Continuation of the Battle—The Gods Take Part
The sun stood high in the heavens and the battle continued to rage with
the greatest bitterness. Hector and Æneas, Agamemnon, Ulysses, and the
other great heroes raged about the broad battlefield like beasts of
prey. Diomedes was especially favored by Athena on this great day and
laid many warriors in the dust. Among the Trojans, two sons of the rich
and pious priest of Vulcan, Dares, spurred forward from the swarm of
warriors against him. One of them cast his spear at the hero, but missed
the mark, which but served to enrage the warrior. He grimly cast back at
the youth and pierced him through the heart. His brother turned and fled
and Diomedes quickly seized the handsome steeds and commanded his men to
conduct them to the ships.
One could not tell to which side Diomedes belonged, for he was always in
the midst of the fight. He was at last espied by Pandarus, the same who
had broken the oath by shooting at Menelaus. He approached Diomedes
stealthily from behind and shot a sharp arrow into his right shoulder,
so that blood stained his coat of mail. “Come, ye Trojans,” he cried, “I
have wounded the most formidable of the Achaians.” But the arrow had not
penetrated so deeply as he thought. Diomedes sought his charioteer
Sthenelus. “Friend,” he said, “come quickly and pluck this arrow from my
shoulder.” As it was withdrawn, blood spurted from the wound and the
warrior prayed to Athena: “Hear me, goddess, and as thou hast ever been
my protector in battle, oh aid me now and let me slay the man who hath
wounded me and boasts that I shall not much longer see the light of
day.”
The goddess heard him and stanched the blood. “Thou canst return to the
fight,” she said. “I have endowed thee with the strength and courage of
thy father and will distinguish thee to-day above all other Achaians.
Only take care not to oppose the immortal gods in battle, but attack all
others courageously. If Jupiter’s daughter Aphrodite should enter the
field, thou mayest wound her with thy sharp spear.” The goddess
disappeared and Diomedes flew back to the foremost ranks with renewed
ardor. Behind him came his followers, ready to strip his victims of
their armor and to carry away the captured horses and chariots. Æneas
called upon Pandarus and said: “Where are to-day thy bow and
never-failing arrows? Here is a chance to distinguish thyself. See,
there is a man who has slain many, and none of our warriors can prevail
against him.”
“That is Diomedes, son of Tydeus,” interrupted Pandarus; “he must be
under the protection of a god. Already my arrow has wounded him so that
blood spurted from the place, and in spite of this he is again in the
field wielding his deadly lance. I dare not aim at him again, for it is
unlucky to contend with the gods. Besides, I came on foot to Ilium and
have no horses or chariot.”
“Come, friend, take mine and learn what Trojan horses are. Here, take
the whip and reins, while I remain on foot and watch the fight.”
“Do thou guide the steeds thyself, Æneas, for they know thee; else might
Diomedes take them captive and slay us too. I will meet him with the
point of my sharp spear.”
Together they mounted the handsome chariot and dashed toward Diomedes,
who was driving across the field with Sthenelus. “Look!” cried
Sthenelus. “There come two heroes making for us. Let me turn back, for
they seem bold warriors, and thou art weary with long fighting and thy
painful wound.”
“Not so,” said Diomedes angrily. “It is not my custom thus to flee. I
will await them here, and if one of them escape, the other shall be my
prey. Do thou follow me, and if I should wound them both, seize thou the
enemy’s steeds. I know them. They are magnificent horses of the famous
breed which Jupiter once gave to King Thoas for his captured son
Ganymede. Hasten, for the chariot is already upon us.”
He swung himself to the ground and at the same moment Pandarus’ arrow
struck his shield, and though it made him stagger, he shook the shield
in Pandarus’ face and cried: “Do not triumph too soon, but rather take
care that thou thyself escape death!” Æneas turned his steeds in terror,
but he could not save his friend; Diomedes’ spear had struck him down.
As Æneas descended to bear away the body, he too was sorely wounded.
Sthenelus meanwhile led away the beautiful steeds and they were taken to
Diomedes’ tents.
Aphrodite now approached her fainting son and her merciful arms bore him
off the field. “It must be a goddess who has rescued him,” said Diomedes
to himself. “But it can be none other than Aphrodite, who appears so
unwarlike. Good, I will overtake her and attain undying fame.” He
hastened after the goddess, swung his spear, and wounded her in the
wrist, so that her clear blood stained the earth. The goddess screamed
and let the warrior slip from her arms, but he was again rescued by
Phœbus Apollo, who covered him with a dark cloud.
Diomedes still pursued the goddess with loud cries. “Retire, daughter of
Jupiter, and leave the battlefield to men. It is bad enough that thou
causest women to bring such misery upon the nations. Woe to thee
shouldst thou come near me in the fight!” The goddess was terrified and
fled as fast as she could. Iris came to meet her and conducted her to
the edge of the battlefield, where Mars, the god of war, sat gloating
over his work. A cloud surrounded him and concealed him from mortal
eyes. “Dear brother,” said Aphrodite, “lend me thy horses that I may
quickly reach Olympus. Look! A mortal has wounded me.” Iris took the
reins and the horses flew swiftly away through the air.
