Apollodorus · The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome Βιβλιοθήκη

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.4.1–7: The Iliad in brief: Achilles' anger, Patroclus and Hector

The Epitome gives a short account of the events of the Iliad: Achilles withdraws from the fighting because of the quarrel over Briseis, Paris and Menelaus fight a single combat, and Hector drives the Greeks back to the ships. Patroclus, wearing Achilles' armour, is killed by Hector. Achilles takes up Hephaestus's new armour, kills Hector and drags his body, holds games for Patroclus, and Priam ransoms Hector's body.

Sections E.4.1–7 · 524 words · click a number to copy its link

Ἀχιλλεὺς δὲ μηνίων ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον οὐκ ἐξῄει διὰ Βρισηίδα […] τῆς θυγατρὸς Χρύσου τοῦ ἱερέως. διὸ θαρσήσαντες οἱ βάρβαροι ἐκ τῆς πόλεως προῆλθον. καὶ μονομαχεῖ Ἀλέξανδρος πρὸς Μενέλαον, Ἀλέξανδρον δὲ ἡττώμενον ἁρπάζει Ἀφροδίτη. Πάνδαρος δὲ τοξεύσας Μενέλαον τοὺς ὅρκους ἔλυσεν.

Achilles did not go forth to the war, because he was angry on account of Briseis, […] the daughter of Chryses the priest. Therefore the barbarians took heart of grace and sallied out of the city. And Alexander fought a single combat with Menelaus; and when Alexander got the worst of it, Aphrodite carried him off. And Pandarus, by shooting an arrow at Menelaus, broke the truce.

ὅτι Διομήδης ἀριστεύων Ἀφροδίτην Αἰνείᾳ βοηθοῦσαν τιτρώσκει, καὶ Γλαύκῳ συστάς, ὑπομνησθεὶς πατρῴας φιλίας, ἀλλάσσει τὰ ὅπλα.προκαλουμένου δὲ Ἕκτορος τὸν ἄριστον εἰς μονομαχίαν, πολλῶν ἐλθόντων Αἴας κληρωσάμενος ἀριστεύει· νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπιγενομένης κήρυκες διαλύουσιν αὐτούς.

Diomedes, doing doughty deeds, wounded Aphrodite when she came to the help of Aeneas; and encountering Glaucus, he recalled the friendship of their fathers and exchanged arms. And Hector having challenged the bravest to single combat, many came forward, but the lot fell on Ajax, and he did doughty deeds; but night coming on, the heralds parted them.

οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες πρὸς τοῦ ναυστάθμου τεῖχος ποιοῦνται καὶ τάφρον, καὶ γενομένης μάχης ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ οἱ Τρῶες τοὺς Ἕλληνας εἰς τὸ τεῖχος διώκουσιν· οἱ δὲ πέμπουσι πρὸς Ἀχιλλέα πρέσβεις Ὀδυσσέα καὶ Φοίνικα καὶ Αἴαντα, συμμαχεῖν ἀξιοῦντες καὶ Βρισηίδα καὶ ἄλλα δῶρα ὑπισχνούμενοι.

The Greeks made a wall and a ditch to protect the roadstead, and a battle taking place in the plain, the Trojans chased the Greeks within the wall. But the Greeks sent Ulysses, Phoenix, and Ajax as ambassadors to Achilles, begging him to fight for them, and promising Briseis and other gifts.

νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπιγενομένης κατασκόπους πέμπουσιν Ὀδυσσέα καὶ Διομήδην· οἱ δὲ ἀναιροῦσι Δόλωνα τὸν Εὐμήλου καὶ Ῥῆσον τὸν Θρᾷκα (ὃς πρὸ μιᾶς ἡμέρας παραγενόμενος Τρωσὶ σύμμαχος οὐ συμβαλὼν ἀπωτέρω τῆς Τρωικῆς δυνάμεως χωρὶς Ἕκτορος ἐστρατοπέδευσε) τούς τε περὶ αὐτὸν δώδεκα κοιμωμένους κτείνουσι καὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς ἄγουσι.

And night coming on, they sent Ulysses and Diomedes as spies; and these killed Dolon, son of Eumelus, and Rhesus, the Thracian ( who had arrived the day before as an ally of the Trojans, and having not yet engaged in the battle was encamped at some distance from the Trojan force and apart from Hector); they also slew the twelve men that were sleeping around him, and drove the horses to the ships.

