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Ajax (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: ) was a Greek
Greeks

The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....
 mythological
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 hero, son of Oileus
Oileus

In Greek mythology, Oileus was the king of Locris. His father was given as Odoedocus and his mother as Agrianome . Oileus's wife was Eriopis, who bore him a son named Ajax the Lesser....
, the king of Locris
Locris

Locris was a region of ancient Greece, the homeland of the Locrians, made up of two districts. Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was on the mainland coast stretching from Thermopylae to Larymna, opposite Euboea, while Ozolian Locris or Western Locris was on the northern coast of the Corinthian Gulf between Naupactus and Crisa, going inland...
. He was called the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax, to distinguish him from Ajax the Great
Ajax (mythology)

Ajax or Aias was a Greek mythology, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis Island. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War....
, son of Telamon
Telamon

In Greek mythology, Telamon , son of the king Aeacus, of Aegina, and Endeis and brother of Peleus, accompanied Jason as one his Argonauts, and was present at the hunt for the Calydonian Boar....
. He was the leader of the Locrian
Locrians

The Locrians were an ancient Greeks tribe in Ancient Greece. The Locrians spoke the Locrian Greek, a Doric Greek#Northwest Greek dialects, and this indicates that they must have been relatives of the Dorians....
 contingent during the Trojan War
Trojan War

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta....
. He is a significant figure in Homer
Homer

Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
's Iliad
ILiad

The iLiad is an electronic handheld device, or e-book device, which can be used for document reading and editing. Like the Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad makes use of an electronic paper display....
 and is also mentioned in the Odyssey
Odyssey

The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Hellenic civilization epic poetrys attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer....
.






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Poseidon and Ajax
Ajax (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
: ) was a Greek
Greeks

The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....
 mythological
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 hero, son of Oileus
Oileus

In Greek mythology, Oileus was the king of Locris. His father was given as Odoedocus and his mother as Agrianome . Oileus's wife was Eriopis, who bore him a son named Ajax the Lesser....
, the king of Locris
Locris

Locris was a region of ancient Greece, the homeland of the Locrians, made up of two districts. Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was on the mainland coast stretching from Thermopylae to Larymna, opposite Euboea, while Ozolian Locris or Western Locris was on the northern coast of the Corinthian Gulf between Naupactus and Crisa, going inland...
. He was called the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax, to distinguish him from Ajax the Great
Ajax (mythology)

Ajax or Aias was a Greek mythology, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis Island. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War....
, son of Telamon
Telamon

In Greek mythology, Telamon , son of the king Aeacus, of Aegina, and Endeis and brother of Peleus, accompanied Jason as one his Argonauts, and was present at the hunt for the Calydonian Boar....
. He was the leader of the Locrian
Locrians

The Locrians were an ancient Greeks tribe in Ancient Greece. The Locrians spoke the Locrian Greek, a Doric Greek#Northwest Greek dialects, and this indicates that they must have been relatives of the Dorians....
 contingent during the Trojan War
Trojan War

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta....
. He is a significant figure in Homer
Homer

Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
's Iliad
ILiad

The iLiad is an electronic handheld device, or e-book device, which can be used for document reading and editing. Like the Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad makes use of an electronic paper display....
 and is also mentioned in the Odyssey
Odyssey

The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Hellenic civilization epic poetrys attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer....
. In Etruscan mythology
Etruscan mythology

The Etruscan civilizations were a people of unknown origin living in Northern Italy, who were eventually integrated into Roman culture and politically became part of the Roman Republic....
, he is known as Aivas Vilates.

Mythography

His mother's name was Eriopis. According to Strabo
Strabo

Strabo was a Ancient Greeks history, geography and philosophy....
 he was born in Naryx in Locris
Locris

Locris was a region of ancient Greece, the homeland of the Locrians, made up of two districts. Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was on the mainland coast stretching from Thermopylae to Larymna, opposite Euboea, while Ozolian Locris or Western Locris was on the northern coast of the Corinthian Gulf between Naupactus and Crisa, going inland...
, where Ovid
Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso was a Roman Empire poet known as Ovid to the English language-speaking world, who wrote about love, seduction, and Roman mythology transformation....
 calls him Narycius Heros. According to the Iliad
ILiad

The iLiad is an electronic handheld device, or e-book device, which can be used for document reading and editing. Like the Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad makes use of an electronic paper display....
, he led his Locrians
Locrians

The Locrians were an ancient Greeks tribe in Ancient Greece. The Locrians spoke the Locrian Greek, a Doric Greek#Northwest Greek dialects, and this indicates that they must have been relatives of the Dorians....
 in forty ships against Troy. In spite of his small stature, he is de­scribed as one of the great heroes among the Greeks, and acts frequently in conjunction with the Telamonian Ajax
Ajax (mythology)

Ajax or Aias was a Greek mythology, the son of Telamon and Periboea and king of Salamis Island. He plays an important role in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War....
. In battle he wore a linen
Linen

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
 cuirass
Cuirass

Cuirass , the plate armour, is formed of a single piece of metal or other rigid material or composed of two or more pieces, which covers the front of the wearer's person....
 , was brave and intrepid, especially skilled in throwing the spear, and, next to Achilles
Achilles

In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greeks hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad, which takes for its theme ; the Wrath of Achilles....
, the swiftest of all the Greeks.

