After a longer than expected delay (my fault entirely) I'm continuing panos's Trojan War customs with Ajax, one of the Greek heroes, infact, probably the greatest of the Greek heroes after Achilles. (This is open to argument as some people, and I would tend to agree with them, say Ajax shows more fully the qualities of the true hero than Achilles, but we won't go down that road.)
Ajax and Achilles were cousins, and Ajax is said to have been second only to Ajax in skill at arms and as a result was the second most valuable warrior in the Greek army. It was Ajax who was responsible for driving the Trojans off the Greek ships when they burst into the Greek camp while Achilles was sulking in his tent and refusing to fight. (See here for the background to this:
http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=820.0)
He was of great stature, both physically and in the respect with which he was held by his countrymen and the Trojans and was the only great hero on either side who did not have the help during the war of one of the gods or goddesses.
It is Ajax who fights off the Trojans to rescue the body of Achilles' friend Patroculus so it can be taken back to the Greek camp for burial, and when Achilles is killed by Paris, Ajax fights off the Trojans from around his body so Odysseus can rescue it and take it to the Greek camp for proper burial.
After the burial of the body of Achilles, there is a decision to be made as to whether Ajax or Odysseus should receive Achilles' armour as a reward for retrieving his body. The eventual decision is that the armour shouid be given to Odysseus. Ajax is furious at this and collapses on the ground exhausted. When he comes round, he goes temporarily mad and slaughters a flock of sheep, imagining that they are the Torjan leaders and the Greek leaders Agamemnon and Odysseus, who he blames for robbing him of Achilles' armour. When he regains his senses and realises what he has done. he kills himself by falling on his sword.
So here are the pics. First panos's custom figure and then a shot from the film of Ajax, both of Ajax defending the Greek ships from the Trojans.
