Diomedes Wounds Aphrodite, Arthur Fitger, 1905
Diomedes Tydides
Diomedes Tydides, son of Tydeus, is an often overlooked hero from Homer’s Iliad. He features prominently in Book Five, the Aristeia Diomedeis, Book Six, and Book Nine. He is described as a man of small build, but unquestioned courage and ability. At the outset of Book Five, Athena grants him her blessing: the ability to discern which combatants are gods and goddesses. She also gives him a command: he is not to engage any gods or goddesses unless it is Aphrodite. Athena does not state her reason for singling out Aphrodite, but it may in response to Paris’ choice of her over Athena for the golden apple. Diomedes agrees and sets out to the battlefield. He deftly dispatches multiple opponents before he is faced by a certain duo, Pandaros and Aeneas. Pandaros is the Trojan warrior that sparked the all-out fighting between the Greeks and the Trojans when he, upon Zeus’ influence, fires an arrow and strikes Menelaos. Aeneas is the Trojan hero that will go on to found the Roman Empire. Diomedes, although outnumbered, fearlessly attacks and kills Pandaros. He and Aeneas each throw their spears, but fail to land an effective attack. Diomedes then picks up a nearby boulder and hurls it at Aeneas, stirking him in the hip. The force of the blow is devastating as it rends and crushes Aeneas’ hip. As Aeneas falls to a knee, slowly falling unconscious from shock, help arrives from an unlikely place.
His mother, Aphrodite, rushes in and covers Aeneas with her cloak as Diomedes begins to charge at him. Her cloak should conceal Aeneas from the sight of mortals, but Athena’s blessing allows Diomedes to see through the illusion. Recognizing his opponent as the goddess of Love, he charges forth and pierces Aphrodite’s hand with his recovered spear. She cries out in shock and pain, dropping her son to the ground. Diomedes prepares to attack again, but Apollo enters the fray and halts his advance. Aphrodite escapes with Aeneas, but Diomedes continues to attack Apollo three times. Before his fourth time, Apollo warns him off and Diomedes retreats.
Following this encounter, Diomedes withdraws his troops, concerned about repercussions for his assaults. Athena, appearing in the form of his chariot driver, questions his courage. Diomedes responds only with worry for the safety of his warriors. Athena then directs his gaze towards the battlefield where Ares is running amok. She orders Diomedes to attack the god of War, granting him her aid in this course. They both mount his chariot and Athena dons the skull cap of Hades, rendering herself invisible. Diomedes then urges on his horses and they drive directly for Ares. The God of War spots Diomedes, but feels no concern about a lone mortal attacking him. Diomedes stabs Ares in the abdomen, but the weapon fails to penetrate Ares’ armor. At that moment, Athena places her hand on the small of Diomedes’ back and pushes, lending enough force to pierce Ares’ armor and flank. Ares howls in pain and flees the battlefield.
In Book Six, Diomedes and Glaucon have an exchange of arms before fighting, supposedly because of Diomedes’ grandfather being a guest-friend of Glaucon’s grandfather. The two swap armor, then battle. Diomedes comes out victorious. Later, Diomedes is beset by uncontrollable anger by the gods. As he feels the rage take him, he orders his troops to withdraw far away from him until he collapses. They obey him, which leaves them all unharmed and further proves Diomedes’ concern for their safety.
In Book Nine, Diomedes takes part in the night raid with Odysseus against the Trojans. This fight is significant due to the theft of many Trojan horses and for setting Odysseus apart from the majority of the Greek soldiers. Surprise night attacks were frowned upon by Bronze Age fighters, but it was an understood necessity for the Iron Age warriors.
Diomedes maintains his calm demeanor and clear-thinking throughout all the challenges he faces. In addition, he is the only figure in the Iliad to attack not only one, but two gods. He is also the only hero not descended from a god or goddess that is touched and aided by a deity. He represents the ideal soldier that Achilles could become, the ideal commander that Agamemnon fails to be, and the dynamic warrior that Odysseus is. He is a foil to all the best known heroes of the Iliad, yet he is often overlooked and thought to have been absorbed into the story due to the grand level of his exploits.
Readings: Iliad Book Five, Six, and Nine.
