Mythology
Delahoyde & Hughes

HOMER'S ILIAD:

BOOK XXI

Questions for Book XXI: Achilles Fights the River

Why does the river Scamander (a.k.a. Xanthus) battle against Achilles? What do you think may be the mythological significance of this?

The bloodbath continues with the Trojan forces divided into two fleeing groups. The Trojans flee into ther iver like swarming locusts--whipped by rushing fire. Achilles takes twelve young Trojans aliv--he drags them up the bank dazed like fawns/lashes their hands behind them with well-cut straps--(21. 30-35). Achilles sends them back to the ships. Why?

And poor bloody Lycaon! -- there's no escape from Achilles. His strategies for pleading for his life are interesting but futile. What is Achilles' attitude about death? What does he tell Lycaon that defines explicitly the tragic pattern in the story?

Since it's the river itself with which Achilles must battle now, we're looking at a mythic fight. So what does it mean? First, what is the river's rationale ("I'm the river; what's my motivation?"). Underneath the personification, what is the river really saying here?
Water is often important in myth and as a symbol elsewhere. But more to the point here, Achilles, in fighting against water, could be said to be doing what: going against the ______? resisting the ______? This tells us something about Achilles' psychology, although manifested physically and outwardly in the narrative. Note the river's complaint about Achilles polluting it (21.240ff).

Hephaestos is commissioned by Hera to call this off. We witness a catfight among the two goddesses, Athena and Aphrodite. Athena contends against Ares, and Hera against Artemis, during which we hear a nice simile for our lives as humans: "wretched mortals . . . / like leaves, no sooner flourishing, full of the sun's fire, / feeding on the earth's gifts, than they waste away and die" (21.528-530).

Back among the mortals, Agenor comes so close! "And he hurled his sharp spear from a strong hand-- / a hard true hit on Achilles' shin below the knee!" (21.677-678). Damn!