Thersites in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Thersites

6 passages from 5 ancient authors that tell of Thersites, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Thersites was a Greek warrior who fought during the Trojan War, in Greek mythology. He was described as being lame, vulgar and dull-witted. According ... For the story in one place, read our article on Thersites.

Homer (1)

Homer, Iliad 2.211–277Thersites rebuked by OdysseusThe Achaeans sit down, but Thersites, ugly and loud-mouthed, abuses Agamemnon and urges the men to sail home. Odysseus rebukes him and strikes him on the back and shoulders with the sceptre, raising a bloody weal. Thersites sits down in pain and tears while the others laugh and praise Odysseus.

Sophocles (1)

Sophocles, Philoctetes 391–506First stasimon; Philoctetes asks about Troy and begs to be taken homeThe Chorus pray to the Earth, mother of Zeus, in sympathy with Neoptolemus. Philoctetes asks about the men he knew at Troy, and hears that Ajax, Antilochus and Patroclus are dead while Odysseus and Thersites live, so that the gods spare the evil. When Neoptolemus says that he is about to set sail, Philoctetes begs him, by his father and mother and by everything dear to him, not to leave him but to take him home to Oeta.

Pausanias (1)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.31.1–12Delphi: Polygnotus' painting of the underworld (4): Ajax, Meleager, Memnon, Penthesilea, Sisyphus and TantalusPausanias completes the underworld painting with the dicing group of Ajax, Palamedes and Thersites, Ulysses' enemies, and Meleager, with the rival accounts of his death. He describes Hector, Memnon with the birds called Memnonides, Sarpedon, Paris and Penthesilea, then the uninitiated carrying water in broken pitchers, Callisto, Nomia, Pero, Sisyphus and Tantalus.

Quintus Smyrnaeus (2)

Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.766–830Diomedes and Thersites; the Amazons buriedDiomedes, a kinsman of Thersites, is the only Argive angry at his death, and the two heroes are on the point of fighting before their comrades reconcile them. The Atreidae give Penthesileia's body and arms back to Priam, who buries her with her horse beside Laomedon's tomb and buries her Amazons beside her. The Argives raise a mound for Podarces, throw Thersites into a pit, and feast with Achilles.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 1.654–765Achilles and ThersitesAchilles takes the helmet from the dead queen's head and, seeing how beautiful she is, grieves for her. Ares rushes down from Olympus in anger for his child but is held back by Zeus. Thersites jeers at Achilles for pitying an Amazon, and Achilles strikes him dead with a single blow.

Epic Cycle (1)

Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 6.1–5AethiopisProclus' summary tells how Memnon, the son of Eos, comes to help the Trojans in armour made by Hephaestus, and how Thetis tells her son about him. Achilles is killed by Paris and Apollo and Aias carries the body away. A fragment adds the Amazon, the daughter of Ares, who came after the burial of Hector.