Battle at the ships
The battle began at the very ships. Zeus no longer looked at the battle, as he was sure that none of the gods would dare to help the Greeks. Seeing this, the god Poseyodon quickly went from the mountains of Thrace, from where he watched the battle, to his palace; trembled under the feet of the angrily walking god of the mountains. Poseidon came to his palace, harnessed his sea horses to the chariot and rushed along the waves of the sea to Troy. They flew stormily, not touching the waves of the sea, and soon the god rushed to Troy. In a vast cave on the seashore, Poseidon left the horses with the chariot, hobbled the legs of the horses with golden chains. Having assumed the image of Kalkhas, he appeared before the Ajax and inspired them to fight. Touching them with a rod, God poured great power into their members. The Ajaxes understood that the god, under the guise of Calchas, spoke to them, and rushed into battle even more courageously. Poseidon passed through the ranks of the Greeks and excited everyone to fight bravely. Rows of warriors gathered around Ajax and shield to shield, helmet to helmet, putting out spears, waiting for the advancing Trojans. Hektor.
As a heavy stone rolls from the top of a mountain, torn off a cliff, crushing everything in its path, until it rolls into the valley and remains motionless there, so Hector rushed with a spear and a shield against the ranks of the Greeks. He stopped in front of the closed ranks and inspired the Trojans to break through the line of the Greek soldiers. A stubborn battle ensued. Many fell in the battle of the Greeks. The grandson of Poseidon also fell, Amphibach. The god Poseidon was angry. He inspired the king Idomeneo to avenge the death of his grandson. Idomeneo dressed himself in shining armor and, flashing like the lightning of Zeus, rushed into battle. Met Idomeneo Merion, who had just broken his spear, hitting his son's shield with it Priam >, Deifob, and went for a new spear. Idomeneo gave the spear to Merion, and both heroes went to the left flank of the Greeks.
The Trojans saw Idomeneo approaching and rushed at him. Idomeneo rushed to the Trojans and put them to flight. Seeing how he was oppressing the Trojans, Priam's son Deiphobus called for help Aeneas. Together they attacked Idomeneo, calling on Paris and Agenor. A terrible slaughter began around Idomeneo, to whom many heroes rushed to help. Copper armor rattled on the chest of the heroes from strong blows.
Hector fought where two Ajaxes defended the ships. They fought stubbornly, standing next to each other, as oxen, connected by a common yoke, drag a plow across the field and walk together along the furrow, blasting deep into the earth. Many warriors fought around Ajax. And behind them, the Locrians, armed with bows and slings, shot clouds of arrows at the advancing. The Trojans were ready to falter, but the hero Polydamant advised Hector to call for help from the bravest heroes and decide whether to rush to the ships of the Greeks or retreat. Hector went to convene the heroes, but did not find many - some lay already pale corpses near the ships of the Greeks, others, suffering from wounds, retired from the battle. Only Paris repelled the onslaught of the Greeks. Hector reproachfully turned to Paris, but this reproach was unfair: Paris fought bravely - it was not his fault that many heroes were wounded, and even more of them were killed. Called Paris Hector to lead the Trojans into battle. Like a storm, the Trojans went into battle, but the Greeks were not embarrassed by their onslaught. Ajax saw Telamonides Hector and called him to come closer to the ranks of the Greek soldiers. A soaring eagle appeared over Ajax, and the Greeks cried out with joy at the sight of this sign. But the Trojans led by Hector attacked the Greeks with a menacing cry. The Greeks responded with the same cry to the Trojans, and the cry of both troops reached the very sky. This cry of the army was heard by Nestor, who was sitting in his tent with Makhaon. He grabbed his shield and spear and left the tent. The old man went to King Agamemnon. He met the king of Mycenae, Diomedes and Odysseus, who were walking wounded, leaning on spears . They wanted to watch the battle. Sadness gripped their hearts when they saw that the battle was already going on at the ships. The leaders mourned that the wall that the Greeks erected to protect themselves from the attack of the Trojans was destroyed. They did not know how to help the troops, what to do to save them from death. Agamemnon was already ready to give the order to launch the ships into the water. But Odysseus kept him from this, as he was afraid that, by lowering the ships, the Greeks would think more about flight than about battle. Diomedes advised, dressed in armor, to appear to the army and thereby raise his spirit, but not to take part in the battle, so as not to be wounded a second time.
At this time, the goddess Hera, seeing the failure of the Greeks, decided to help them with cunning. She decided to put Zeus to sleep, and while Zeus sleeps, give victory to the Greeks.
The goddess Hera quickly flew from Olympus to Lemnos and there she found the god of sleep Hypnos. For a long time Hera persuaded him to put the Thunderer Zeus to sleep, but Hypnos refused, because he was afraid of the wrath of Zeus. Finally, she convinced Hypnos. Together with the god of sleep, Hera quickly rushed to the top of Ida. Hypnos secretly from Zeus took refuge on a huge spruce under the guise of a sweet-voiced bird and plunged him into a deep sleep. Then Hypnos flew from high Ida to Poseidon, the shaker of the earth, and told him that Zeus was sleeping.
