Monday, February 19, 2018

"SPATTERED with GORE"



"Pylos Combat Agate," carved agate seal, circa 1450 B.C. Found near the palace of Nestor, king of Pylos, who appears in The Iliad.

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"...his invincible hands spattered with gore."

—the final line of Book 20 of The Iliad by Homer, translated by Caroline Alexander

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As I've been reading Caroline Alexander's translation of The Iliad, I've posted a brief synopsis of each book I complete on Twitter. Here are my collected Twitter synopses of books seventeen through twenty.

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BOOK 17

Fighting over the body of Patroclus. Apollo goads Trojans. Athena goads Greeks. Antilochos runs to Achilles.

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BOOK 18

Nereids mourn. Achilles aegis-clad. Clarion voice. Patroclus retrieved. Mourning rites. Armor by Hephaestus.

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BOOK 19

Achilles rallies Greeks. Eat or battle? Gifts, reparations. Athena: ambrosia. Achilles arms. Xanthos speaks.

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BOOK 20

Gods @ war. Achilles vs Aeneas. Poseidon saves Aeneas. Achilles vs Hector. Apollo saves Hector. Demonic fire.

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