Who He Is
Zeus is the father of gods and men, the son of Cronus who reigns on Olympus and, from Mount Ida, looks down on the city and the ships. He is the one who grants the request Thetis makes of him in the first book, to honor Achilles, and the poem says right in the proem that Achilles' wrath and the deaths it brings fulfill his design. Zeus is not omnipotent in everything: he yields to Hera, is deceived by her, avoids a quarrel with his brother Poseidon and takes pity on men and animals. But he is the only god no one can drag, as he himself says with the golden chain, and the only one who weighs the lots of death on a scale. Between him and the decision of men runs a question the poem does not resolve: does he decide, or merely read what is already established?
Trajectory
In Book I, Zeus is slow to answer Thetis because he knows Hera will quarrel, and then confirms with a nod of his head, the sign he never revokes, and Olympus trembles. He yields out of a personal debt, because Thetis once freed him from the chains of the other gods. Hera accuses him of plotting in secret, and he orders her to be silent under threat of violence. The proem had already said that his design was being fulfilled.
ἦ καὶ κυανέῃσιν ἐπʼ ὀφρύσι νεῦσε Κρονίων· / ἀμβρόσιαι δʼ ἄρα χαῖται ἐπερρώσαντο ἄνακτος / κρατὸς ἀπʼ ἀθανάτοιο· μέγαν δʼ ἐλέλιξεν Ὄλυμπον.(1.528-530), he spoke, and the son of Cronus nodded with his dark brows; the immortal locks of the lord rippled on his immortal head, and he shook great Olympus.
In Book II, Zeus stays awake, sleepless, thinking how to honor Achilles and destroy many Achaeans by the ships. He sends a baleful Dream to Agamemnon, which repeats Zeus's words: the king could take the city now. In the sacrificial prayer, Zeus accepts the offerings but does not grant Agamemnon's request and makes the suffering grow.
ἄλλοι μέν ῥα θεοί τε καὶ ἀνέρες ἱπποκορυσταὶ / εὗδον παννύχιοι, Δία δʼ οὐκ ἔχε νήδυμος ὕπνος, / ἀλλʼ ὅ γε μερμήριζε κατὰ φρένα ὡς Ἀχιλῆα / τιμήσῃ, ὀλέσῃ δὲ πολέας ἐπὶ νηυσὶν Ἀχαιῶν.(2.1-4), the other gods and the horse-helmed men slept all night long, but sweet sleep did not hold Zeus; he turned over in his mind how to honor Achilles and destroy many by the ships of the Achaeans.
ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἄρα πώ οἱ ἐπεκραίαινε Κρονίων, / ἀλλʼ ὅ γε δέκτο μὲν ἱρά, πόνον δʼ ἀμέγαρτον ὄφελλεν.(2.419-420), so he spoke; but the son of Cronus did not yet grant his request: he accepted the offerings, but made an immeasurable toil grow.
In Book III, both sides pray to Zeus that whoever breaks the oath may have his brains poured out like the wine, and Zeus does not grant the prayer. In Book IV, Zeus provokes Hera and Athena with a question to the gods, whether they will raise war again or put friendship between the two sides. He yields to Hera in exchange for the right to destroy cities dear to her and confesses that, of all the cities, Ilium was the one he loved most.
ἡμεῖς δὲ φραζώμεθʼ ὅπως ἔσται τάδε ἔργα, / ἤ ῥʼ αὖτις πόλεμόν τε κακὸν καὶ φύλοπιν αἰνὴν / ὄρσομεν, ἦ φιλότητα μετʼ ἀμφοτέροισι βάλωμεν.(4.14-16), and let us, for our part, consider how these things will be: whether we shall again raise baleful war and dread battle, or cast friendship between both sides.
In Book V, he smiles at the mockery of Athena and Hera and tells the wounded Aphrodite that war was not given to her, only the works of marriage. He rebukes Ares, who complains: to him Ares is the most hateful of the gods of Olympus, because strife and wars are always dear to him, but he sends Paeon to heal him, because he is his son.
οὔ τοι τέκνον ἐμὸν δέδοται πολεμήϊα ἔργα, / ἀλλὰ σύ γʼ ἱμερόεντα μετέρχεο ἔργα γάμοιο, / ταῦτα δʼ Ἄρηϊ θοῷ καὶ Ἀθήνῃ πάντα μελήσει.(5.428-430), To you, my child, the works of war have not been given; busy yourself rather with the desirable works of marriage; all this will be the concern of swift Ares and Athena.