Meanwhile Diomedes was still on the field seeking Æneas, and not until
he heard Apollo’s threatening voice, “Take heed, son of Tydeus, and give
way, tremble and do not strive with the gods,” did he desist and
remember Athena’s warning. Apollo carried Aphrodite’s son to his sacred
temple on the heights of Pergamus. There he healed and strengthened him,
and the hero soon reappeared among his followers, who were amazed at the
miracle. He at once plunged into the fight and slew many brave youths
among the Achaians.
Apollo had meanwhile complained to Mars of the defeat of the Trojans and
of Diomedes’ insolence in daring to attack the gods. The god of war, who
inclined first to one side, then to the other, was persuaded to take
part in the battle himself, and this time to support the Trojans.
Concealed in a cloud, he strode first before Hector, then before another
Trojan, and wherever he went the aim never failed. Diomedes, however,
had been endowed by his friend Athena with the power to recognize the
gods when they appeared amongst men, so that he was terrified, as he was
about to throw himself upon Hector, to see the war god striding before
him. He started back, and hastening toward the other Greek warriors
cried: “Take care, friends, give way and do not contend with the gods!
For Hector hath ever a god at his side. Mars is with him now in the
guise of a mortal.” Diomedes, in awe of Mars, retired from the field,
although the battle still raged. Hector slew two of the bravest Greek
warriors and captured their horses. Ajax of Salamis looked grimly on,
but did not dare attack him; he preferred to pursue a weaker man,
Amphius of Pæsus.
The battle had begun almost under the walls of Troy, but the Greeks had
been forced back nearly to the ships, and they began to lose courage.
Juno and Athena now determined to protect their favorites; for had they
not promised Menelaus to avenge his wrongs? They signed Hebe to hitch
the horses to the splendid chariot. Athena donned her breastplate, put
on her golden helmet, and took up her mighty lance and the shield called
ægis. It was decorated with golden tassels and in the midst was the head
of Medusa, the mere sight of which turned men to stone. Thus armed, she
mounted the shining chariot, and Juno, standing beside her, guided the
steeds. The gates of heaven, guarded by the Horæ, opened of themselves
and the goddesses stormed the heights of Olympus, where the father of
the gods was sitting in solitude looking down upon the confusion. “Art
thou not angered, Father Jupiter,” spake Juno, “that Mars is destroying
the great and noble Achaian people? Wilt thou object if I force him from
the field?”
Jupiter answered: “To work! Set Pallas Athena upon him. She will soon
discomfit him.”
Overjoyed at the permission, Juno turned the horses and in an instant
they had descended to the field before Troy. They paused where the
Simois flows into the Scamander and enveloped chariot and steeds in a
thick cloud. Then they hastened to the side of Tydeus’ son, and in
Stentor’s shape and with his brazen voice Juno cried out: “Shame upon
ye, people of Argos, so glorious to look upon and so faint-hearted. When
Achilles was among you, the Trojans scarce ventured from the gates, but
now that the only man among you is gone, they push you back to the
ships.”
Athena approached Diomedes where he stood beside his chariot, cooling
the wound which Pandarus had inflicted. He was just beginning to feel
the pain of it and could scarcely move his arm. He loosened the leather
straps and pressed out the blood. “Shame upon you, son of Tydeus,” said
the goddess reproachfully. “Thou art not as thy noble father. He was
more eager for the fray and slew countless men of Cadmus’ race before
Thebes. Thou knowest that I never leave thy side. Speak, how can fear
have dominion over thee?”
“Goddess,” answered the hero, “for I recognize thy voice, neither sloth
nor fear restrain me, but I remember thy command. I plunged into the
thick of the fight and piled corpse on corpse, until I saw Mars, the
terrible, who fights in the front ranks of the Trojans. I gave way
before him and warned the others; for who shall fight against the gods?”
The goddess answered: “Diomedes, beloved of my soul, henceforth fear
neither Mars nor any of the immortals, for I am beside thee. Turn thy
prancing horses upon Mars and wound him boldly at close range, the
unstable one.”
She then took Sthenelus’ place in the chariot, wearing the helm of
Aides, which rendered her invisible even to Mars. She guided the chariot
straight towards him. When Mars saw Diomedes approaching he turned
towards him, and leaning over, was about to plunge his spear into his
body, but Athena turned it aside, and now Diomedes gave him such a
thrust in the side that a mortal would certainly have succumbed. He
withdrew the shaft and Mars fled, howling like ten thousand men. Both
Achaians and Trojans were terrified at the din and Diomedes was amazed
at his own deed and saw with astonishment the god rise up into the sky.
There he showed the painful wound to Jupiter and complained loudly of
Athena.
But the father of the gods answered grimly: “Spare me thy whining! I
despise thee above all the gods. Thou hast always loved quarrels and
bickerings and art as stubborn and contentious as thy mother, Juno. But
I cannot see my son suffer.” With these words he commanded Pæon, the
physician of Olympus, to heal him. He placed a cooling balm upon the
wound and Mars was healed, for he was immortal. Then Juno bathed him and
clothed him with soft garments. As soon as the murderous Mars had been
driven from the field the goddesses returned to the dwellings of the
Olympian gods.