"The Iliad": Chapter 17- Who Gets Patroklos?

Well hello there. Happy to be back. Miserable morning, but at least I finally got my car back from the detailing shop. I don't believe I mentioned it last time; but it turns out that, after I take in my car because my friend got sick in it, one of their employees got sick as well. He didn't make it worse or anything. That would have probably made for a funnier strory though. Enough chit chat.

This chapter was AWESOME! I don't know if it was my sleep deprivation or if it was just pure awesome. But this chapter rocked. It's odd how good it was. It was really nothing but a giant, bloody game of "Who Gets to Keep Patroklos' Body." Something about it was just on point.

I think it was due to the fact that the dialogue was a little easier on my brain to comprehend. (FINALLY!) Or maybe I just glazed over with the more difficult dialogue. That's something to talk about right there. This dialoge is not easy to get through. You have to pay attention. You will be tired after just reading one chapter. For one of two reasons:

1) You were just bored. Hence you're tired from not being properly stimulated by the text. Which means that you probably glazed over without really understanding it.

2) You really did pay attention and your mind is getting used to reading this style. The structure is different form what we normally read. It's long, flowing prose as opposed to the normal short and to the point.

And for all you people who don't get tired after reading a chapter. Good for you. Go and help someone else try to get a grasp on the concepts. Either way.

In the end, Menelaos and a fellow Greek finally recover Patroklos' body. But here's the really awesome part. Antilochos has been sent to inform Achilles of his friend's demise. YAY!! Achilles should be back in the fight really soon.

This was fun. Was it good for you too? Hope so. See you later.

"The Iliad": Chapter 16- The End of Patroklos

Wow. Busy day. But I won't bore you with the details. This chapter has a huge turning point. Let's get to it.

It finally happened. Patroklos died. After a long, successful struggle to beat the Trojans back, Patroklos got surprise-attacked by Apollo. Hektor then finished off the wounded Patroklos. Hektor didn't even do it all himself. I mean, this is not good for Hektor. Patroklos was even more than a match for him it seemed. I don't think he'll be happy to meet Achilles again.

Now that Patroklos is dead, we can finally get on with the destruction of Troy. This is so far off from the movie that I've given up thinking that I have any idea about what's going to happen. I must say that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I knew Patroklos would die. I just didn't know when.

It's a very curious thing. Homer was blind right? How does he describe everything so well? Maybe he wasn't always blind. Curiouser and curiouser. I don't know.

After the long day, I'm kind of tired at 3:25 A.M. Good bye for now. It's another day tomorrow.

"The Iliad": Chapter 15- Send in Mr. "Strongbow"

Hello. Interesting thing happened last night. Went out to a bar with some friends, and it turns out that one of my friends has no idea when to stop drinking. And he can't hold his liquor too well. Needless to say, I'm getting my car detailed in the morning. Lovely story right? But it was interesting for me. It was a first. And hopefully a last. In hindsight, I really wish I would have had the presence of mind to really tell him off in a manner similar to Homer's style. Maybe something like, "Thou fall drunkard, who has not the capacity in thy head to cut thyself off, remove thy fouled self from my vehicle. Until such time as you have not more putrid effluence to expel from your weakened form." I kind of like that. Hope you do as well.

I want to give some insight into today's title. Last night my friend drank a lot of "Strongbow" cider. And "Strongbow" is also an allusion to Apollo, who uses a bow. Now to the next chapter.

Big Daddy Zeus wakes up. And he's none too happy with Poseidon. He quickly removes his younger brother from the fight. Then sends Apollo to turn things around. Hektor's back baby! Trojans dominate, and there's a lot of talking and killing. There was also more talk of Patroklos' demise and Achilles' return to the fight. Thumbs up for Achilles. (Poor Patroklos)

Overall this was a very pleasant chapter. I especially love the dialogue between the gods. In books it's a lot harder to make a battle really interesting, but dialogue can be especially intriguing. That's my personal opinion. Homer does add some details of interest to the battles though. He speaks very specifically about where everyone gets hit. It's actually quite amazing to me.

Here I was thinking that everyone before the Renaissance was ignorant about internal anatomy, but Homer speaks pretty detailed about brains, tendons and even bladders. I certainly hope that this was all original and not just an addition by the translator. I prefer to think that ancient cultures were way smarter than our modern civilization gives them credit for. Cool fact. I just perused the contents of Vol. 2 of Aristotle. It's packed with anatomical information of animals. Can't wait to get to that. That's about all for now. Good day to you all.

P.S.: Never drive your car during a night of drinking if you can avoid it. You never know when you friend might get a weak stomach. He might look like he's just comforably passed out, but BEWARE! Bye.

"The Iliad": Chapter 14- How to Seduce the Great Mr. Zeus

Hello everyone. And good afternoon. Not much is going on so I'll get straight to it.