μεθʼ ἡμέραν δὲ ἰσχυρᾶς μάχης γενομένης, τρωθέντων Ἀγαμέμνονος καὶ Διομήδους Ὀδυσσέως Εὐρυπύλου Μαχάονος καὶ τροπῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων γενομένης, Ἕκτωρ ῥήξας τὸ τεῖχος εἰσέρχεται καὶ ἀναχωρήσαντος Αἴαντος πῦρ ἐμβάλλει ταῖς ναυσίν.

But by day a fierce fight took place; Agamemnon and Diomedes, Ulysses, Eurypylus, and Machaon were wounded, the Greeks were put to flight Hector made a breach in the wall and entered and, Ajax having retreated, he set fire to the ships.

ὡς δὲ εἶδεν Ἀχιλλεὺς τὴν Πρωτεσιλάου ναῦν καιομένην, ἐκπέμπει Πάτροκλον καθοπλίσας τοῖς ἰδίοις ὅπλοις μετὰ τῶν Μυρμιδόνων, δοὺς αὐτῷ τοὺς ἵππους. ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ Τρῶες καὶ νομίσαντες Ἀχιλλέα εἶναι εἰς φυγὴν τρέπονται. καταδιώξας δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ τεῖχος πολλοὺς ἀναιρεῖ, ἐν οἷς καὶ Σαρπηδόνα τὸν Διός, καὶ ὑφʼ Ἕκτορος ἀναιρεῖται, τρωθεὶς πρότερον ὑπὸ Εὐφόρβου.

But when Achilles saw the ship of Protesilaus burning, he sent out Patroclus with the Myrmidons, after arming him with his own arms and giving him the horses. Seeing him the Trojans thought that he was Achilles and turned to flee. And having chased them within the wall, he killed many, amongst them Sarpedon, son of Zeus, and was himself killed by Hector, after being first wounded by Euphorbus.

μάχης δὲ ἰσχυρᾶς γενομένης περὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ, μόλις Αἴας ἀριστεύσας σώζει τὸ σῶμα. Ἀχιλλεὺς δὲ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀποθέμενος καὶ τὴν Βρισηίδα κομίζεται. καὶ πανοπλίας αὐτῷ κομισθείσης παρὰ Ἡφαίστου, καθοπλισάμενος ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐξέρχεται, καὶ συνδιώκει τοὺς Τρῶας ἐπὶ τὸν Σκάμανδρον, κἀκεῖ πολλοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἀναιρεῖ, κτείνει δὲ καὶ Ἀστεροπαῖον τὸν Πηλεγόνος τοῦ Ἀξιοῦ ποταμοῦ· καὶ αὐτῷ λάβρος ὁ ποταμὸς ἐφορμᾷ. καὶ τούτου μὲν ὁ Ἥφαιστος τὰ ῥεῖθρα ἀναξηραίνει πολλῇ φλογὶ διώξας, ὁ δʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς Ἕκτορα ἐκ μονομαχίας ἀναιρεῖ καὶ ἐξάψας αὐτοῦ τὰ σφυρὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἅρματος σύρων ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς παραγίνεται. καὶ θάψας Πάτροκλον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ἀγῶνα τίθησιν, ἐν ᾧ νικᾷ ἵπποις Διομήδης, Ἐπειὸς πυγμῇ, Αἴας καὶ Ὀδυσσεὺς πάλῃ. μετὰ δὲ τὸν ἀγῶνα παραγενόμενος Πρίαμος πρὸς Ἀχιλλέα λυτροῦται τὸ Ἕκτορος σῶμα καὶ θάπτει.

And a fierce fight taking place for the corpse, Ajax with difficulty, by performing feats of valor, rescued the body. And Achilles laid aside his anger and recovered Briseis. And a suit of armour having been brought him from Hephaestus, he donned the armour and went forth to the war, and chased the Trojans in a crowd to the Scamander, and there killed many, and amongst them Asteropaeus, son of Pelegon, son of the river Axius; and the river rushed at him in fury. But Hephaestus dried up the streams of the river, after chasing them with a mighty flame. And Achilles slew Hector in single combat, and fastening his ankles to his chariot dragged him to the ships. And having buried Patroclus, he celebrated games in his honor, at which Diomedes was victorious in the chariot race, Epeus in boxing, and Ajax and Ulysses in wrestling. And after the games Priam came to Achilles and ransomed the body of Hector, and buried it.

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English translation by Sir James George Frazer (1921). Original text: Sir James George Frazer (ed.), Apollodorus, The Library, 2 vols., Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, 1921 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.