μή τί μοι ἀλλοπρόσαλλε παρεζόμενος μινύριζε. / ἔχθιστος δέ μοί ἐσσι θεῶν οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν· / αἰεὶ γάρ τοι ἔρις τε φίλη πόλεμοί τε μάχαι τε.(5.889-891), Do not sit beside me, you fickle one, whining. You are to me the most hateful of the gods who hold Olympus; for strife is always dear to you, and wars and battles.
In Book VII, Poseidon complains about the wall the Achaeans raised without hecatombs, and Zeus answers that the wall will be destroyed when the Achaeans depart. At night, Zeus weaves evil, thundering, and dread seizes the men.
In Book VIII, Zeus summons the gods at dawn and forbids any of them to help Trojans or Danaans, on pain of Tartarus. To prove his strength, he proposes that they all hang from a golden chain: none will drag him, and he would draw them up with the earth and the sea. He smiles at Athena, who agrees to stay out but wants to give counsel to the Argives. At midday, he stretches out the golden scales and puts in the pans the lots of death of the two armies: the Achaeans' pan sinks to the ground. He thunders from Ida and hurls a lightning bolt, and Diomedes and Nestor flee. Moved by Agamemnon's tears, he nods that the people will not perish and sends an eagle with a fawn. When Hera and Athena arm themselves, he sends Iris to stop them with a threat to break their horses and leave wounds that will not heal in ten years. Back on Olympus, he tells Hera that Hector will not stop before Achilles rises by the ships, around the dead Patroclus: so it is decreed.
ὃν δʼ ἂν ἐγὼν ἀπάνευθε θεῶν ἐθέλοντα νοήσω / ἐλθόντʼ ἢ Τρώεσσιν ἀρηγέμεν ἢ Δαναοῖσι / πληγεὶς οὐ κατὰ κόσμον ἐλεύσεται Οὔλυμπον δέ·(8.10-12), whomever I perceive, apart from the gods, wishing to go and help the Trojans or the Danaans will return to Olympus struck, in an unseemly way.
σειρὴν χρυσείην ἐξ οὐρανόθεν κρεμάσαντες / πάντές τʼ ἐξάπτεσθε θεοὶ πᾶσαί τε θέαιναι· / ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐρύσαιτʼ ἐξ οὐρανόθεν πεδίον δὲ / Ζῆνʼ ὕπατον μήστωρʼ, οὐδʼ εἰ μάλα πολλὰ κάμοιτε.(8.19-22), hanging a golden chain from the sky, seize it, all of you, gods and goddesses; but you will not drag from the sky to the plain Zeus, the highest counselor, however much you strive.
καὶ τότε δὴ χρύσεια πατὴρ ἐτίταινε τάλαντα· / ἐν δʼ ἐτίθει δύο κῆρε τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο / Τρώων θʼ ἱπποδάμων καὶ Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων, / ἕλκε δὲ μέσσα λαβών· ῥέπε δʼ αἴσιμον ἦμαρ Ἀχαιῶν.(8.69-72), and then the Father stretched out the golden scales; in them he placed two Keres, the lots of death that lays low, that of the horse-taming Trojans and that of the bronze-tunicked Achaeans; he took them by the middle and raised them: the fateful day of the Achaeans sank.
οὐ γὰρ πρὶν πολέμου ἀποπαύσεται ὄβριμος Ἕκτωρ / πρὶν ὄρθαι παρὰ ναῦφι ποδώκεα Πηλεΐωνα, / ἤματι τῷ ὅτʼ ἂν οἳ μὲν ἐπὶ πρύμνῃσι μάχωνται / στείνει ἐν αἰνοτάτῳ περὶ Πατρόκλοιο θανόντος· / ὣς γὰρ θέσφατόν ἐστι(8.473-477), For mighty Hector will not cease from war before the swift-footed son of Peleus rises by the ships, on the day when they fight beside the sterns in the dreadful press, around the dead Patroclus: for so it is decreed.
In Book X, Agamemnon attributes the turn of events to the mind of Zeus, which turned toward Hector's sacrifices. In Book XI, Zeus sends Strife to the ships, and the gods blame him for wanting to give glory to the Trojans, while he, seated apart, exults. He sends Iris to tell Hector to hold back while Agamemnon is in the vanguard and that only when the king is wounded will he receive the strength to kill until sunset. He puts fear in Ajax.