This was a fun chapter. Homer gives more time to the gods in this chapter. I'll say that Hera is one conniving, deceptive goddess. She uses sex as a weapon against Zeus in this chapter- I think a lot of women do that. (So I've heard) There was some unintentional humor with this deception. Before Hera appears to Zeus, she makes sure that she looks here absolute best. She even borrows a little beauty trinket from the lovely Aphrodite. Zeus, upon seeing her, starts to compare her beauty to a pretty long list of his past conquests.

I'm no expert, but I don't think women like to be compared to their man's past conquests. I guess Zeus isn't the brightest bolt in the storm cloud. Either way, Hera's plan succeeds. With Zeus preoccupied and exhausted after his close encounter our good buddy Poseidon is free to spur on the Greeks. It's not going well for the Trojans. Even Hektor has some bad luck-- in the form of a giant boulder beating him unconscious. And that's that.

I realized something today. Even if I read one volume of the Great Books a month, I wouldn't be done for 5 years. Good thing I can be patient. Troy wasn't felled in a day. It actually took about 10 years.

That's about it for me. Bye.

"The Iliad": Chapter 13- The Turning of the "Tides"

Hey everyone out there. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long since my last post. That was somewhere around 3 hours ago. Reading late at night doesn't agree with me. Or maybe "The Iliad" just isn't as exciting as I would like it to be.

I'll say this though: This book is very frustrating. Will the gods ever stop interfering?! But, of course, I am a little biased. I don't have much of a problem when the gods help the Trojans. I always liked the Trojans. They just lived with no one really noticing them until Alexandros decided to steal himself a bride from the brother of the king of the Greeks. He didn't really think that one out now did he. Onto the story.

Like I remarked earlier, it's frustrating how the gods keep interfering. The title of this chapter, The Turning of the "Tides", alludes to Poseidon being the god who interferes this time. You get it? "Tides"= Poseidon because he's the god of the Sea. Oh well. They can't all be winners.

In a nut shell, the Achaians start fighting back. (FYI: From here on out, I'm going to refer to Agamemnon's men as the Greeks. I'm reading the book and finding that there are other Greek tribes. Achaians are just one of the tribes. So it's Greeks from here on out.)

Time to continue. The Greeks are fighting back. And they're doing a pretty darn good job too. The Trojans are passingly revealed by an enemy Greek to be unexperienced fighters- just slashing in anger mostly. I can't really says that's the truth. It might have just been an insult from the Greeks. But not every can be a great warrior.

The chapter closes with the two opposing armies reading to make another charge at each other. Sadly, I don't see Achilles coming back into the fight for another 3-5 chapters. That's all for tonight. At least it's night where I am- That's all for today/ this afternoon/this morning for everybody else. Much <3. (See?! I made a heart.) Peace.

"The Iliad": Chapter 12- Pulling a B&E

Today is pretty cool. I have finally made it through half of the Iliad. That means that I have 1/4 of this Volume done with 59 volumes left to go. Well my buzz just got killed. But I'm sure that I'll do well enough. I am still worried about Euclid. He is like the geometry master. I didn't anticipate doing math on this journey. But I digress.

This is by far one of the better chapters so far. And it's interesting. Homer kind of reveals Troys fate. He's such a spoiler. But after the spoiler he jumped right into the battle. It was fun. Hektor is just top dog. The Trojans break through the Achaian's fortifications. But that is where this chapter comes to an end. Stupid cliff hangers. But I'll learn how it goes in the next chapter.

That's about all for now. I should get in another post today. Keep your fingers crossed.

"The Iliad": Chapter 11- Raining Blood

Hey there again. How do you like the title? Makes me want to listen to Slayer. As of right now I don't believe that I have any followers..... I'll save my desperate pleas for about 3 months from now. But enough about me. Let's talk about Homer. Simpson?

This chapter was pretty fun. It lost most of its momentum at the end though. As you can tell from the title, there is blood raining from the sky in this chapter. Maybe they missed a step in the Rain Dance. Either way with all the fighting in this chapter the ground was going to be blood soaked anyway. There was a lot of back and forth between the Trojans and Achaians. And guess what! Alexandros is helpful! Our little boy is growing up. Now he makes his insults after he inflicts wounds. Still not the most manly Trojan, but at least he's trying.

To sum up there was raining blood, fighting, alexandros helping and, as always, a loooooooooong narrative by Nestor. This time he's pleading to Patroklos. I would be afraid to read Nestor's autobiography. I think War and Peace would be shorter in comparison.

I'm still liking the book so far. It does get awfully grating. But what can I say. This book was written a looong time ago. I'm a new generation. No real effects to speak of. I don't feel any smarter. But it has given me some new material to discuss with my Dad. (Hi Dad. I'm on the internet!)

That's good enough for now. Bye.

"The Iliad": Chapter 10- Spy Hard (Die Hard!)