Poseidon was delighted and even more inspired the Greeks to fight. Agamemnon, Diomedes and Odysseus, forgetting about the wounds, themselves built the ranks of the Greek army. Under the leadership of Poseidon, the army moved towards the Trojans. The sea boiled up, the waves ran with noise up to the very ships and tents of the Greeks, and, like the waves of the sea, the Greeks advanced on the Trojans. The terrible battle began again. Hector threw a spear at Ajax, but did not wound him. Ajax hit Hector in the chest with a huge stone. As an oak falls, broken by Zeus's lightning strike, so Hector fell to the ground, his spear fell out of his hands, a huge shield crushed him to the ground. The Greeks rushed to Hector, but the Trojan heroes defended the son of Priam and carried him out of the battle. They laid the unconscious Hector on the banks of the Xanth River and sprinkled water on his face. Hector sighed, opened his eyes, raised himself, and blood gushed from his mouth. Hector tipped over again and lost consciousness again. Seeing that Hector was slain by the stone of Ajax, the Greeks rushed at the Trojans more unitedly. The battle escalated even more fiercely. Many heroes, both on the part of the Greeks and on the part of the Trojans, found their death in this battle. The Trojans took to flight and stopped only when they were already behind the rampart that surrounded the camp of the Greeks.
At this time, Zeus woke up on the top of Ida. He saw the fleeing Trojans and the Greeks pursuing them under the leadership of Poseidon, and fell into a terrible rage. He began to reproach Hera and threatened her to bind her with a golden chain and hang her between heaven and earth because she convinced Poseidon to help the Greeks. But Hera assured Zeus with a terrible oath that it was not on her advice that Poseidon was helping the Greeks.
With the speed of thought, the goddess Hera rushed to Olympus. There, at the feast, Hera herself urged the gods not to oppose the will of Zeus. Hera also informed the god of war Ares that his son had fallen, Ascalaf, slain by Deiphobes . Ares sobbed. Terrible, he jumped up and, putting on armor, was ready to rush to the battlefield to avenge the death of his son. But Athena kept him, reminding him of the will of the great Zeus. Called Hera the god Apollo and the herald of the gods Iris and told them what she commanded them Zeus go to him on the top of Ida. When the god Apollo and Irida appeared on Ida, Zeus ordered Iris to fly to Poseidon and convey to him the command of Zeus to leave the battle. Irida appeared in the blink of an eye before Poseidon and conveyed to him the command of Zeus. Poseidon did not want to submit to the will of his brother; he said that his power was equal to that of Zeus, that Zeus could command his sons and daughters, and not him. But in the end, Poseidon submitted and left the battlefield, threatening, however, Zeus that if he continued to spare Troy, then eternal enmity would begin between him and Zeus.
Zeus commanded Apollo to take his aegis and frighten the Greeks with it; Zeus ordered him to restore the strength of Hector. When Apollo, like a hawk, descended to the ground near Hector, he was already beginning to recover.
Rise, Hector! - Apollo told him, - I, the god Apollo, have been sent to help you by Zeus. Go to the troops and order them to attack the Greeks, I myself will go ahead of the Trojans.
Apollo breathed mighty power into Hector's chest. He got up and went to the Trojans. They rejoiced when they saw Hector unharmed. The Greeks were surprised to see Hector again in the ranks of their enemies. The Trojans recovered from their flight and again began to push the Greeks. The battle became bloodier and bloodier. The Greeks bravely repulsed the onslaught of the Trojans, but only until the god Apollo shook the aegis of Zeus. Then the Greeks trembled, horror seized their hearts, they forgot about courage and turned to flight. The Trojans pursued them, and Apollo leveled the path for the Trojans, filling up the ditch in front of the wall in the space of the thrown spear. Only at the courts. the Greeks stopped. They began to pray to the gods for salvation. Prayed Zeus and Elder Nestor:
- Remember, Zeus, about the sacrifices that the Greeks made to you, begging you to give them a happy return to their homeland. Avert death, O Olympian, from the Greeks! Don't give the Trojans a final victory!
Zeus heard Nestor's prayer and thundered from the top of the sky. The Trojans, however, took the thunder for a favorable sign and, like a formidable sea shaft rising above the side of the ship, rushed at the Greeks. The battle broke out right next to the ships. Ajax fought hard, defendingslave. Next to Ajax stood his brother Tevkr and hit the heroes of Troy with arrows. When Teucer wanted to hit Hector with an arrow, Zeus defended the son of Priam. The bow fell out of Teucer's hand, the string on it burst, and the arrows scattered. Teucer was horrified, he understood the will of the gods. Ajax advised his brother to leave the bow and fight with a spear.
The battle escalated more and more fiercely. Blood flowed in a stream around the ships. The Greeks protected the ships with a copper wall of their shields. Many feats of courage were performed by the heroes of the Greeks, but the Trojans advanced more and more. It seemed that it was not a battle-weary army that was fighting, but a fresh army that had just begun the battle. With a huge pole in his hands, Ajax jumped from ship to ship, repelling the Trojans. With his cry, he excited the heroes to battle. Hector, like an eagle that beats migratory birds, struck the Greeks. Hector, Protesilaus, already grabbed the stern of the ship with his hand, loudly called the Trojans and ordered them to give a torch to set fire to the ship. The mighty Telamonides Ajax himself could not resist the onslaught, through force he repelled the Trojans with his spear. The Trojans bombarded him with arrows. Ajax's left hand went numb from the weight of the shield. Ajax breathed impetuously, sweat poured down his body in a stream. He began to retreat. Rushing forward, Hector cut off the tip of Ajax's spear with a blow of his sword. Telamonides saw that it was the will of Zeus that the ships of the Greeks should burn. Indeed, the Trojans set fire to the ship Protesilayo, and it burst into flames, engulfed in flames. It seemed that death had come for all the Greeks, but then help came to them from where they did not even hope to receive it.