The Iliad, Book 10

Summary, Book 10

Hello again, and sorry for missing a day!  We now return to the Iliad, where Agamemnon, Menelaus and their troops are passing a restless night.  Which is understandable, considering that nightfall is the only thing that saved them from humiliation and defeat at the hands of the Trojans.  The battle-weary brothers confer and decide that they need advice.  And in the Achaean trenches, that can only mean one thing:  a trip to Nestor.

At first Nestor does not recognize that it is Agamemnon approaching him in the dark, which is actually mildly hilarious.  Nestor suggest they call a conference of the various Achaean leaders.  He also, amusingly, is ready to tear Menelaus to shreds for basically lounging about while Agamemnon does all the work.  Agamemnon assures Nestor that, while he would normally agree that Menelaus slacks off and waits for someone to tell him what to do, this time he was the one who actually sought out Agamemnon.  That seems like an odd little sidebar on the part of Agamemnon and Nestor, but okay.

The guys meet up and Nestor suggests that they send a spy into the Trojan camp to gather information.  Unsurprisingly, this gig is right up Diomedes’s alley.  He volunteers, although he does think someone else should join him.  He gets a few offers, but Agamemnon tells him he has to pick.  So Diomedes picks:

“If you bid me choose a comrade for myself,
how could I reject godlike Odysseus,
his heart and daring spirit always keen                                           
for every challenge? Pallas Athena loves him.
With Odysseus at my side, we’d both return,
even from blazing fire. For he knows,
better than other men, how to use his mind.”

Godlike Odysseus it is!  In response to this lavish praise, Odysseus demurs:

“Son of Tydeus, don’t over-praise me,
or censure me. You’re speaking to the Argives,                                          
who know everything about me…”

I don’t know why, but I find that a hilarious response.  “Bro, you don’t have to sing my praises!  These people already know how great I am!”  Oh lord, we get a history of Odysseus’s hat.  I thought getting a genealogy in the middle of combat was bad, but a history of a guy’s hat?  Oy vey.  Anyway, they pray to Athena and head out.

Meanwhile, over by the Trojans, Hector has a similar idea.  He wants to send one of the Trojans to spy on the Achaean’s ships.  This guy Dolon volunteers.  We have not heard anything about him thus far, and that makes sense because, according to Homer, “Dolon wasn’t much to look at, but he ran fast.”  Well, we all have our gifts.

But alas, poor Dolon is doomed, as we soon learn:

On his head he set a cap of marten skin,                                                  
grabbed a sharp spear, and set off, going from the camp
towards the ships. He would not be coming back,
bringing Hector information from the ships.
But when he left the crowd of men and horses,
he went eagerly along the path. 

Dolon is soon spotted by Diomedes and Odysseus.  In short order they catch him and interrogate him, gathering information about the Trojan position.  Dolon tells them that if they hope to infiltrate the Trojans, their best bet is to go for the Thracians.  They just arrived and have the best chariots, armour and horses.  I’m not sure why he thinks they are vulnerable.  Maybe they are not yet settled since they just arrived?

Dolon has promised that if they will spare his life, his father will offer a great ransom (since Dolon is the only son in his family.)  Has this offer ever worked in the Iliad?  I don’t think so.  Even if it seems like it will work, someone always steps in and puts a stop to it.  This time is no different.  Says Diomedes:

“Don’t fill your heart with thoughts you’ll get away,
Dolon, even though your news is good.
You’ve fallen in our hands. Now, if we
released you or set you free for ransom,
you’d come back to the swift Achaean ships,                                 
either to spy or fight us openly.
But if my hands subdue you and you die,
you’ll pose no problems for the Argives later.”

And – BOOM! Off with his head!  Gross.  With that done, Odysseus and Diomedes go to where the Thracians are and absolutely massacre them.  It is brutal and gruesome.

Whenever Diomedes
stood over some man he’d just killed with his sword,
crafty Odysseus, from behind, would grab his feet                                             
and drag the body clear. For his mind was planning
how he might steal the fine-maned horses easily,
if he didn’t frighten them by forcing them to step                                  
on dead men’s bodies, for they were not used to that.

Damn.  I kind of liked Odysseus, too. But then again, I’m not sure why.  He did beat up the only guy in the Achaean army who was making even an ounce of sense.

The frenzied pair kills the king of the Thracians, and considers killing more people until Athena intervenes and advises Diomedes to quit while he’s ahead in case some other god intervenes on the side of the Trojans and he is trapped there.

And glittering-eyed Athena is precisely right.  As the guys make to leave, Apollo wakes the Trojans.  The Trojans are horrified by the massacre and there is a huge commotion during which Diomedes and Odysseus make it back to the Achaeans on the king’s glorious horses.  Nestor is there to greet them and they fawn over themselves and make offerings to Athena.

Reading Notes

Odysseus sure had a busy night.  First he goes to try to mediate between Agamemnon and Achilles.  Then he goes on a killing spree?  Does the godlike Odysseus never sleep?

I don’t know what the repercussions for this massacre will be, but given the see-saw nature of the battle thus far, I would say troubles are around the corner for the Achaeans.  So far, neither side has stayed on top for long.

Maybe I will try to do another book tonight to make up for my slow pace.  We’ll see!

-Lily