Hello there. Today was fun. I probably wasted about 1 1/2 hours on Final Fantasy 13 earlier. But you don't want to hear about that. So, to spare you the details, here's Chapter 10.

I almost fell asleep reading the first 200 or so lines. Not the stuff of which great epics should be made. The most exciting thing that happened involved people being woken up. It's no wonder that they were throwing insults. It's probably not 2-3 hours after where the last chapter left off. LET ME SLEEP!! But I digress.

Now it gets interesting. You can infer from the title that there is spying and dying. (And a little rhyming) So Odysseus and Diomedes go to spy on the Trojans. They find a Trojan spy on the way. This guy really got under my skin. It might just be the fact that I was only reading and couldn't hear the inflection of his words but this guy just totally screwed over his country men. He told them everything. Can't say I'm sad that he died. (Cowardly traitor)

Odysseus and Diomedes sneak around, kill some men and steal some horses. And then run back to camp. I'm not clear if they really accomplished anything with this little adventure. Maybe I'll learn in the next chapter. This chapter was okay. Can't wait to see if Achilles will come back into the fight. For now, back to Final Fantasy 13. Bye.

"The Iliad": Chapter 9- Agamemnon's Desperate Plea

What to talk about..... Okay. Got it. This is has been a very uninspired day. But not bad. Just not the same pissaz that I've had on others. Homer is a very exhausting writer. And I'm trying to find a new approach to these posts. How should I go about this? Now don't answer too quickly. I'll try taking some of my Dad's advice for today. Yippee Kai Ay Homer.

To start out, this chapter was pretty boring. It had more than enough whining and begging. Poor Agamemnon even cried! Then he tries way too hard to win over Achilles. You can read the list of gifts yourselves if you want to.

As you can probably guess, Achilles just flat out refuses. He basically tells them where Agamemnon can stick his scepter. (It would be a shame to put such a good scepter to waste like that.) And I thought modern men had pride issues. Then all the poor men that Agamemnon sent to ask Achilles have to go back empty handed. But at least Agamemnon is too depressed to whip them....or whatever an old Greek king would do if you failed him. Well...That's about it. Hold on a sec. They go to bed. OK. Now we're done.

That wasn't too bad. Let's see how it goes tomorrow.

"The Iliad": Chapter 8- The Scales of Fate

Hey there. What is up my readers? Do you like the title? Homer never provided any, and my Dad recommended that I add in some titles for the chapters. I just hope that I can come up with good ones. This is my first chapter title, but I hope to go back through to give names to all my previous posts. If you see them with titles, then you know that I have. Onto to Chapter 8.

Dawn scatters herself over the face of the earth. Zeus assembles all the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. He informs them all of the horrific consequence should any god or goddess attempt to thwart his will concerning the battle. He makes his point very clear. "I shall take him and dash him down to the murk of Tartaros." (That's a very bad place. That's beneath Hades.) Then he heads off to Mount Ida with his chariot and horses. There he observes the Achaians and Trojans as they awake, feast and march to battle. He then weighs "fateful portions of death" for the Achaians and Trojans. The Trojans will apparently be having a much lighter stack of bodies. The Achaians' "portion" far outweighs the Trojans', whose scale is brought closer towards the heavens. In true form for a god of Zeus' status, he releases a massive "stroke" from Mount Ida. "[P]ale terror took hold of all of them." (The Achaians that is.)

None of the Achaian leaders stay their ground. Even Nestor wants to leave, but he can't. Alexandros fells one of his chariot's horses with an. (Finally! He does something useful.) Nestor is stuck. His horses panic and are being weighed down by the dead one. Nestor tries to cut the reins, but it proves pointless. Hektor is charging full force for the frightened old man. Just in time Diomedes shows up. He offers Nestor a ride. He takes it without hesitation. Nestor takes the reins and turns the chariot so as to give Diomedes the chance to fight Hektor. He throws his spear but misses Hektor hitting his driver. Hektor sorrows for his lost companion, but must continue the fight.

"And now there would have been fighting beyond control, and destruction, now they would have been driven and penned like sheep against Ilion, had not the father of gods and of men sharply perceived them." Zeus "thunders horribly" and strikes his mighty bolt right in front of Diomedes' horses, and the horses recoil back against the chariot. Nestor then advises Diomedes that Zeus is no longer with him. (It's time to turn back.) Nestor easily accepts the old man's words. They turn to make for the Achaian camp. But Hektor is in close pursuit. He hurls insults at Diomedes. Diomedes thrice considers turning back. And Zeus thrice reminds him to not.

