Ajax (died 1183 BC) was the Prince of Salamis in Greek mythology, and he was one of the leaders of the Mycenaeans during the Trojan War. Known as "Ajax the Great", he is said to have founded the city of Ajaccio in Corsica.
Biography[]
Ajax was born in Salamis, an island one mile off the coast of Piraeus and also in proximity to Athens. Ajax was the son of Telamon, the king of Salamis, and the cousin of Achilles, and he was from a major family. In 1193 BC, when the wife of King Agamemnon was stolen by Paris of Troy, Agamemnon assembled a coalition of Greeks to besiege Troy and get her home. Ajax was one of the bravest warriors alive, and his presence inspired the Greeks during the battle.
When Achilles died in battle, Ajax and Odysseus argued over who would gain the armor. Odysseus proved to be more intelligent, so he gained the armor; Ajax became mad and wanted to kill Agamemnon and Menelaus of Sparta. However, Athena made Ajax have hallucinations, and he slaughtered several sheep instead of soldiers. Having found out what he had done, he killed himself with his sword.
Fall of the Trident[]
In the Fall of the Trident legend, Ajax was portrayed differently. Although he was still a strong warrior, he was not rage-driven, and he helped the Atlantean general Arkantos during the Trojan Horse strategy. Ajax would accompany Arkantos on his quest to slay the cyclops Gargarensis and prevent Poseidon from helping the Titans to be free, with their travels ranging from Greece to Egypt to Scandinavia to Atlantis (an island off the coast of Portugal). Ajax proved to be a hardy fighter and a good ally of Arkantos.
In 1273 BC, Ajax was crowned the king of Salamis and joined Arkantos' son Kastor (Arkantos was made a god by Athena after Atlantis was submerged with water) in fighting against the forces of Kronos when he tried to free himself from the Underworld. During these two legends, Ajax survived, rather than meeting the same unfortunate end that he met in Sophocles' play Ajax.