In the funeral games at the pyre
Pyre

A pyre is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon the pyre which is then set on fire....
 of Patroclus
Patroclus

In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , son of Menoetius , was Achilles? beloved comrade and, according to some , his lover....
 he contended with Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
 and Antilochus
Antilochus

In Greek mythology, Antilochus was the son of Nestor , king of Pylos. One of the suitors of Helen, he accompanied his father to the Trojan War....
 for the prize in the footrace; but Athena
Athena

In Greek mythology, Athena is the shrewd companion of Hero and the goddess of Hero endeavour. She is the virgin patron of Athens, which built the Parthenon to worship her....
, who was hostile towards him and favored Odys­seus, made him stumble and fall, so that he won only the second prize, On his return from Troy, his vessel was wrecked on the Whirling Rocks , but he him­self escaped upon a rock through the assistance of Poseidon
Poseidon

In Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea and, as "Earth-Shaker," of earthquakes. The name of the god Nethuns in Etruscan mythology was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon....
, and would have been saved in spite of Athena, but he said that he would escape the dangers of the sea in defiance of the immortals. In punishment for this presumption, Poseidon split the rock with his trident
Trident

A trident , also called a leister or gig, is a three-tine spear. It is used for spear fishing and was formerly also a military weapon....
, and Ajax was swallowed up by the sea.

In later traditions this Ajax is called a son of Oileus and the nymph
Nymph

In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human form. They were typically associated with a particular location or landform....
 Rhene, and is also mentioned among the suitors of Helen. According to a tradition in Philostratus
Philostratus

Philostratus, was the name of four Greek sophists of the Roman Empire:# "Philostratus I": Very minor author, known only for a dialogue Nero, possibly written by Philostratus II....
, Ajax had a tame dragon
Dragon

File:Ukiyo-e dragon 2.jpgThe dragon is a legendary creature with serpentine shape or otherwise reptilian traits that features in the mythology of many cultures....
, five cubit
Cubit

File:Cubit rule Egyptian NK from Liverpool museum.jpgA cubit is the first recorded unit of length and was one of many different standards of measurement used through history....
s in length, which followed him everywhere like a dog. After the taking of Troy, it is said he rushed into the temple of Athena, where Cassandra
Cassandra

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy....
 had taken refuge, and was embracing the statue of the goddess as a suppliant. Ajax violently dragged her away and led her to the other captives. According to some writers he even raped Cassandra in the temple. Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
, at least, accused him of this crime, and Ajax was to be stoned to death, but saved himself by establishing his innocence with an oath. The whole charge was sometimes said to have been an invention of Agamemnon
Agamemnon

In Greek mythology, Agamemnon / is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra; different mythological versions make him the king either of Mycenae or of Argos....
, who wanted to have Cassandra for himself.

Death

Whether true or not, Athena still had cause to be indignant, as Ajax had dragged a supplicant from her temple. When on his voyage home he came to the Capharean Rocks on the coast of Euboea
Euboea

For the Greek mythology figure, see Euboea Euboea is the second largest of the Greece Aegean Islands and the second largest List of islands of Greece overall in area and population, after Crete....
, his ship was wrecked in a storm, he himself was killed by Athena with a flash of lightning, and his body impaled upon the rocks, which afterwards were called the rocks of Ajax.

After his death his spirit dwelled in the island of Leuce. The Opuntian
Opuntian Locris

Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was an ancient Greece region inhabited by the tribe of the Locri Epicnemidii or Locri Opuntii , a division of the Locrians....
 Locrians worshiped Ajax as their national hero, and so great was their faith in him that when they drew up their army in battle, they always left one place open for him, believing that, although invisible to them, he was fighting for and among them. The story of Ajax was frequently made use of by ancient poets and artists, and the hero who appears on some Locrian coins with the helmet, shield, and sword is probably this Ajax.

Other accounts of his death are offered by Philostratus
Philostratus

Philostratus, was the name of four Greek sophists of the Roman Empire:# "Philostratus I": Very minor author, known only for a dialogue Nero, possibly written by Philostratus II....
 and the scholiast on Lycophron
Lycophron

Lycophron was a Greece poet and grammarian .He was born at Chalcis in Euboea, and flourished at Alexandria in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus ....
.

Art

The abduction of Cassandra by Ajax was frequently represented in Greek
Art in Ancient Greece

The arts of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture....
 works of art, for instance on the chest of Cypselus
Cypselus

Cypselus was the first tyrant of Corinth in the 7th century BC.With increased wealth and more complicated trade relations and social structures, Ancient Greece city-states tended to overthrow their traditional hereditary priest-kings; Corinth, the richest archaic polis, led the way....
 described by Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)

Pausanias was a Roman Greece traveller and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius....
 and in extant works.

Sources