Hektor begins boasting about how Zeus is honoring him and how he hopes to end the war and send the Achaians "packing" if he can retrieve Diomedes' shield and armor. Hera is none to happy to hear this. She grumbles to Poseidon while making plans to take action while Zeus is in solitude on Mount Ida. Poseidon doesn't care for Hera's plan in the least. Hera then stirs Agamemnon's heart to action. He laments to Zeus how he has faithfully served him. Zeus takes pity and sends him a good sign. An eagle with a fawn in his talons. The fawn is released beside Zeus' altar. This is a positive sign for all Achaians.

The Achaians remember their warcraft and charge. No man is as fast as Diomedes, owing his speed to the Trojan horses he took as spoils from Aineias. Now enter Teukros, a great archer. He takes down eight Trojans. But he cannot touch Hektor. He kills two more while attempting to take down Hektor before Hektor wounds him by bashing him something terrible with a jagged stone. His companions retrieve his limp, groaning body and carry him back to the ships. Hektor kills every Achaians he sees in a mad rage.

Hera complains to Athena concerning the Achaians plight. Athena elaborates on her troubled relationship with her father. She then asks Hera to set up the horses. "So shall I discover whether the son of Priam, Hektor of the shining helmet, will feel joy to see us on the outworks of battle[.]" (OOOOOOO! She's gonna get in trouble!)

Zeus sees them from Mount Ida and is immensely angered at them. He send the swift messenger Iris to warn them of the consequences if they attempt this foolish move. They're warned and fearfully turn back towards Olympus.

Zeus returns to Olympus himself and assembles the gods. He ask why Athena and Hera look so glum. They voice their irritation toward Zeus. He then informs them of their last chance to save the Achaians. They must bring the mighty Achilles back into the fight. Something about Achilles fighting "in the narrow place of necessity over fallen Patroklos." (It doesn't sound good for Patroklos.)

Now darkness descends against the Trojan's will. But it's good news for the trembling Achaians. Hektor gathers some men and forms his plan against the Achaians. Hektor is no longer content with having the Achaians retreat and sail home. He wants his defeat of the Achaians to make anyone else think twice before bringing war against Troy. He sends word to have all young men in the city keep watch at the bastions around the city while all the wives kindle fires to keep watch over the city on the chance of an attack while the soldiers are away. The Trojans are camping out to stir themselves early so that they may "waken the bitter war god" against the Achaians. Hektor plans to fell Diomedes early in the battle.

But for now the Trojans give sacrifice and take their feast. Tomorrow is a big day. Throughout the night, to keep watch on the Achaians, "[a] thousand fires [are] burning there in the plain, and beside each one [sits] fifty men in the flare of the blazing firelight."

"The Iliad": Chapter 7

Now we're back to the battle. The return of Hektor and Alexandros is as welcome as a wind to stranded sailors. (I like that metaphor.) The Trojans seem to have a renewed strength in them. This catches Athena's attention, and she makes haste toward the battle.

She runs into Apollo, who knows her desire to turn the tide in the Achaians favor. He instead suggests that they should call a duel between Hektor and a single Achaian. A final fight of the day.

Helenos knew of the god's plan, and informed Hektor immediately. Hektor put a stop to the fighting. Agamemnon put a halt on his troops. Then Hektor informed him of Apollo's plan. Everyone agrees. Hektor then calls for a challenger. No one moves. The Achaians are frightened of Hektor. Then Menelaos steps up for Hektor's challenge. Agamemnon knowing Hektor to be the better fighter praises Menelaos' bravery, but persuades him to not fight such a strong opponent. (Can Menelaos do anything without his brother? Just asking.)

Nestor then scolds the cowardly Achaians by informing them of his past glory. Sufficiently ashamed, nine challengers step forward. They draw lots to decide Hektor's challenger. The great Ais (aka: Ajax as some might know him) is chosen. This is awesome. By some form of luck, the Conan the Destroyer soundtrack just popped up on my iPod. Good mood music for the ensuing battle. Let's do this!

It begins. Hektor heaves his spear first. It pierces through part of Ais' mighty shield. Ais takes his throw which goes all the way through Hektor's smaller shield. They both remove the opposing warrior's spear from their shields. Hektor thrusts only to have his spear bend at the tip. Now Ais takes his thrust through Hektor's shield drawing blood from his neck. Hektor tries throwing a stone at Ais with no effect. Ais then throws a greater stone so as to make Hektor buckle his knees given the force. Now they're using swords. Good close combat. Until the messengers of Zeus intervene.

Zeus wants the fight to cease for nightfall is upon them. They agree and part in friendship with gifts exchanged. That is for lack of a better word AWESOME! I can't imagine being in such a fight, and then parting on such friendly terms. It really makes you rethink respect and honor in the arena of war. Do we have such respect for our enemies in modern war? I tend to think not.

The Trojans and Achaians both in their respective fortresses feast and speak separately of a one day cease fire so as to give them opportunity to properly bury their dead. In Troy Antenor additionally speaks of giving Helen and her possessions back to Menelaos. Alexandros agrees to give back her possession with interest, but will not give up his bride. (I was just starting to gain some resemblance of respect for this idiot.)

