The battle began right next to the ships. Zeus no longer looked at the battle, since he was sure that none of the gods would dare to help the Greeks. Seeing this, the god Poseidon quickly went from the mountains of Thrace, from where he had watched the battle, to his palace; the mountains trembled under the feet of the angrily walking god. Poseidon came to his palace, harnessed his sea horses to a chariot and rushed across the waves of the sea to Troy. They flew stormily, without touching the waves of the sea, and soon rushed the god to Troy. In a vast cave on the seashore, Poseidon left horses with a chariot, shackling the horses’ legs with golden chains. Taking the form of Calchas, he appeared before the Ajaxes and inspired them to fight. Having touched them with a rod, God poured great power into their members. The Ajax realized that God, under the guise of Calchas, was speaking to them, and they rushed into battle even more courageously. Poseidon walked through the ranks of the Greeks and excited everyone to fight bravely. Rows of warriors gathered around the Ajaxes and shield to shield, helmet to helmet, holding out their spears, waited for the advancing Trojans. Hector advanced among the citizens of Troy.
Just as a heavy stone rolls from the top of a mountain, torn from a cliff, crushing everything in its path until it rolls into the valley and remains motionless there, so Hector rushed with a spear and shield towards the ranks of the Greeks. He stopped in front of the closed ranks and encouraged the Trojans to break through the ranks of the Greek warriors. A stubborn battle ensued. Many Greeks died in battle. Poseidon's grandson, Amphibakh, also fell. The god Poseidon was angry. He inspired King Idomeneo to avenge the death of his grandson. Idomeneo dressed himself in shining armor and, flashing like the lightning of Zeus, rushed into battle. Idomeneo met Merion, who had just broken his spear, striking it at the shield of Priam's son, Deiphobus, and was going for a new spear. Idomeneo gave a spear to Merion, and both heroes went to the left flank of the Greeks.
The Trojans saw Idomeneo approaching and rushed at him. Idomeneo rushed at the Trojans and put them to flight. Seeing how he was pushing back the Trojans, Priam's son Deiphobus called on Aeneas for help. Together they attacked Idomeneo, calling also Paris and Agenor. A terrible battle began around Idomeneo, to whom many heroes rushed to help. The copper armor on the heroes' chests rattled from strong blows.
Hector fought where two Ajaxes defended the ships. They fought stubbornly, standing next to each other; So oxen, united by a common yoke, drag a plow across the field and walk together along the furrow, blasting deep into the earth. Many warriors fought around Ajax. And behind them, the Locrians, armed with bows and slings, fired clouds of arrows at the attackers. The Trojans were already ready to waver, but the hero Polydamas advised Hector to call the bravest heroes for help and decide whether to rush at the Greek ships or retreat. Hector went to call the heroes, but did not find many - some were already lying pale corpses near the Greek ships, - others, suffering from wounds, retired from the battle. Only Paris repelled the onslaught of the Greeks. Hector turned to Paris with reproach, but this reproach was unfair: Paris fought bravely - it was not his fault that many heroes were wounded, and even more were killed. Paris called Hector to lead the Trojans into battle. Like a storm, the Trojans went into battle, but the Greeks were not embarrassed by their onslaught. Ajax Telamonides saw Hector and called him to come closer to the ranks of the Greek soldiers. A soaring eagle appeared over Ajax, and the Greeks cried out joyfully at the sight of this sign. But the Trojans, led by Hector, attacked the Greeks with a menacing cry. The Greeks responded with the same cry to the Trojans, and the cry of both armies reached the very sky.
This cry of the army was heard by Nestor, who was sitting in his tent with Machaon. He grabbed his shield and spear and left the tent. The old man went to King Agamemnon. He met the king of Mycenae, Diomedes and Odysseus, who were walking wounded, leaning on spears. They wanted to watch the battle. Their hearts were filled with sadness when they saw that the battle was already taking place near the ships. The leaders mourned that the wall that the Greeks had erected to protect themselves from the attack of the Trojans was destroyed. They did not know how to help the troops, what to do to save them from death. Agamemnon was already ready to give the order to launch the ships. But Odysseus kept him from doing this, because he was afraid that, by lowering the ships, the Greeks would think more about flight than about battle. Diomedes advised, putting on armor, to show himself to the army and thereby raise their spirit, but not to take part in the battle, so as not to be wounded a second time.
At this time, the goddess Hera, seeing the failure of the Greeks, decided to help them with cunning. She decided to put Zeus into sleep, and while Zeus was sleeping, give victory to the Greeks.
The goddess Hera quickly flew from Olympus to Lemnos and there she found the god of sleep Hypnos. For a long time Hera tried to persuade him to put the thunderer Zeus to sleep, but Hypnos refused, because he was afraid of Zeus’s wrath. Finally, she convinced Hypnos. Together with the god of sleep, Hera quickly rushed to the top of Ida. Hypnos secretly hid from Zeus on a huge spruce tree under the guise of a sweet-voiced bird and plunged him into a deep sleep. Then Hypnos flew from high Ida to the earth shaker Poseidon and told him that Zeus was sleeping.
