The Death of Imbrios and Other Contests
From Iliad Book XIII
Zeus goes off to Thrace, sure that no one will be able to interfere with the Greeks and the Trojans. Like that’s going to happen.
Poseidon, watching from the island of Samos, is not pleased. In four steps, he’s crossed the Aegean and is back in his mansion in Aigai in Greece. He picks up his team of horses, drives them back and stashes them between the islands of Imbros and Tenedos off the coast where the battle is taking place. Zeus and Poseidon are at cross purposes, because Poseidon favors the Greeks. Zeus wants a Trojan victory, for Thetis and Achilles, but doesn’t want the Greeks annihilated.
Since Zeus is his older brother, Poseidon is careful not to provoke him directly, so he runs all his interference by taking on the form of humans. He starts by taking the form of Kalchos, the priest that made Agamemnon sacrifice his daughter in Greece, then give up Chryseis, which lead to him pissing off Achilles by taking his woman, Briseis.
In the contests that follows, a Trojan named Imbrios will be the first to die.
The Death of Imbrios
Translated by Robert Fitzgerald
And Telamonian Teukros drew first blood by killing a son of Mentor, herder of horses, Imbrios the pikeman. He had lived at Pedaios before the Akhaians came and had a young wife, Medesikaste, born
of a slave1 to Priam. When the rolling ships
of the Danaans beached, he journeyed back to Ilion, stood high, and lived near Priam, who ranked him with his own sons. Teukros gashed Imbrios under the ear with his long weapon, then withdrew it. Down the Trojan went, as on a hilltop, visible far and wide, an ash hewn by an ax puts down its verdure shimmering on the ground. So he went down, and round him clanged his harness wrought in bronze. … [The two Ajaxes] lugged Imbrios, and stripped him of his gear. Then from his tender neck Aias Oiliades, in anger for Amphimakhos, lopped his head and bowled it through the melee till it tumbled in dust at Hektor’s feet. -- Translation by Robert Fitzgerald
My version of the Death of Imbrios
A bondswoman of the palace Found favor with King Priam, The daughter she bore him they called “Adorned with Prudence,” Midesikaste. Imbrios, son of Mentor, the horse herder, Lived in Pedaeum with Midesikaste, his young wife, adorned with prudence, The daughter of King Priam. When the Danaan fleet arrived, Imbrios brought his spear to Ilios, wearing harness wrought of bronze. The king ranked him with his sons. Alas! Teukros Telemonion killed him. Gashed beneath his ear, he fell. Like an ash tree felled by an axe, Foliage shimmering on the ground, Fell spearman Imbrios, tall beacon, Bronze armor clanging. Where is his spear now? Where his bright bronze harness? Where is Mentor’s son? Midesikaste’s spouse? His spear and his harness are with Ajax Telamonion and Ajax Oiliades. The battlefield has his headless body; His head is at Hector’s feet. And his shade is in the undergloom.
Various Contests
Warriors on the Greek side are in bold, Trojans and allies are in italics.
Telemonion Teukros gashed Imbrios under the ear with his spear, and then pulled it back. Teukros rushed to strip him, and Hektor aimed his spear, but Teukros swerved, so Hector got Amphimakhos, son of Cteatos Aktorides instead, in the chest. Hector lunged for his fitted helm, and Ajax reached for Hector with his spear but just hit Hector’s shield instead, which still drove him back from the dead, so that the Athenians Stikhios and Menestheus could get Amphimakhos out of there.
But the two Ajaxes got their prize, Imbrios, stripped him, and then Ajax Oiliades cut off his head and threw it a Hector’s feet, in anger for Amphimakhos. Poseidon, too, was mad at Amphimakhos getting killed, because he was his grandson, so he stirs Idomeneus to action, with Meriones.
Idomeneus is the Greek champion this go-round. He kills four on the Trojan side: Othryoneus (and gets his body), Asios, Alkathoos, and Oinomaos. And both Deiphobos and Aeneas try, and fail to hit him. Deiphobos misses Idomeneus twice, wounding Hypsenor and killing Askalphos instead, before he is wounded in turn by Meriones.
Antilokhos kills Asios’ driver (and takes the horses and car of Asios) and Thoon.
Meriones kills Adamas and Harpalion (whose father gets his body off the battlefield) in addition to wounding Deiphobos.
Helenus kills Deipyros and is wounded by Menelaus, who prevents him from taking the dead man’s helm.
Paris kills Eukenor.
Menelaus kills Peisandros, not so much through skill but through superior armor. First they threw spears at each other, and while Menelaus missed, that of Peisandros made it in through Menelaus’ shield. Then Menelaus drew his longsword and Peisandros brought out his double axe on a helve. The axe came down on Menelaus helm, which held up, while Menelaus’ sword went into the brow of Peisandros above the nose and cracked the bone, so that both eyes were spilt in blood into the dust at his feet. Then Menelaus strips his gear and boasts over his body.
The battle continues.
Interestingly, the Robert Fitzgerald translation is the only one that translates this word as “daughter of a slave woman.” The Greek term translated as “bastard” or “illegitimate” means a child of a known father without marriage. The other two translations I looked at call her a “bastard” or “illegitimate,” which is exactly how they translate the same word when used for Priam’s sons. The term never seems to be used as a slur – it simply distinguishes the level of nobility.
Again, I see a significant difference between the meanings the Romans give to “marriage” and “concubine” and that given by the Greeks. The Greeks appear to make no distinction between a child born to a concubine or a slave woman, as long as the man acknowledges the child as his. Such a child, if acknowledged, appears not to be a slave. Several of Priam’s bastard sons fight for Troy, and this man, married to a bastard daughter, seems to be considered similar, if somewhat below them, in rank.
This is a significant difference from the Roman concept. The recognized son or daughter of a concubine is as free born as the child of a wife, but the recognized son or daughter of a slave woman is definitely a slave, and even if later freed, is never considered free BORN.
Where were you in ninth grade?
We read the ILLIAD and the translation sucked.
Awesome Work you have done!