Achilles came to the battlefield, with new armour from his mother, fashioned
by the god Hephaestus. Homer gave a long description of the shield's design.
Achilles was determined to seek out and kill Hector in single combat.
There was a short argument that morning, between Achilles and Odysseus. Achilles
refused to eat the morning meal before going into battle. Odysseus pointed out
to the younger hero that he would have no chance against the well-fed Hector.
Odysseus told him, to mourn for Patroclus, but every man should eat before going
into battle. Achilles stubbornly refused to listen to common sense. Achilles
accused Odysseus of gluttony; that the Ithacan leader was always thinking about
his stomach. Achilles refused to take a single crust of bread, until Patroclus
was avenged.
Even Zeus agreed with Odysseus' argument about eating before heading to battle.
Zeus sent Athena to Achilles, to secretly nourish the intractable hero with
ambrosia.
Zeus decreed that the Olympians were allowed to visit the battle again, now that
he had fulfilled his vow to the goddess Thetis. Another reason that the other
gods was allowed to re-enter the battlefield, is to check Achilles from sacking
Troy today. Achilles was not allowed to capture Troy, until it was the right
time. This seemed to indicate that Achilles could change the course of history
if his murderous rage was left unchecked.
Achilles set out to avenge his friend, killing many Trojans and driving them
back towards city in a rout. Poseidon, who normally favoured the Greeks, saved
Aeneas from Achilles. Poseidon told the Trojan hero that he was destined to rule
Troy.
However, Polydorus', the youngest son of Priam, did not escape from Achilles.
Priam had refused to allow Polydorus to fight, but Polydorus had heedlessly
ignored his father's order on that fateful day. Polydorus was the fastest
runner, but he could not outrun Achilles and his mighty spear.
Hector saw his younger brother fall to Achilles. Hector set out to avenge his
brother. Achilles would have killed Hector there and then, but it was not the
right time or place for Hector to die. So Apollo spirited Hector away in the
white cloud. Rage filled Achilles' heart because his mortal enemy had escaped
him, so Achilles pursued the fleeing Trojans.
Achilles was relentless, killing many Trojans at the Scamander River, so much so
that blood and bodies were choking the river. Lycaon, the son of Priam and
Laothoe, pleaded to Achilles on his knees to spare him for ransom. Achilles had
previously captured Lycaon, on the first day of the war, and Achilles had gained
rich treasure from Lycaon's ransom. But since beloved Pattroclus had died
yesterday, Achilles had no heart to spare a single Trojan that he face today,
let alone the half-brother of Patroclus' slayer. Achilles plunged his sword into
Lycaon's neck. Lycaon died on the river bank. The implacable warrior then flung
Lycaon's body into the river.
The river-god warned Achilles not to kill the Trojans in his water. When
Achilles did not listen, Scamander tried to drown the hero. Hera seeing this,
ordered her son, Hephaestus, to rescue; Hephaestus did so, and had even
threatened to dry the river with fire, if Scamander persisted in drowning
Achilles. Scamander was forced to retreat.
The fighting wasn't just confined on the plains of Troy. On Olympus, most of the
gods either supported the Greeks or the Trojans. Hera, Poseidon, Athena and
Hephaestus tended to favour the Greeks, while Apollo and his sister Artemis,
Ares and Aphrodite preferred the Trojans.
Tempers flared among the gods.
The hot-tempered Ares, god of war, tried to attack Athena with his spear. Athena
coolly hurled the rock at Ares, knocking down the god of war. When Aphrodite
went to her lover's aid, Athena punched Aphrodite in the face, so that the
goddess of love lay unconscious next to Ares.
Poseidon was feeling bellicose towards Apollo, but the younger god refused to be
baited by the sea god. Hera boxed the Artemis in the ears, with the huntress'
own bow, sending the younger goddess crying to Zeus. Hermes, who was more
civilized, took no action against Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis, leaving
the Titaness in peace.
Zeus watched these scenes from his throne with great amusement.
There was mad scramble by the Trojans to retreat behind the Troy's seemingly
invulnerable walls. The god Apollo disguised as Agenor, a Trojan warrior and the
son of the Trojan elder Antenor, aided the fleeing Trojans. Apollo encouraged
Achilles into chasing him so the Trojans and their allies were able to escape
Achilles' deadly pursuit.
Only Hector remained outside Troy's wall, but he lost his nerve when he saw
Achilles running towards him. Achilles pursued Hector three times around the
walls of Troy. Athena appeared, disguised as Deïphobus (Deiphobus), Hector's
brother. The goddess lured Hector into confronting Achilles. So Hector stopped
in front of Scaean Gates, thinking that he would fight Achilles with his brother
at his side. When Deïphobus (actually Athena) vanished, Hector realised that the
goddess Athena had tricked him into fighting Achilles.