πάντες δʼ ᾐτιόωντο κελαινεφέα Κρονίωνα / οὕνεκʼ ἄρα Τρώεσσιν ἐβούλετο κῦδος ὀρέξαι. / τῶν μὲν ἄρʼ οὐκ ἀλέγιζε πατήρ· ὃ δὲ νόσφι λιασθεὶς / τῶν ἄλλων ἀπάνευθε καθέζετο κύδεϊ γαίων(11.78-81), all blamed the son of Cronus of the dark clouds because he wished to grant glory to the Trojans. The father paid them no heed: withdrawn, he sat apart from the others, exulting in his glory.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί κʼ ἢ δουρὶ τυπεὶς ἢ βλήμενος ἰῷ / εἰς ἵππους ἅλεται, τότε οἱ κράτος ἐγγυαλίξω / κτείνειν εἰς ὅ κε νῆας ἐϋσσέλμους ἀφίκηται / δύῃ τʼ ἠέλιος καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἱερὸν ἔλθῃ.(11.191-194), but when, struck by a spear or hit by an arrow, he leaps into his chariot, then I will give him strength to kill until he reaches the well-benched ships, and the sun sets and sacred darkness comes.
In Book XII, he raises a windstorm from Ida that carries the dust against the ships, bewitches the Achaeans' minds and gives glory to Hector, who breaks down the gate with a stone that Zeus makes light. He keeps the Keres away from his son Sarpedon, so that he will not be laid low beside the sterns of the ships. In Book XIII, he turns his eyes to the land of the Thracians, the Mysians and the Abii, the most just of men, not expecting any immortal to come down. The narrator explains that he wants victory for Hector in order to give glory to Achilles, and does not wish at all that the Achaean people perish before Ilium.
ἐπὶ δὲ Ζεὺς τερπικέραυνος / ὦρσεν ἀπʼ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ἀνέμοιο θύελλαν, / ἥ ῥʼ ἰθὺς νηῶν κονίην φέρεν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιῶν / θέλγε νόον, Τρωσὶν δὲ καὶ Ἕκτορι κῦδος ὄπαζε.(12.252-255), and soon Zeus, who delights in lightning, raised from the mountains of Ida a windstorm, which carried the dust straight against the ships; he bewitched the minds of the Achaeans and gave glory to the Trojans and to Hector.
τὼ δʼ ἀμφὶς φρονέοντε δύω Κρόνου υἷε κραταιὼ / ἀνδράσιν ἡρώεσσιν ἐτεύχετον ἄλγεα λυγρά. / Ζεὺς μέν ῥα Τρώεσσι καὶ Ἕκτορι βούλετο νίκην / κυδαίνων Ἀχιλῆα πόδας ταχύν· οὐδέ τι πάμπαν / ἤθελε λαὸν ὀλέσθαι Ἀχαιϊκὸν Ἰλιόθι πρό, / ἀλλὰ Θέτιν κύδαινε καὶ υἱέα καρτερόθυμον.(13.345-350), the two powerful sons of Cronus, each with his own design, were preparing grievous pains for the hero-men. Zeus wanted victory for the Trojans and for Hector, to give glory to swift-footed Achilles; and he did not at all want the Achaean people to perish before Ilium, but wanted to give glory to Thetis and her stout-hearted son.
In Book XIV, Hera, to whom Zeus is hateful, seduces him with Aphrodite's girdle and puts him to sleep with the help of Sleep. Zeus, on seeing her, feels desire cover his judgment, as the first time they lay together, and declares that desire has never overpowered him like this. He falls asleep in her arms, on Gargarus, overcome by sleep and love.
νῶϊ δʼ ἄγʼ ἐν φιλότητι τραπείομεν εὐνηθέντε. / οὐ γάρ πώ ποτέ μʼ ὧδε θεᾶς ἔρος οὐδὲ γυναικὸς / θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι περιπροχυθεὶς ἐδάμασσεν,(14.314-316), come, let us lie down and give ourselves to love. For never before has desire for goddess or woman, pouring around the heart in my breast, overpowered me like this,
ὣς ὃ μὲν ἀτρέμας εὗδε πατὴρ ἀνὰ Γαργάρῳ ἄκρῳ, / ὕπνῳ καὶ φιλότητι δαμείς, ἔχε δʼ ἀγκὰς ἄκοιτιν·(14.352-353), so the father slept quietly on the peak of Gargarus, overcome by sleep and love, with his wife in his arms.
