The Iliad, Book 20

Summary, Book 20

As the Achaeans and the Trojans prepare to return for battle, Zeus and the other gods are watching from Mt. Olympus.  Zeus summons all of the gods to an assembly and grants them permission to intervene in the battle on whichever side they prefer.  He is afraid that Achilles is too amped up, and that he will go too far and bring about the fall of Troy before the time Fate has designated.

The gods do not need to hear this twice.  They go charging off to the battle, dividing up between the sides.  Hera and Athena side with the Achaeans, obviously, along with Poseidon, Hermes and Hephaestus.  Ares and Apollo side with the Trojans, along with Artemis, Leto, Xanthus and “laughter-loving Aphrodite”, which may be my favorite of the Homerian epithets.

Things are heating up, and Apollo goes to Aeneas in the form of one of Priam’s sons.  At least this is a somewhat rational form for him to take.  He incites Aeneas to go and confront Achilles, which seems exceptionally ill-advised.  Aeneas is properly skeptical of this advice:

No man can face Achilles in a fight—
some god is constantly beside him, saving him
and making sure his spear flies always straight,
not stopping till it’s hit some human flesh.                                                
If some god made sure our fight was equal,                                    
he’d not easily defeat me, even though
he boasted he’s completely made of bronze.”

Yet Apollo won’t let it rest.  He reminds Aeneas that he is the son of Aphrodite, while Achilles is only the son of a minor goddess.  He then breathes power into Aeneas, who takes off looking for Achilles.

When the two encounter each other, Achilles taunts Aeneas:

“Aeneas, why have you stepped forward,
standing here so far in front of all your men?
Does your heart prompt you to fight against me
in the hope you’ll win Priam’s royal honours
among horse-taming Trojans? If you kill me,                                
that won’t make Priam put his regal power
in your hands. For he has his own sons.
Besides, he’s healthy, and he is no fool…”

He also reminds Aeneas that they have clashed before, and that Aeneas only survived because he was saved by Zeus.  Aeneas decides that this would be a perfect time to launch into a genealogy.  Because, why not?  He concludes his recitation by hurling his spear at Achilles, who stops it with his magical shield.  Achilles then hurls his spear at Aeneas, and it very narrowly misses him.  Poseidon sees this narrow miss, and even though he sides with the Achaeans he does not want Aeneas killed.  He admires Aeneas, and wants him to stay alive so that the Trojans will not be entirely killed off.  “Fate ordains that he’ll escape, so the [Trojan] race will not die out and leave no seed alive.”  He settles a mist over Achilles’s eyes and while Achilles is fumbling around Poseidon carries Aeneas to safety.

When the mist leaves Achilles’s eyes, he begins his rampage.  He kills many Trojans, including Hector’s youngest brother who dies begging for his life.  Hector is enraged and heads straight for Achilles.  Achilles is not intimidated, and relishes the opportunity to fight (and kill) Hector.  Hector raises his spear to hurl it at Achilles, but Athena blows it away.  Achilles charges at him but Apollo snatches him away to safety.  Achilles lunges at him but can’t get to him.  So instead he cries out “winged words”:

“You dog—once more you’re evading death for now.
But you’ve narrowly escaped disaster.
Phoebus Apollo has saved you one more time.                                          
No doubt you always pray to him as you go                                
out into the sound of thudding spears.
Next time we meet, I’ll surely finish you,
if some god is there to assist me, too.
For now I’ll fight the others, any man
I chance to meet.”

True to his word, Achilles resumes his killing spree.  And that’s where Book 20 ends.

Reading Notes

Zeus and the other gods are obviously very big on things happening at their appointed time and not a moment sooner.  But it still seems pretty pointless that Apollo intervenes to save Hector in the moment when we know he is fated to die very soon.

It is also interesting to contrast the Ancient Greek conception of the gods with the Christian conception of God.  The Judeo-Christian God is all powerful and can make anything happen.  The Ancient Greek gods are powerful, but they are seemingly as subject to fate and destiny as the mortals are.  They can stall, they can intervene, but they cannot change ultimate outcomes.  Even Zeus.  It is fascinating, and something I would like to read more about.

-Lily