Poseidon was delighted and even more inspired the Greeks to fight. Agamemnon, Diomedes and Odysseus, forgetting about their wounds, themselves formed the ranks of the Greek army. Under the leadership of Poseidon, the army moved towards the Trojans. The sea boiled, the waves rushed noisily all the way to the ships and tents of the Greeks, and, like the waves of the sea, the Greeks attacked the Trojans. The terrible battle began again. Hector threw a spear at Ajax, but did not wound him. Ajax hit Hector in the chest with a huge stone. Just as an oak tree falls, broken by the lightning strike of Zeus, so Hector fell to the ground, his spear fell from his hands, and a huge shield crushed him to the ground. The Greeks rushed to Hector, but the Trojan heroes protected the son of Priam and carried him out of the battle. They laid the unconscious Hector on the bank of the Xanthus River and sprinkled water on his face. Hector sighed, opened his eyes, stood up, and blood gushed from his lips. Hector fell over again and lost consciousness again. Seeing that Hector was struck down by Ajax’s stone, the Greeks rushed towards the Trojans in a more friendly manner. The battle began to boil even more fiercely. Many heroes from both the Greek and Trojan sides died in this battle. The Trojans fled and stopped only when they were already behind the rampart surrounding the Greek camp.
At this time, Zeus woke up on the top of Ida. He saw the fleeing Trojans and the Greeks pursuing them under the leadership of Poseidon and fell into terrible anger. He began to reproach Hera and threatened to tie her up with a golden chain and hang her between heaven and earth because she convinced Poseidon to help the Greeks. But Hera assured Zeus with a terrible oath that it was not on her advice that Poseidon was helping the Greeks.
With the speed of thought, the goddess Hera rushed to Olympus. There, at a feast, Hera herself convinced the gods not to resist the will of Zeus. Hera also informed the god of war Ares that his son, Ascalaphus, had fallen, struck down by Deiphobus. Ares began to cry. Terrible, he jumped up and, putting on armor, was ready to rush to the battlefield to avenge the death of his son. But Athena held him back, reminding him of the will of the great Zeus. Hera called the god Apollo and the messenger of the gods Iris and told them that Zeus was telling them to go to him at the top of Ida. When the gods Apollo and Iris appeared on Ida, Zeus ordered Iris to fly to Poseidon and convey to him Zeus’ command to leave the battle. In the blink of an eye, Iris appeared before Poseidon and conveyed to him the command of Zeus. Poseidon did not want to submit to the will of his brother; he said that his strength was equal to the power of Zeus, that Zeus could order his sons and daughters, and not him. But in the end, Poseidon submitted and left the battlefield, threatening Zeus, however, that if he continues to spare Troy, then eternal enmity will begin between him and Zeus.
Zeus ordered Apollo to take his aegis and frighten the Greeks with it; Zeus ordered him to restore Hector’s strength. When Apollo, like a hawk, descended to the ground near Hector, he was already beginning to come to his senses.
- Rise up, Hector! - Apollo told him, - I, the god Apollo, was sent to help you by Zeus. Go to the troops and order them to attack the Greeks, I myself will go ahead of the Trojans.
Apollo breathed mighty power into Hector’s chest. He got up and went to the Trojans. They were happy to see Hector unharmed. The Greeks were surprised to see Hector again in the ranks of their enemies. The Trojans recovered from their flight and again began to press back the Greeks. The battle became bloodier and bloodier. The Greeks bravely repelled the onslaught of the Trojans, but only until the god Apollo shook the aegis of Zeus. Then the Greeks trembled, horror took possession of their hearts, they forgot about courage and fled. The Trojans pursued them, and Apollo leveled the path for the Trojans by filling the ditch in front of the wall into the space of the thrown spear. Only the Greeks stopped at the ships. They began to pray to the gods for salvation. Elder Nestor also prayed to Zeus:
- Remember, Zeus, about the sacrifices that the Greeks made to you, praying for a happy return to their homeland. Turn away death, O Olympian, from the Greeks! Don't let the Trojans achieve final victory!
Zeus heard Nestor’s plea and thundered from the top of the sky. The Trojans took the thunder for a favorable sign and, like a formidable sea wall rising above the side of the ship, rushed at the Greeks. The battle began right next to the ships. Ajax fought hard to protect the ships. His brother Teucer stood next to Ajax and struck the heroes of Troy with arrows. When Teucer wanted to hit Hector with an arrow, Zeus protected the son of Priam. The bow fell from Teucer's hand, its string broke, and the arrows scattered. Teucer was horrified; he understood the will of the gods. Ajax advised his brother to leave the bow and fight with a spear.
The battle raged more and more fiercely. Blood flowed in a stream around the ships. The Greeks protected their ships with a copper wall of shields. The heroes of the Greeks performed many feats of bravery, but the Trojans advanced ever stronger. It seemed that it was not a battle-weary army that was fighting, but a fresh one that had just begun the battle. With a huge pole in his hands, Ajax jumped from ship to ship, repelling the Trojans. With his shout he excited the heroes to battle. Hector, like an eagle striking migratory birds, struck the Greeks. Hector had already grabbed the stern of Protesilaus’s ship with his hand, loudly called the Trojans and ordered them to give them a torch to set fire to the ship. The mighty Telamonides Ajax himself could not resist the onslaught; he fought off the Trojans with his spear. The Trojans showered him with arrows. Ajax's left hand went numb from the weight of the shield. Ajax breathed harshly, sweat poured down his body in a stream. He began to retreat. Rushing forward, Hector cut off the tip of Ajax’s spear with a blow of his sword. Telamonides saw that this was the will of Zeus so that the ships of the Greeks would burn. And indeed, the Trojans set fire to Protesilaus’s ship, and it burst into flames, engulfed in fire. It seemed that death had come for all the Greeks, but then help came to them from where they had not hoped to receive it.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru