Character · Collective
Read-only identity and editorial metadata.
No aliases recorded.
Phase 6 currently covers 24 processed books.
Achilles recalls the Myrmidons saying that he kept them at their ships.
“Myrmidons, remember your threats against the Trojans while you were at the ships in the time of my anger, and you were all complaining of me. ‘Cruel son of Peleus,’ you would say, ‘your mother must have suckled you on gall, so ruthless are you. You keep us here at the ships against our will”
The Myrmidons swarm out from their ships, attesting their immediately prior presence there.
“the Myrmidons swarm from their ships, and their cry of battle rose heavenwards”
The Myrmidons take the presents to Achilles’s ship and place them among his tents.
“The Myrmidons attended to the presents and took them away to the ship of Achilles. They placed them in his tents, while the stable-men drove the horses in among the others.”
Agamemnon identifies the Myrmidons as Achilles’s comrades and subjects.
“with your ships and comrades to lord it over the Myrmidons”
The Myrmidons take no part in the war because Achilles stays by the ships and no one marshals them.
“Those again who held Pelasgic Argos, Alos, Alope, and Trachis; and those of Phthia and Hellas the land of fair women, who were called Myrmidons, Hellenes, and Achaeans; these had fifty ships, over which Achilles was in command. But they now took no part in the war, inasmuch as there was no one to marshal them; for Achilles stayed by his ships, furious about the loss of the girl Briseis, whom he had taken from Lyrnessus at his own great peril, when he had sacked Lyrnessus and Thebe, and had overthrown Mynes and Epistrophus, sons of king Evenor, son of Selepus. For her sake Achilles was still grieving, but ere long he was again to join them.”
Without active leadership, the Myrmidons practise discus, spear-throwing and archery on the shore, wander through the host and do not go out to fight.
“Of the horses, those of the son of Pheres were by far the finest. They were driven by Eumelus, and were as fleet as birds. They were of the same age and colour, and perfectly matched in height. Apollo, of the silver bow, had bred them in Perea—both of them mares, and terrible as Mars in battle. Of the men, Ajax, son of Telamon, was much the foremost so long as Achilles’ anger lasted, for Achilles excelled him greatly and he had also better horses; but Achilles was now holding aloof at his ships by reason of his quarrel with Agamemnon, and his people passed their time upon the sea shore, throwing discs or aiming with spears at a mark, and in archery. Their horses stood each by his own chariot, champing lotus and wild celery. The chariots were housed under cover, but their owners, for lack of leadership, wandered hither and thither about the host and went not forth to fight.”
Nestor proposes the Myrmidons follow Patroclus to relieve the Danaans.
“let the rest of the Myrmidons follow with you, if perchance you may bring light and saving to the Danaans”
Patroclus proposes that the Myrmidons accompany him to bring deliverance to the Danaans.
“at least send me and the Myrmidons with me, if I may bring deliverance to the Danaans.”
Achilles orders the Myrmidons to be led into battle by Patroclus.
“now gird my armour about your shoulders, and lead the Myrmidons to battle”
The Myrmidon leaders gather around Patroclus like fearless, ravening wolves reeking of blood and slaughter after feeding on a stag.
“Even as fierce ravening wolves that are feasting upon a homed stag which they have killed upon the mountains, and their jaws are red with blood—they go in a pack to lap water from the clear spring with their long thin tongues; and they reek of blood and slaughter; they know not what fear is, for it is hunger drives them—even so did the leaders and counsellors of the Myrmidons gather round the good squire”
Achilles recalls the Myrmidons chiding him for keeping them unwillingly at the ships and urges them to the feats of arms they have long desired.
“remember your threats against the Trojans while you were at the ships in the time of my anger, and you were all complaining of me. ‘Cruel son of Peleus,’ you would say, ‘your mother must have suckled you on gall, so ruthless are you. You keep us here at the ships against our will; if you are so relentless it were better we went home over the sea.’ Often have you gathered and thus chided with me. The hour is now come for those high feats of arms that you have so long been pining for, therefore keep high hearts each one of you to do battle with the Trojans.’”
The Myrmidons close ranks like stones in a wind-sheltering wall: shield presses shield, helm presses helm, and touching horsehair plumes bend together.
“they serried their companies yet more closely when they heard the of their king. As the stones which a builder sets in the wall of some high house which is to give shelter from the winds—even so closely were the helmets and bossed shields set against one another. Shield pressed on shield, helm on helm, and man on man; so close were they that the horse-hair plumes on the gleaming ridges of their helmets touched each other as they bent their heads.”
The Myrmidons swarm from their ships with rage and courage like roadside wasps flying out furiously to defend their young, and their battle cry rises to heaven.
“They came swarming out like wasps whose nests are by the roadside, and whom silly children love to tease, whereon any one who happens to be passing may get stung—or again, if a wayfarer going along the road vexes them by accident, every wasp will come flying out in a fury to defend his little ones—even with such rage and courage did the Myrmidons swarm from their ships, and their cry of battle rose heavenwards.”
Patroclus puts heart and soul into the Myrmidons, who attack the Trojans as one body.
“With these words he put heart and soul into them all, and they fell in a body upon the Trojans.”
The Myrmidons hold Sarpedon’s snorting steeds, which are wild with panic at finding themselves left without their lords.
“the Myrmidons held his snorting steeds, who were wild with panic at finding themselves deserted by their lords.”
The Myrmidons, aligned with the Achaeans, strengthen their battalions and fight desperately around Sarpedon’s body, shouting fiercely amid the din of armour.
“both sides, therefore, the Trojans and Lycians on the one hand, and the Myrmidons and Achaeans on the other, strengthened their battalions, and fought desperately about the body of Sarpedon, shouting fiercely the while. Mighty was the din of their armour as they came together”
The Myrmidons gather around Achilles all night to mourn Patroclus.
“Thus all night long did the Myrmidons gather round Achilles to mourn Patroclus”
Achilles’s followers, the Myrmidons, weep around Patroclus with him.
“Many also of his followers were weeping round him”
The Myrmidons are awestruck by the armour and are too afraid to look full at it.
“The Myrmidons were struck with awe, and none dared look full at it, for they were afraid”
Achilles says Patroclus’s comrades, the Myrmidons, are mourning around his body.
“his comrades are mourning round him”
The Myrmidons, called famed horsemen and Achilles's trusted friends, were ordered to approach Patroclus with horses and chariots and mourn together.
“Achilles would not let the Myrmidons go, and spoke to his brave comrades saying, ‘Myrmidons, famed horsemen and my own trusted friends, not yet, forsooth, let us unyoke, but with horse and chariot draw near to the body and mourn Patroclus, in due honour to the dead. When we have had full comfort of lamentation we will unyoke our horses and take supper all of us here.’”
The Myrmidons wailed and drove their chariots three times sorrowfully around Patroclus while Thetis deepened their yearning.
“On this they all joined in a cry of wailing and Achilles led them in their lament. Thrice did they drive their chariots all sorrowing round the body, and Thetis stirred within them a still deeper yearning.”
The Myrmidons removed their armour, unyoked their horses, assembled by Achilles's ship, and received an abundant funeral banquet.
“The others then put off every man his armour, took the horses from their chariots, and seated themselves in great multitude by the ship of the fleet descendant of Aeacus, who thereon feasted them with an abundant funeral banquet.”
Evidence records not already represented by a claim.
“the Myrmidons”
“Myrmidons”
“the ships and tents of the Myrmidons”
“let the rest of the Myrmidons follow with you”
“The Myrmidons were struck with awe”
“Aeacus ruler over the many Myrmidons”
“Achilles would not let the Myrmidons go”
“the Myrmidons had cut pine”