Ajax (Great Shield)
heroThe massive warrior from Salamis who carried a shield like a tower wall and held the Greek line when every other defender broke.
The Myth
Ajax the Great was the son of Telamon, king of Salamis, and the largest, strongest Greek warrior at Troy after Achilles. His shield — described by Homer as like a city wall, made of seven layers of oxhide with a bronze facing — was his defining attribute. He needed no divine aid: while other heroes relied on Athena or Apollo, Ajax fought on pure strength and courage. When the Trojans breached the Greek wall and set fire to the ships, it was Ajax who held the line, standing on the decks and fighting off attackers with a massive naval pike. He duelled Hector to a draw, and they exchanged gifts in mutual respect. But after Achilles's death, when Achilles's divine armour was awarded to Odysseus instead of Ajax, the great warrior went mad — Athena filled his mind with delusion, and he slaughtered a flock of sheep believing them to be the Greek commanders who had dishonoured him. When sanity returned, the shame was unbearable. Ajax drove his sword into the ground and fell upon it.
Explore Further
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Ajax (Madness)
heroAjax the Great's descent into madness and suicide after losing the contest for Achilles's armor to...
Ajax the Great
heroAjax son of Telamon was the tallest and strongest of the Greek warriors at Troy, a tower of a man...
Ajax the Lesser
heroAjax son of Oileus was a fast, fierce, impious warrior whose assault on Cassandra in Athena's...
Hector
heroHector was Troy's greatest warrior, who fought not for glory but to defend his city, wife, and son.
Odysseus (Trickster)
heroOdysseus was the most cunning of all Greek heroes — the man of polytropos (many turns), whose...
Telamon
heroKing of Salamis, Argonaut, companion of Heracles, and father of Ajax the Great and Teucer.
Ajax (Shield)
conceptAjax's shield was a massive tower shield of seven ox-hides layered with bronze — the largest...
Trojan War
conceptThe Trojan War was the central event of Greek mythology — a ten-year siege of Troy by a Greek...
Achilles (Wrath)
heroThe swift-footed son of Peleus and Thetis whose wrath drives the Iliad and whose choice between...
Odysseus
heroThe cleverest of the Greek heroes, whose ten-year journey home from Troy is one of the greatest...
Odysseus (Man of Many Turns)
heroThe craftiest of all Greek heroes, whose ten-year voyage home from Troy tested every human capacity...