| “ | Who, then, O Muse, was the foremost, whether man or horse, among those that followed after the sons of Atreus? ...Of the men, Ajax, son of Telamon, was much the foremost so long as Achilles's anger lasted.
— The Iliad by Homer
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In Greek mythology, Ajax or Aias was one of the greatest Greek warriors in the Trojan War. He is known as Greater Ajax, Telamonian Ajax, or Ajax the Greater to distinguish him from Ajax, the son of Oileus.
Ajax was the son of Telamon, the king of Salamis and a companion of Hercules. In his youth, Ajax was educated by the centaur Chiron, alongside Achilles, his cousin, and Patroclus. As an adult, Ajax possessed incredible strength for a mortal. When the Trojan War broke out between Troy and Greece, Ajax joined the fight and became one of the Greeks' greatest warriors, considered second only to Achilles.
After Achilles withdrew from the fighting after an argument with the Greek commander Agamemnon, Hector, the Trojans' greatest champion, challenged any of the Greek warriors to single combat. Ajax was chosen by lot and won the fight, crushing Hector's shield and piercing his armor. Apollo interrupted the fight, and the warriors exchanged gifts out of respect. Ajax received Hector's sword.
After Achilles was killed in battle, Ajax and Odysseus fought through the Trojan lines to retrieve the champion's body. When the pair returned to the camps, it was decided that Ajax and Odysseus would compete to determine who received Achilles's god-forged armor. The physical tests ended in a draw, but Odysseus proved the more eloquent speaker and won the armor. Infuriated, Ajax slaughtered the Greeks' livestock in a fit of madness. After he realized what he had done, he committed suicide with Hector's sword.
Battle vs. Xerxes (300) (by Laquearius)[]
TBW
Winner: Ajax the Greater
Expert's Opinion[]
TBW
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.Battles here were deemed to be unfair or otherwise not in accordance with wiki standards, and have been removed from the statuses of the warriors and displayed below.
Battle vs. Hercules (by Deathblade 100)[]
Troy, Asia Minor, 1180 BC
Ajax the Greater marches down a narrow road on the look out for Trojan soldiers. Suddenly an arrow flies past Ajax's face and lands in the dirt. Heracles is standing at the end of the road, Apollo's Bow in hand. Ajax raises his shield as Heracles fire another arrow down towards the Achaean. Ajax charges into range and hurls his javelin at the demigod, who promptly catches it and throws it back, with Ajax staggering backwards from the impact.
Ajax raises his Tower Shield and points his Dory at Heracles and advances. Heracles sees the spear being thrust towards him and ducks, with the spearhead scraping the back of the Nemean Lion's Skin. Ajax thrusts his spear forward again, only for the shaft to get snapped in half from a blow of Heracles' club. Ajax draws his Xiphos and slammed his shield into the demigod's chest.
The two exchange blows for a couple of minutes before, Ajax manages to cut Heracles in the stomach with his Xiphos. A swipe from Heracles' club knocked Ajax down, flattening the cuirass he was wearing. Heracles walks back to his bow and fires a Hydra venom tipped arrow at the Achaean shieldman.
The arrow pierces Ajax' shield arm, spreading its deadly coating through out the Achaean's body. Ajax staggers towards his opponent and slashes with his Xiphos, wounding Heracles in the arm before succumbing to the toxin.
Heracles slings his bow over his shoulder and picking up his club yells, "For you, Father!", in victory.
Expert's Opinion[]
While Ajax brought a more powerful mid-range weapon and special weapon, his lack of effective long range equipment was what sealed his fate. Despite the obvious advantage Ajax had with fighting the Trojans, Heracles experience of fighting mythological creatures and increased strength due to his demigod status swung this battle in his favour.
To see the original battle, votes, and weapons, click here.