Priam then sends messengers to discuss a cease fire so they can both bury their dead. The messenger also gives words of Alexandros' intention to return Helen's possession. Diomedes cries out that this is a sign of desperation on the Trojan's part. They refuse the possessions. But Agamemnon does agree to the cease fire regardless.

The next day both sides are busy about their business of burying their respective dead. The Achaians in addition to this build walls of fortification along the beach for protection.

Poseidon looks angrily upon these fortifications. Angry that there is no sacrifice given to the god. Zeus agrees to let Poseidon destroy these walls once the Achaians are gone from this land. Night falls and the Achaians prepare a feast. They drink wine. But Zeus threatens evil on all the Achaians. No man dares to drink without offering first to Zeus.

"The Iliad": Chapter 6

This is exciting. I have recently received a copy of Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360. This is going to be such a distraction. Let me not lose my focus. Back to reading.

Today is sooo much easier than the previous. I finally started to work out a plan for attacking these classical monsters. May I say that my Mom helped come up with the idea. There is an overflow of information out there on the internet. Why not use it. There are many greater minds before me who have already learned and condensed the information that I'm trying to assimilate. Thank God for SparkNotes. I just read the small summary of the chapter that I'm reading beforehand. That way I know what to look for. Makes it sooooo much easier. On to Chapter 6.

Chapter 6

It doesn't look good for the Trojans. Diomedes is still striking fear into the hearts of the Trojans. They're being forced back. Farther and Farther back they go. One highlight occurs when Menelaos happens upon Adrestos who had the grand misfortune of his horses breaking free of his chariot. Which unfortunatley leaves him stranded.

He pleads for his life. His family will pay a grand ransom for his return he says. Menelaos likes this plan. But here comes kind-hearted Agamemnon. He wants every Trojan to suffer and die regardless. Who do you think Menelaos will listen to? Bye bye Adrestos.

Back with the Trojans Helenos urges Hektor to return to Troy and have his mother and the other "women of honor" pray to the goddess Athena for aide. Hektor speeds towards the city with all haste.

Back on the battlefield, Diomedes comes fact-to-face with Glaukos. Uncertain of who this man is Diomedes inquires as to his name and lineage. Glaukos reveals his name and lineage. He is son of Hippolochos. And lo' and behold! In an odd twist of fate, Diomedes' and Glaukos' families are old friends. Out of respect for the bond between their families, right there on the battlefield they make a pact not to fight with each other. (There are plenty of other enemies to kill on either side. RIGHT?!) This is a very fascinating attribute of the ancient Greeks. The sense of honor and respect on the battlefield. Diomedes didn't want to kill this man until he knew who he was. And once he found out.... what does he do. HE CALLS A TRUCE! All because of some friendship their grandfathers held. I don't know if all Greeks were like this, but it is fascinating to hear of this circumstance in any form.

We now find prince Hektor in the Priam's palace. He delivers Helenos' message to his mother, Hecuba, who then assembles all other "women of honor." The women head straight to the temple and begin their prayers to Athena, who sadly will not listen to the earnest supplication of Troy's wives and maidens.

Hektor then makes haste to Alexandros' room to bring him back to the fight. Alexandros reveals that he hasn't returned to the fight so that he may give himself over to sorrow. Which is very understandable. How would you feel if your stupid mistake was costing thousands of your country men their lives? How would you feed if thousands of wives and children would never see their husbands and father again, except on a funeral pyre. (Because of you.) Hektor and Helen scold him with harsh words until he agrees to return to battle. Helen really lays into him. Something about how she would rather have been dashed on sea rocks upon her birth than to belong to cowardly Alexandros. Alexandros then prepares himself while Hektor seeks out his wife and child for a few brief moments together before his return to battle

He first goes to his house only to find her not there. She has instead gone to the bastion of Troy out of a anxious, sorrowful spirit for her husband's inevitable death at the hands of the every strengthening Achaians. His wife, Andromache, begs him not to return to battle. She then reveals that it was Achilles who killed her entire family. Thus leaving her to equate Hektor as her mother, father, brother, and husband. He is all she has. But, alas, the wheels of fate have already begun spinning. And he must return to the fight. He then goes to embrace his young son, only a baby. His son, Astyanax, recoils at the sight of his terrifying helmet. He promptly chuckles before placing his helmet on the ground, and takes his son into his arms. He asks the blessings of Zeus upon his son. Then places him back into his wife's arms.

Alexandros then arrives. He and his brother head off to battle.

"The Iliad": Chapter 5

Chapter 5 starts out in the midst of the battle we saw initiated in Chapter 4. But this is a very focused battle. Everything seems revolves around this one Danaan, Diomedes (aka: Son of Tydeus) He appears to be a god-like warrior. He tears through the Trojans. But suddenly he is hit in his right shoulder with an arrow by Pandaros. "Rise up Trojans[.] Now the best of the the Achaians is hit," Pandaros cries.

