Ajax son of Telamon

Also known as: Telamon's son · Family: The Greeks · Role: warrior · First appears: Book I · Part 4

As a Greek warrior and Telamon’s son, Aias fought alongside Achilles and killed Deiochus, Hyllus, Eurynomus, and Enyeus. In Book III he killed Agelaus, Thestor, and Hippolochus’ son, struck several other warriors, and wounded Aeneas in the right forearm, forcing him to retreat. In Book III he hurled Atymnius down, struck Paris with a stone and drove the Trojans in panic through the city gates. He was also Achilles’ cousin and friend to Patroclus; after Achilles fell, the kings carried his body from the battlefield.

In Book IV Aias won the iron-throwing contest and received Memnon’s arms from Thetis, and he took the uncontested prize in the boxing challenge. In Book V he and Odysseus each claimed Achilles’ arms, but the sons of Troy awarded them to Odysseus. Overcome with anguish, Aias was led away by his friends. Athena then smote him with madness: believing he was attacking the Argives, he slaughtered sheep. When the madness lifted, he realised he had been deceived and killed himself with Hector’s sword. His brother Teucer was restrained from following him in death and mourned beside his body.

Aias had taken Tecmessa captive and made her his wife, and she recalled his promise to make her queen of Salamis when they returned from Troy. Their son was Eurysaces. The Argives built a pyre for Aias, and Thetis sent a wind from the sea to consume his body; they gathered his bones into a golden casket and raised a mound over them near Rhoeteium.