold, how that now he is risen again and hath avoided the fates, even Hector. In sooth the heart of each man of us hoped that he had died beneath the hands of Aias, son of Telamon. But lo, some one of the gods hath again delivered and saved Hector, who verily hath loosed the knees of many Danaans, as, I deem, will befall even now, since not without the will of loud-thundering Zeus doth he stand forth thus eagerly as a champion. Nay come, even as I shall bid, let us all obey. The multitude let us bid return to the ships, but ourselves, all we that declare us to be the the best in the host, let us take our stand, if so be we first may face him, and thrust him back with our outstretched spears; methinks, for all his eagerness he will fear at heart to enter into the throng of the Danaans."

So spake he, and they readily hearkened and obeyed. They that were in the company of Aias and prince Idomeneus, and Teucer, and Meriones, and Meges, the peer of Ares, called to the chieftains, and marshalled the fight, fronting Hector and the Trojans, but behind them the multitude fared back to the ships of the Achaeans. Then the Trojans drave forward in close throng, and Hector led them, advancing with long strides, while before him went Phoebus Apollo, his shoulders wrapped in cloud, bearing the fell aegis, girt with shaggy fringe, awful, gleaming bright, that the smith Hephaestus gave to Zeus to bear for the putting to rout of warriors; this Apollo bare in his hands as he led on the host.

And the Argives in close throng abode their coming, and the war-cry rose shrill from either side, and the arrows leapt from the bow-string, and many spears, hurled by bold hands, ere some of them lodged in the flesh of youths swift in battle, and many of them, or ever they reached the white flesh, stood fixed midway in the earth, fain to glut themselves with flesh. Now so long as Phoebus Apollo held the aegis moveless in his hands, even so long the missiles of either side reached their mark and the folk kept falling; but when he looked full in the faces of the Danaans of swift horses, and shook the aegis, and himself shouted mightily withal, then made he their hearts to faint within their breasts, and they forgat their furious might. And as when two wild beasts drive in confusion a herd of kine or a great flock of sheep in the darkness of black night, when they have come upon them suddenly, and a herdsman is not by, even so were the Achaeans driven in rout with no might in them; for upon them Apollo had sent panic, and unto the Trojans and Hector was he giving glory.

Then man slew man as the fight was scattered. Hector laid low Stichius and Arcesilaus, the one a leader of the brazen-coated Boeotians, and the other a trusty comrade of great-souled Menestheus; and Aeneas slew Medon and Iasus. The one verily, Medon, was a bastard son of godlike Oïleus, and brother of Aias, but he dwelt in Phylace far from his native land, for that he had slain a man of the kin of his stepmother, Eriopis that Oïleus had to wife; and Iasus was a captain of the Athenians, and was called the son of Sphelus, son of Bucolus. And Mecisteus did Polydamas slay, and Polites slew Echius in the forefront of the fight, and Clonius was slain of goodly Agenor. And Deïochus did Paris smite from behind, as he fled amid the foremost fighters, upon the base of the shoulder, and drave the bronze clean through.


- Homer, The Iliad, Book 15 (A. T. Murray translation)