But wait just a minute. Diomedes prays for help from the goddess Athena, who grants him strength and endurance. Plus, Athena removes the mist- the veil, so to speak, that hides the divine from the mortals eyes- from Diomedes' eyes with permission to stab Aphrodite if he sees her interfering with the battle. Now Diomedes is like a hornet's nest that has just been kicked.

Pandaros and Aineias now charge him in a chariot. Pandaros releases his spear which only pierces Diomedes' shield. But Diomedes succeeds in throwing his spear through Pandaros' skull. Aineias jumps from to the chariot to protect Pandaros' body since it fell from the chariot. With Herculean strength, Diomedes picks up boulder and hurls it towards Aineias. The boulder tears up his right hip, and he lies wounded on the ground.

Until his mother, Aphrodite, intervenes to assist him. (This could be trouble) Diomedes runs up to the goddess and promptly wounds her. (Who would've thought that a mortal could wound a god. You know.... outside the game "God of War.") Now she's crumpled to the ground. Now it's Iris the messenger to the rescue. She takes Aphrodite to Ares where Aphrodite asks for help getting back to Olympus. He obliges.

Now we find the goddess Aphrodite being attended to by her mother, Dione. She comforts the wounded goddess before healing her wounds. Aphrodite is then instructed by Zeus to stay away from the affairs of war.

We're back on the battlefield now. Diomedes is still blood-drunk. Still wanted Aineias dead. But now the god Apollo is watching over Aineias. Diomedes strikes thrice but is thwarted by Apollo. Apollo then carries Aineias to one of his temples. There Artemis and Leto heal and care for Aineias.

Apollo returns to leave a body in the likeness of Aineias on the field to enrage the Trojans at the Achaians. Then requests that Ares fight against the Achaians. Ares loves a good fight. Ares wakes the hearts of the Trojans.

Suddenly, Apollo brings Aineias back to the battle. The Trojans have the advantage. Agamemnon, Odysseus, etc... all encourage their men to fight the newly emboldened Trojans.

Hera soon notices how the Trojans have gained the upper hand. She then asks to help the Achaians. Zeus agrees. Now we have the goddess Athena in full battle armor with a good intention to slaughter the Trojans. (Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I think I'm a little scared.)

Down on the battlefield Athena grabs up the battle wearied Diomedes to make a charge against Ares. The charge proves successful as Diomedes collects his second would on a divine being. We now find Ares back in Olympus complaining to Zeus, who shrugs if off as a necessary punishment for Ares. Hera and Athena then depart the battlefield and head back to Olympus.

"The Iliad": Chapter 4

Now we head back to Olympus to see the gods in council. Zeus, for some odd reason, wants to anger Hera. They exchange angry words with each other. Then Hera comes up with a form of compromise. Hera wants the Achaians to destroy the Trojans, but the Trojans and Achaians have a pact. There won't be any fighting unless the pact is dishonored. So Hera asks Zeus to send Athena to stir up the Trojans so that they would be first offenders. Thereby ending the pact and driving everyone into full-blown war. So Zeus sends Athena.

She decides to speak with a Trojan archer. She whispers sweet dreams of glory, honor, and gifts to this man. All this could be his if he would only take down Menelaos with one well-placed arrow. Then his "fool's heart" takes over as he launches an arrow straight for Menelaos.

One of Zeus' daughters then aids Menelaos, and brushes aside the arrow so that it doesn't mortally wound him. But enough damage has been done. Agamemnon is furious. We all know where it goes from here. First he check to make sure his brother isn't dying. Then sends for medical aid. Now to business.

The Achaians are armored and ready to go. Well, most of them are ready. Agamemnon makes his way through the ranks. Congratulating those eager to fight while scolding those who appear unwilling to march straight away. ATTACK!!

The Achaians march forward. They clash with the Trojans and leave the ground stained with blood. Apollo then calls out to the Trojans to not back down from this great force in front of them. "[O]n that day many men of the Achaians and Trojans lay sprawled in the dust face downward beside one another." That's chapter 4.

"The Iliad": Chapter 3

This should get exciting today. After the way the last chapter left off, it sounds like we have some fighting coming up. In order to get into the mood I would recommend the track "Gods of War Arise" by Amon Amarth. Oh yeah! This track was made for war. CHARGE!

But wait.... what's this? No fighting?! This Homer is a tease. But at least I can make fun of Alexandros (aka: Paris). The Trojans are standing strong while the beastly Achaians are charging so hard that they actually seem to kick up a dust cloud. Which effectively destroys their depth perception. But on to the horny, wimpy, "kitty"-whipped Alexandros. After feeling a sudden surge of adrenaline or testosterone, which probably got him into the predicament in the first place, he steps out in front of the Trojan lines and yells something about how he wants to take on all the Achaians one at a time. He quickly withdraws his offer once he sees the angry king Menelaos. He tries to loose himself within the ranks of his fellow Trojans.