In Book XV, Zeus wakes, sees Hector fallen and takes pity, and accuses Hera, recalling the day he hung her with anvils on her feet and golden shackles. He announces the plot that remains: Achilles sends Patroclus, Hector kills Patroclus, and, among the many whom Patroclus kills, his own son Sarpedon. Enraged because of him, Achilles will kill Hector. He says he will not make his anger cease until the son of Peleus's wish is fulfilled, as he promised with the nod of his head. He sends Iris and Apollo, and acknowledges that the struggle with Poseidon would not have ended without sweat. He thunders on hearing Nestor's prayer. The narrator says that he wants to see the glare of a ship in flames, and only then will he make the Trojans fall back, and that he honors Hector among so many men because he will have a short life.
τὸν δὲ ἰδὼν ἐλέησε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, / δεινὰ δʼ ὑπόδρα ἰδὼν Ἥρην πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν· / ἦ μάλα δὴ κακότεχνος ἀμήχανε σὸς δόλος Ἥρη / Ἕκτορα δῖον ἔπαυσε μάχης, ἐφόβησε δὲ λαούς.(15.12-15), and seeing him, the father of men and gods took pity, and, looking terribly askance at Hera, spoke: Ah, Hera, indomitable, your ill-crafted ruse has made divine Hector cease from battle and put the people to flight.
Πηλεΐδεω Ἀχιλῆος· ὃ δʼ ἀνστήσει ὃν ἑταῖρον / Πάτροκλον· τὸν δὲ κτενεῖ ἔγχεϊ φαίδιμος Ἕκτωρ / Ἰλίου προπάροιθε πολέας ὀλέσαντʼ αἰζηοὺς / τοὺς ἄλλους, μετὰ δʼ υἱὸν ἐμὸν Σαρπηδόνα δῖον. / τοῦ δὲ χολωσάμενος κτενεῖ Ἕκτορα δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.(15.64-68), of Achilles, son of Peleus; and he will make his companion Patroclus rise up, whom illustrious Hector will kill with his spear before Ilium, after Patroclus has destroyed many other young men, and among them my son, divine Sarpedon. Enraged because of him, divine Achilles will kill Hector.
τὸ πρὶν δʼ οὔτʼ ἄρʼ ἐγὼ παύω χόλον οὔτέ τινʼ ἄλλον / ἀθανάτων Δαναοῖσιν ἀμυνέμεν ἐνθάδʼ ἐάσω / πρίν γε τὸ Πηλεΐδαο τελευτηθῆναι ἐέλδωρ, / ὥς οἱ ὑπέστην πρῶτον, ἐμῷ δʼ ἐπένευσα κάρητι, / ἤματι τῷ ὅτʼ ἐμεῖο θεὰ Θέτις ἥψατο γούνων, / λισσομένη τιμῆσαι Ἀχιλλῆα πτολίπορθον.(15.72-77), before that I will not make my wrath cease, nor will I allow any other of the immortals to defend the Danaans here, until the wish of the son of Peleus is fulfilled, as I promised him at the start and assented with my head, on the day when the goddess Thetis touched my knees, begging me to honor Achilles, the sacker of cities.
Ἕκτορι γάρ οἱ θυμὸς ἐβούλετο κῦδος ὀρέξαι / Πριαμίδῃ, ἵνα νηυσὶ κορωνίσι θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ / ἐμβάλοι ἀκάματον, Θέτιδος δʼ ἐξαίσιον ἀρὴν / πᾶσαν ἐπικρήνειε· τὸ γὰρ μένε μητίετα Ζεὺς / νηὸς καιομένης σέλας ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδέσθαι. / ἐκ γὰρ δὴ τοῦ μέλλε παλίωξιν παρὰ νηῶν / θησέμεναι Τρώων, Δαναοῖσι δὲ κῦδος ὀρέξειν.(15.596-602), for the heart of Zeus wished to grant glory to Hector, son of Priam, so that he might hurl on the curved-sterned ships a divine, unwearying fire, and bring to fulfillment all of Thetis's excessive prayer; for the counselor Zeus was waiting to see with his own eyes the glare of a burning ship. After that he would turn the Trojans in rout away from the ships and grant glory to the Danaans.
In Book XVI, Zeus sees Sarpedon and Patroclus advance against each other and is torn: fate decrees that Sarpedon, the dearest of men to him, must die, and he thinks of snatching him away alive. Hera says that he can do it, but that the other gods will not approve, and Zeus yields and makes drops of blood fall upon the earth. He makes Hector flee, and Hector recognizes the sacred scales, and afterward he sends Apollo to clean the body and deliver it to Sleep and Death. He grants Achilles only half of his prayer: to drive the war away from the ships, yes, to return safe and sound, no. The narrator says that the mind of Zeus is stronger than that of men and that it was he who loosed Patroclus's spirit.
