Book 23

• The Greeks return to the ships; Achilles and the Myrmidons drive their chariots around Patroclus’ bier and lament; Achilles promises again to sacrifice 12 Trojans at the funeral.
• Achilles throws Hector’s body in the dust and says he will be left for the dogs to eat
• Achilles refuses to wash the blood off his body until Patroclus is buried and mourned
• Patroclus’ ghost visits Achilles in a dream and asks to be buried- he cannot enter the Underworld otherwise; he also asks that Achilles bury the two of them together, their bones in the same urn.
• Achilles promises to do everything he tries to embrace the ghost but it disappears.
• The next day at dawn, the Greeks chop wood and prepare a pyre 30m x30m
• Achilles dedicates a lock of his hair to Patroclus- he had saved it to dedicate to the River Spercheus in case he were to return home from the war.
• As well as Patroclus, 4 horses, 2 dogs and 12 Trojan men are killed and out in the pyre.
• Achilles says farewell to Patroclus and repeats that Hector’s body will be thrown to the dogs- but Aphrodite keeps the dogs off + anoints it with oil; Apollo protects it from the sun with a cloud.
• Patroclus pure doesn’t catch fire immediately so Achilles prays to the North and West winds (Boreas and Zephyr) to fan the flames, and Iris carries his message to them
• Achilles mourns Patroclus by pouring libations and keeping vigil all night long
• They gather Patroclus‘ bones and place them in an urn to wait for Achilles’ own funeral.
• The first event of the funeral games is a chariot race; Nestor advises his son Antilochus on the best strategy to win the race; Achilles doesn’t partake and Phoenix is the umpire.
• Diomedes is about to overtake Eumelus but Apollo knocks the whip out of his hand; Athene retaliates by breaking Eumelus’ chariot so his horses run off and he falls out.
• Antilochus overtakes Menelaus dangerously where the track is narrow.
• Idomeneus and Lesser Ajax argue over who they can see in the lead- Achilles tells them to stop arguing and wait to find out (Diomedes wins, followed by Antilochus + Menelaus)
• Achilles wants to give Eumelus 2nd prize despite him coming last; Antilochus objects so instead Achilles gives Eumelus a prize from his own collection.
• Menelaus wants 2nd prize because of Antilochus‘ dangerous manoeuvre; Antilochus apologises and is willing to give up the prizes; Menelaus forgive s him but warns him not to do it again.
• The unclaimed 5th prize goes to Nestor as a keepsake since he is too old to compete.
• Epeius defeats Euryalus in the boxing and wins a mule; the losing prize is a cup.
• Ajax and Odysseus compete in the wrestling but neither can defeat the other; Odysseus manages to trip Ajax but can’t lift him- Achilles declares that they have both won.
• Lesser Ajax, Odysseus and Antilochus compete in the foot race- Ajax almost wins but Athene guves Odysseus a speed boost and trips Ajax up into cattle dung.
• Antilochus comes last and says that the goddess favours Odysseus as an older hero- only Achilles would be able to beat Odysseus; Achilles is flattered and gives him an extra prize.
• Ajax and Diomedes fight each other for Sarpedon‘s armour but the fight is ended early because the Greeks are afraid that Diomedes will actually kill Ajax; they share the prizes between them.
• Polypoetes wins a huge lump of iron (5 years’ supply) by throwing it the furthest.
• Meriones wins the archery contest because he remembers to pray to Apollo; Teucer comes 2nd
• Agamemnon and Meriones stand to compete in spear- throwing, but Achilles automatically awards 1st prize to Agamemnon as it is well-recognised that he is superior to everyone in this.