But not before his brother Hektor chews him out with shameful words. Now Alexandros tries to regain some honor. He suggests that he and Menelaos "the warlike" duke it out personally. Hektor sits down all his men and rushes to the gap between the opposing forces to flag down Agamemnon to discuss the duel. Everyone agrees to the duel. We are taking bets now. My money is on Menelaos.

We now head over to see the messenger Iris speaking with Helen. (You know Helen... the reason that this story was even written) Apparently she's weaving some sort of tapestry which chronicles the Trojans hardships against the Achaians. (Thanks a lot! Yeah! Of course this makes the past nine years worth it.) Iris gives news of Helen's husband's plan to get himself killed. Helen then heads out to speak with her father-in-law, Priam. He asks some questions. Like: Who's that big guy? Who's that bigger guy? She answers. Then Priam leaves to discuss matters with Agamemnon.

They discuss the terms, and everyone agrees. More sacrifices and praying. Then Priam says that he's going back to Ilion because he "cannot look with [his] eyes on the sight of [his] dear son fighting against warlike Menelaos in single combat." Probably translates to something like: Alexandros will get slaughtered and I don't have enough Tide to get his blood out of my robes if it gets whipped everywhere.

Now the fight starts. Alexandros throws the fist spear. And his spear... bends at the tip?! Menelaos throws his, and it goes straight through Alexandros' shield. Then it's strange. For some reason Menelaos' sword breaks into pieces. But it doesn't matter. He lashes forward and grabs Alexandros' by the helmet. Now Menelaos drags him away by his helmet. Alexandros is being strangled by his own chin strap until Aphrodite intervenes. Alexandros then finds himself in his bed chambers.

Aphrodite then fetches Helen to meet with Alexandros. Once they're together Helen insults him for not finishing the fight. Then , in true Alexandros form, he goes from six to midnight (so to speak). He just came from certain death, and he jumps straight into wanting sex. Typical man I guess.

Now Menelaos is none too happy. And Agamemnon states the Menelaos is clearly the winner. Then he demands compensation from the Trojans. That's chapter 3.

"The Iliad": Chapter 2

What a day. I go to start reading, and what do you know? I hear that I have friends coming over to visit. I don't get six pages into Chapter 2 before they show up. Oh well....maybe I'll find some time later tonight.

12:37 A.M.: This is when I can finally continue my reading. Go off and do something quick. Count to five on your fingers. Ha! That didn't take too long. Now I'm done with the reading.

This continues very smoothly from the previous chapter. The gods all go to sleep after a party. But wait... what's this? Poor ol' Zeus is having trouble catching some Zs. An almighty god of Olympus has trouble sleeping. Omnipotence is not what it's cracked up to be I guess. But I digress.

We all know why he's having trouble. He needs to find a way to bring honor to Achilles. You know... to teach Agamemnon a lesson but good. I kind of like his plan. Send Dream, who now is an entity instead of just something we do in our sleep, to lie to Agamemnon about how he's going to beat the Trojans into the ground. Dream does a beautiful job with this. He takes on the likeness of Nestor, who just happens to be Agamemnon's favorite counselor (tricksy gods playing with mens' favorites... shame shame). He spits out Zeus' words verbatim. Now the great king's ego grew three sizes that day. Now the king is ready to assemble the men. First he has council with the "high-hearted princes." He repeats the dream verbatim also. (I wish I had the memory that these people have. I find myself going back time-and-time again to check facts to avoid the wrath of some anal retentive "Iliad" lover. Cute fact: I just looked up "anal retentive" on Wikipedia. Turns out it is a product of Freudian psychology. I should be learning more about that later.) Back to business.

Now Agamemnon decides that he will assemble all the men. But this isn't the usual pep talk. He actually tries to frighten the living hell out of them. (You know.... to test them) And laughably enough... it works. His stupid plan back fires. Everyones panicking like a bunch of Japanese after they see Godzilla. They run straight for their ships. EINS, ZWEI, DREI PUUUUUSH! (translate: German for 1, 2, 3)

But of course this can't be where it ends. Hera sees all this confusion and panic. She then sends Athena to calm the confusion. Athena has Odysseus calm the Achaians. He runs into Thersites "of the endless speech," who is speaking against Agamemnon. I thought that Thersites had made some excellent points. But Odysseus puts him down. (Not dead. But with his face in the dirt.) Then he speaks with Agamemnon concerning the Achaians behavior.