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In his weakness Hektor of the shining helm spoke to him:
“Who are you, who speak to me face to face, O noblest
of gods? Did you not know how by the Achaians’ grounded
ships, Aias of the great war cry struck me in the chest with a boulder
as I slaughtered his companions, and stayed my furious valor?
Truly, I thought that on this day I would come to the corpses
and the house of the death god, once I had breathed the inward life from me.”
In turn the lord, the worker from afar, Apollo, spoke to him:
“Take heart; such an avenger am I whom the son of Kronos
sent down from Ida, to stand by your side and defend you,
Phoibos Apollo of the golden sword, who in time before this
also have stood to defend yourself and your sheer citadel.
So come now, and urge on your cavalry in their numbers
to drive on their horses against the hollow ships. Meanwhile
I shall move on before you and make all the way for the horses
smooth before them, and bend back the Achaian fighters.”
He spoke, and breathed huge strength into the shepherd of the people.
As when some stalled horse who has been corn-fed at the manger
breaking free of his rope gallops over the plain in thunder
to his accustomed bathing place in a sweet-running river
and in the pride of his strength holds high his head and the mane floats
over his shoulders; sure of his glorious strength, the quick knees
carry him to the loved places and the pasture of horses;
so Hektor moving rapidly his feet and his knees went
onward, stirring the horsemen when he heard the god’s voice speak.
And as when men who live in the wilds and their dogs have driven
into flight a horned stag or a wild goat. Inaccessible
the rocky cliff or the shadowed forest has covered the quarry
so that the men know it was not their fortune to take him;
and now by their clamoring shows in the way a great bearded
lion, and bends them to sudden flight for all their eagerness;
so the Danaäns until that time kept always in close chase
assembled, stabbing at them with swords and leaf-headed spears,
but when they saw Hektor once more ranging the men’s ranks
they were frightened, and by their feet collapsed all their bravery.
Now Thoas spoke forth among them, the son of Andraimon,
far the best of the Aitolians, one skilled in the spear’s throw
and brave in close fight. In assembly few of the Achaians
when the young men contended in debate could outdo him.
He in kind intention now spoke forth and addressed them:
“Can this be? Here is a strange thing I see with my own eyes,
how this Hektor has got to his feet once more, and eluded
the death spirits. I think in each of us the heart had high hope
he was killed under the hands of Telamonian Aias.
Now some one of the gods has come to his help and rescued
Hektor, who has unstrung the knees of so many Danaäns.
I think he will do it once more now. It is not without Zeus
the deep-thundering that he stands their champion in all this fury.
Come then, let us do as I say, let us all be persuaded.
Let us tell the multitude to make its way back toward the vessels
while we ourselves, who claim we are greatest in all the army,
stand, and see if we can face him first, and hold him off from them
with spears lifted against him, and I think for all of his fury
his heart will be afraid to plunge into our Danaän company.
So he spoke, and they listened to him with care, and obeyed him.
They who rallied about Aias, the lord Idomeneus,
Teukros, Meriones, and Meges, a man like the war god,
closed their order for hard impact, calling on the bravest
to face Hektor and the Trojans. Meanwhile behind them
the multitude made their way back toward the ships of the Achaians.
The Trojans came down on them in a pack, and Hektor led them
in long strides, and in front of him went Phoibos Apollo
wearing a mist about his shoulders, and held the tempestuous
terrible aegis, shaggy, conspicuous, that the bronze-smith
Hephaistos had given Zeus to wear to the terror of mortals.
Gripping this in both hands he led on the Trojan people.
But the Argives stood in close order against them, and the battle cry rose up
in a thin scream from either side, the arrows from the bowstrings
jumping, while from violent hands the numerous thrown spears
were driven, some deep in the bodies of quick-stirring young men,
while many in the space between before they had got to the white skin
stood fast in the ground, though they had been straining to reach the bodies.
So long as Phoibos Apollo held stilled in his hands the aegis,
so long the thrown weapons of both took hold, and men dropped under them.
But when he stared straight into the eyes of the fast-mounted Danaäns
and shook the aegis, and himself gave a great baying cry, the spirit
inside them was mazed to hear it, they forgot their furious valor.
And they, as when in the dim of the black night two wild beasts
stampede a herd of cattle or big flock of sheep, falling
suddenly upon them, when no herdsman is by, the Achaians
fled so in their weakness and terror, since Apollo drove
terror upon them, and gave the glory to the Trojans and Hektor.
There man killed man all along the scattered encounter.
Hektor first killed Stichios and Arkesilaos,
one the leader of the bronze-armored Boiotians, the other
trusted companion in arms of great-hearted Menestheus.
But Aineias slaughtered Medon and Iasos. Of these
Medon was a bastard son of godlike Oïleus
and therefore brother of Aias, but had made his home in Phylakē
away from the land of his fathers, having killed a man, a relation
of Eriopis, his stepmother, the wife of Oïleus.
Iasos was a leader appointed of the Athenians,
and was called the son of Sphelos, the son of Boukolos.
Poulydamas killed Mekisteus, and Polites Echios
in the first onfall, and brilliant Agenor cut down Klonios.
Paris struck Deïochos from behind at the shoulder’s
base, as he ran away through the front ranks, and drove the bronze clean through.


- Homer, The Iliad, Book 15 (Richmond Lattimore translation)