Book 23: Funeral Games for Patroclus
The Myrmidons go to see Patroclus
While mourning continues through Troy, the Greeks make it back to the camps and return to their respective ships … except the Myrmidons.
Achilles tells the Myrmidons to stay on their chariots and go to mourn Patroclus. Only after they have done that can they break for food. So the Myrmidons agree and follow their leader off to see Patroclus’ body.
As the chariots circle the body three times, Thetis stirs a passion for weeping in the men.
Achilles himself puts his hands of Patroclus’ chest to weep his goodbyes. He tells his comrade that he did what he had promised he would in dragging Hector back to the camp for the dogs to feed on, and also brought 12 young Trojans to kill before Patroclus' burning pyre.
The son of Peleus then returns to the body of Hector, turning him on his face in the dust.
As he does this, the other men take off their armour and move to sit beside the ships. Achilles sets a great feast before them including oxen, sheep, goat and numerous of pigs.
The Greek kings come to collect Achilles and bring him to Agamemnon’s tent.
Upon their arrival, the heralds are given orders to heat water in a cauldron so that Achilles can bathe, however the hero refuses. He states that he has previously sworn an oath before Zeus that he will not let water near his head until Patroclus has been laid on his pyre. Achilles claims that there will be no second sorron this bad in his heart again as long as he lives. Instead, he asks for Agamemnon to bring wood for the pyre and states the more the better — this way Patroclus will burn faster so they don't have to watch for as long. Everyone listens and obeys.
After this was done they all went away to their respective tents to sleep.
The ghost of Patroclus appears
Everyone sleeps … apart from Achilles.
Achilles goes down to the beach and groans, crawling up into a ball to sleep. Thankfully he’s exhausted from his altercation with Hector, so sleep finds him easily once down by the water.
The ghost of Patroclus comes to visit him and tells Achilles that he has forgotten about his dead comrade. Patroclus says that he was caring while he lived, but is now he is dead he has been left. He begs Achilles to bury him as for now his soul cannot cross over and — even though it is tough for Achilles to accept this — he will not comeback from death. Patroclus states this was HIS destiny, but Achilles has his own: he will be killed under the walls of Troy at a later date. His last request of Achilles is that their bones not be laid apart.
A side note about Patroclus’ speech: it’s here that we’re told about how Patroclus had ended up being raised in the same home as Achilles. As it turns out, he had killed another boy over a dice game (but the murder was unintentional!)
Anyways, Achilles tells Patroclus that he'll do whatever he asks. The son of Peleus leans forward to try to embrace the ghost of his comrade one final time, but the spirit of Patroclus disappears.
Achilles wakes with a thin cry. In his sorrow, he goes to mourn by Patroclus’ body and remains there until dawn.
Patroclus is honoured
Agamemnon now orders for the wood to be brought forward, so Meriones leads men out to cut down trees. They bring the wood back on mules and place it on the beach for the pyre. Achilles instructs the Myrmidons to cut locks of their hair to place on Patroclus’ body. Then the army bring Patroclus down to the beach and Achilles follows behind them.
Once the body has been placed on the wood, Achilles comes forward to cut a lock of his own hair and place it in Patroclus’ hands.
Achilles now asks Agamemnon to dismiss most of the men with them. He asks that the king of Mycenae instructs them to prepare for dinner, leaving only the “close” mourners behind. Agamemnon obliges.
The remaining mourners stack the wood a hundred feet long. On top of the pyre they laid the body of Patroclus, and around him they placed the sacrificial sheep and cattle. From these animals they removed the fat and wrapped the corpse in it from head to toe. After this they placed two handled jars of oil and honey, then four sacrificial horses and nine dogs were placed nearby. Lastly, Achilles kills those twelve Trojan youths.
Achilles calls out a final goodbye to Patroclus and tells him that Hector will be eaten by the dogs.
Cut to Hector’s body. Homer tells us that the dogs will not be eating the Trojan prince because Aphrodite is protecting him. She is consistently anointing the body with immortal oil to ensure his skin doesn’t tear, and Apollo covers the body with a dark mist so that the sun doesn’t wither away the prince’s limbs.
Back at the pyre, the wood will not light. Achilles steps back from Patroclus and prays to Boreas and Zephyros (who are winds if you didn’t know) and asks them to help.
The gods come to help
Iris hears this prayer and she carries it to the winds, who are in Zephyros’ house having a feast. When she arrives she pauses in the doorway, waiting to be noticed. The winds take a while to clock the goddess at the door, but when they do they ask her to sit with them. She refuses, instead telling them that Achilles is asking for their help in lighting the funeral pyre of Patroclus. In return, the son of Peleus will make them both many offerings. With that, she leaves.
The winds now take flight down to the funeral pyre. They hit the wood with a huge, roaring blaze to set it alight, and then remained near by through the night to keep the fires going.
Patroclus on the pyre
Achilles too remained near Patroclus all night, using a goblet to pour out offerings of wine and calling out to his dead comrade. He stayed in close lamentation to the body and is compared to a father lamenting his son.
When dawn approaches, the fires die down. The winds go home and leave Achilles on the beach to fall asleep.
Shortly after, Agamemnon comes with other members of the Greek army to wake Achilles. The son of Achilles tells the crowd that the best of the Greeks should put out the last of the fire with wine. After this, they should all gather the bones of Patroclus and put them in a golden jar.
Achilles instructs the Greeks to build a funeral mound for both him and Patroclus — one that is not too grand but big enough to commemorate the both of them. The son of Peleus will join Patroclus once he dies and take the ashes of his comrade down to Hades with him.
And so, then men do everything they are asked and bury everything else.
The games
When the men moved to disperse, Achilles holds them there and brings forth prizes, announcing funeral games are in order.
The gifts include cauldrons, tripods, horses, mules, women (yes, you read that right) and iron.
… you can read the text for all the detail on these because I would be here for a ridiculously long time describing them. Enjoy! xx
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Thumbnail Image: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254801
Terracotta funerary plaque
Greek, Attic ca. 520–510 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 154
Prothesis (laying out of the dead); below, chariot race
”In the latter sixth century B.C., the elaborate series of funerary plaques set into the walls of rectangular tombs were replaced by single plaques with holes for attachment. The chariot race, a recurring theme in Attic funerary art, may evoke the funeral games held in honor of legendary heroes, such as those in book 23 of the Iliad, when Achilles honored his deceased friend Patroklos.” (Copied from the Met Museum website).