Apollo, his protector, had deserted him. Hector faced Achilles alone in single
combat, while the goddess Athena aided Achilles. Though Zeus admired Hector for
his courage and piety, the god could not save him, since the Trojan hero was
destined to die that very day.
Hector failed to persuade Achilles to allow his people to bury him should he
lose if he would do the same for Achilles. Achilles told Hector that he would
leave his body to rot and feed the vultures.
After hurling their spears at one another, Athena retrieved Achilles' spear, but
Hector armed only with a sword. Hector made a brave charge at Achilles,
brandishing his sword, but Achilles ran his ashen spear through Hector's body.
Achilles stripped Hector's armour that Patroclus had borrowed. Achilles had
Hector's body dragged behind his chariot, as the victor returned to the Greek
camp.
Black despairs fell upon the city, as Troy watched the death of her favourite
son. Among those who saw Hector's death were his parents, Priam and Hecuba, and
Hector's distraught wife Andromache, who was now a widow.
The Trojans received new reinforcement from the Ethiopians or Assyrians. They
were led by a prince, named Memnon, son of Tithonus and Eos, the goddess of
dawn. Tithonus was Priam's brother. Memnon killed many Greeks, causing the
Achaeans to retreat.
In the confusion of the retreat, the aged Nestor was surrounded by enemies,
among them was Memnon. Antilochus tried to save his father, but he was killed.
Nestor was grief-stricken over his son's death, and tried to confront the
Ethiopian prince. Memnon, however, saw no honour in such combat against an old
man, so he refused to fight with Nestor. Nestor lamented that he no longer has
the strength of his youth.
Nestor called upon Achilles to avenge Antiochus. Thetis, gifted with the oracle,
had warned her son that he would die not long after Memnon. Heedless of his
mother's warning Achilles killed Memnon, thereby avenging Antilochus.
With Memnon's death, the Trojans lost heart, and fled back towards the city's
walls, with Achilles in close pursuit. Achilles was at the Scaean Gate, when an
arrow from Paris, guided by the archer god Apollo, pierced his heel. His heel
was the only spot on his body that was vulnerable to weapon (hence the
"Achilles' heel").
There was fierce fighting over Achilles' body. In the fighting, Telamonian Ajax
killed Glaucus (Glaucos), the last leader of the Lycians. While Ajax carried
Achilles' body back to camp, Odysseus kept the Trojans back.
There is another variation as to how Achilles died. Achilles had seen Polyxena,
daughter of Priam and Hecuba. Achilles fell in love with her. Achilles secretly
went to her home to ask for her hand in marriage. Polyxena's brothers, Paris and
Deíphobus, awaiting his arrival, ambushed and slew him. The later classical
authors had shown a less heroic ending for Achilles, but it would explain the
earlier texts, why the ghost of Achilles wants to have the Greeks sacrifice
Polyxena to him, after the Fall of Troy.
When the funeral was held in the Greek camp, Thetis came with her sisters, the
Nereids, mourning over the death of her son. A funeral pyre was lit, cremating
his body. His ashes were placed in the same urn, as to that of his beloved
friend, Patroclus. Arrangements were made for the funeral games to be held after
the funeral.
After the funeral, it was decided that the Achilles' armour, made by the god
Hephaestus, should be awarded to the best warrior. Ajax and Odysseus both
contest for the armour. The Greek leaders awarded the armour to Odysseus.
Furious with the decisions of the judges, Ajax decided to kill Odysseus that
night. His plan was thwarted, when he was driven mad by Athena, Odysseus'
protector. Ajax started killing herd of sheep, imagining that he was killing the
Greek leaders who awarded the armour to Odysseus. Ajax slaughtered a large ram,
thinking that it was Odysseus. Returning to sanity, Ajax was mortified by what
he done, and in his despair, Ajax killed himself with the sword that Hector had
given him.
According to the play written by Sophocles, Agamemnon and his brother, Menelaüs
(Menelaus), wanted to expose Ajax's body to the dogs and vultures, refusing to
allow the body to be buried.
Ajax's half-brother, Teucer, bitterly accused them of sacrilege for not
respecting one of their fallen leaders. Bloodshed was prevented between Teucer
and the Atreidae (Agamemnon and Menelaüs), only through the intervention of
Odysseus. Odysseus argued in favour of burying Ajax in full honour, because he
believed that Ajax's bravery had earned that respect. Odysseus also told them
that he would like to be given decent burial if he was killed.
Agamemnon and Menelaüs had no choice but to respect Odysseus' decision. Odysseus
told Teucer that he would not have contested Ajax, if he had realised how much
Ajax wanted Achilles' armour.
According to one story, the armour was buried with Ajax, but the more common
version, say that Odysseus gave the armour to Achilles' son, Neoptolemus.