Now a sign appears. A great black snake eats a sparrow's eight children and then her. Kalchas then gives Agamemnon some good news (for once) from this sign. Apparently the great "bird interpreter" believes this to be a sign that the nine birds just eaten represent the nine failed years to conquer Troy. But now in the tenth year there shall be victory. (I wonder what it would mean to him if a woodpecker started pecking at his thick skull. Maybe... that opportunity was knocking?)

Enter Nestor, whose words are more bitter than sweet this time. He give the fleeing Achaians a good scolding. Now everything is back on schedule. They all burn sacrifices to help escape the "grind of Ares." Agamemnon makes a nice little prayer to Zeus. But little does he know of the god's treachery.

Now they march. This was nearly unbearable, having to read the descriptions concerning the tribes. It literally read about as well as an instructional manual. (But less helpful) And of course Achilles' men do not march. Achilles' feelings are still hurt.

After the boring descriptions we now come to learn of Iris' visit to the Trojans. She warns of the sheer size of Agamemnon's forces. And instructs that only the leaders who speak their mens' own language should lead them. (DUH!!) Now the Trojans are assembled outside the walled city. This should be fun. BRING IT ON!!!

"The Iliad": Chapter 1

All righty. Bring it on Homer. I've seen "Troy." So I have a decent idea what I'm in store for with this epic poem. In order to get in the mood I decide to pick some mood music in the form of "Conan the Barbarian" the movie soundtrack. No one does it like good ol' Basil Poledouris. Sweeping violins, blaring trumpets, heart-breaking vocal melodies, and stampeding percussion.

Ahh.... the mood is set. Now to battle.

Starts off well enough. Not with a physical battle, but with a nice dilemma. Should the great king Agamemnon give up his prize for which his men fought so hard, or be merciful to an old temple priest whose daughter just so happens to be the aforementioned prize. Well... we all know the kindly nature of Agamemnon. Not! In true greedy form he threatens and frightens the poor man off. Who then goes off to ask his god, Apollo, to smite Agamemnon and his men. The gods seem to be very good at smiting. Family trait I guess.

Now the Achaians are in for it. Apollo is angry, and has a full quiver. Apollo hits them hard. Deaths everywhere with burning bodies day and night. That is, until a wise old bird interpreter(?), Kalchas, after asking Achilles to protect him from Agamemnon, tells of Agamemnon's greed being the cause of their plight.

Now we have the heated debate between Achilles and Agamemnon. Back-and-forth; back-and-forth; Achilles almost skewers Agamemnon out of anger(but Athena stops him); and then Agamemnon, after Nestor, whose "words [run] sweeter than honey," talks with great persuasion to both parties, decides that he'll just take Achilles prize as collateral for returning the priest's daughter.

Priest's daughter is returned with a big sacrifice and feast. Then Achilles' prize, Briseis, is taken away. He weeps, and asks his mom, Thetis, to ask Zeus to help the Trojans. So that he may prove how helpless Agamemnon is without him.

She asks and Zeus approves. Then Zeus has a marital spat with Hera because Hera has her money, so to speak, on the Achaians and Agamemnon. But thank goodness for Hephaistos who calms down the situation. The gods party and go to bed. End of Chapter 1.

Not too bad. Not quite the movie. Some of the sentences are a little hard to get the first time around. But it is a good start. Onward!

Background, Inspiration, and Goals.

Wow. I keep thinking more and more how daunting this task is. Reading through all the Great Books of Western Civilization. I just thank God that I'm not under a time limit. If you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's pretty simple. Like many people I want to accomplish something grand in my life. Become really well read and smart (among other things).

My Dad bought the Great Books set about 1 1/2 years back. It all came about from my interest in attending St. Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California. Sadly I wasn't able to attend (too expensive). But either way, I got my Dad interested in the idea of the Great Books. Soon enough we had them delivered. Some of the heaviest boxes I have ever had to carry. You could almost feel the weight of the knowledge. The second part comes more recently.

I was inspired by the book "The Know-It-All" by A. J. Jacobs. This guy wanted to become smart by reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. I look at the cover, and the books look exactly like the Great Books collection (but with different titles). That reminded me of the amazing books that were collecting dust on the shelves. Then it was simple. This guy read all that?! Well... I'm going to read all this! Plus, I find myself with a lot of free time (it helps).

What am I hoping to accomplish with this? A good question for the start of a journey.

1. Finish them all. Which should help me come away with a more agile mind (fingers crossed).
2. Maybe write a book to help others find their way through the Great Books. I know that I'm totally lost starting out. The best plan I have is to go straight through from start to finish.
3. Maybe rack up some fans on the internet.
4. Maybe even make some money if it catches on. But remember... it's really all about the knowledge. I can already hear the chuckles for that one.

Now I'm sitting at my laptop. The first book in front of me. Let's get started. That's right. Let's= Let us. You're in this too if you want to be. "Abandon All Hope Ye Who" Read With Me. That's kinda from the Great Books.