ὤ μοι ἐγών, ὅ τέ μοι Σαρπηδόνα φίλτατον ἀνδρῶν / μοῖρʼ ὑπὸ Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδαο δαμῆναι. / διχθὰ δέ μοι κραδίη μέμονε φρεσὶν ὁρμαίνοντι, / ἤ μιν ζωὸν ἐόντα μάχης ἄπο δακρυοέσσης / θείω ἀναρπάξας Λυκίης ἐν πίονι δήμῳ, / ἦ ἤδη ὑπὸ χερσὶ Μενοιτιάδαο δαμάσσω.(16.433-438), alas for me, that fate wills that Sarpedon, the dearest of men to me, be subdued by Patroclus, son of Menoetius. My heart is divided in two as I ponder: whether, while he is still alive, I should snatch him from the tearful battle and set him in the fertile land of Lycia, or whether I should now subdue him under the hands of the son of Menoetius.
τῷ δʼ ἕτερον μὲν ἔδωκε πατήρ, ἕτερον δʼ ἀνένευσε· / νηῶν μέν οἱ ἀπώσασθαι πόλεμόν τε μάχην τε / δῶκε, σόον δʼ ἀνένευσε μάχης ἐξαπονέεσθαι.(16.250-252), one thing the Father gave him, the other he refused with a nod: to drive war and battle away from the ships, that he granted; to come back safe from the fight, he refused.
ὧδε δέ οἱ φρονέοντι δοάσσατο κέρδιον εἶναι / ὄφρʼ ἠῢς θεράπων Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος / ἐξαῦτις Τρῶάς τε καὶ Ἕκτορα χαλκοκορυστὴν / ὤσαιτο προτὶ ἄστυ, πολέων δʼ ἀπὸ θυμὸν ἕλοιτο. / Ἕκτορι δὲ πρωτίστῳ ἀνάλκιδα θυμὸν ἐνῆκεν· / ἐς δίφρον δʼ ἀναβὰς φύγαδʼ ἔτραπε, κέκλετο δʼ ἄλλους / Τρῶας φευγέμεναι· γνῶ γὰρ Διὸς ἱρὰ τάλαντα.(16.652-658), and, as he reflected, it seemed better to him that the brave squire of Achilles, son of Peleus, should once more push the Trojans and bronze-armed Hector toward the city, and take the life of many. In Hector, first of all, he put a spiritless heart: he mounted his chariot, turned to flight and ordered the other Trojans to flee, for he recognized the sacred scales of Zeus.
In Book XVII, Zeus sees Hector put on Achilles' armor and calls him ill-fated, because death is already near, and gives him great strength in compensation. He covers the fight around Patroclus with mist, because he did not hate him while he lived and abhors that he should become prey for the dogs. He pities Achilles' horses, who weep for their charioteer: of all that breathes, nothing is more worthy of pity than man. He heeds Ajax, who asks for light, and disperses the mist.
ἆ δείλʼ οὐδέ τί τοι θάνατος καταθύμιός ἐστιν / ὃς δή τοι σχεδὸν εἶσι· σὺ δʼ ἄμβροτα τεύχεα δύνεις / ἀνδρὸς ἀριστῆος, τόν τε τρομέουσι καὶ ἄλλοι·(17.201-203), ah, wretched one, death does not cross your mind, though it is already near you; you put on the immortal armor of an excellent man, before whom others tremble;
ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ Μενοιτιάδην ἔχθαιρε πάρος γε, / ὄφρα ζωὸς ἐὼν θεράπων ἦν Αἰακίδαο· / μίσησεν δʼ ἄρα μιν δηΐων κυσὶ κύρμα γενέσθαι / Τρῳῇσιν· τὼ καί οἱ ἀμυνέμεν ὦρσεν ἑταίρους.(17.270-273), for the son of Cronus did not hate the son of Menoetius before, while alive he was the squire of the descendant of Aeacus; and now he loathed that he should become prey for the dogs, enemies of Troy; therefore he urged his companions to defend him.
ἆ δειλώ, τί σφῶϊ δόμεν Πηλῆϊ ἄνακτι / θνητῷ, ὑμεῖς δʼ ἐστὸν ἀγήρω τʼ ἀθανάτω τε; / ἦ ἵνα δυστήνοισι μετʼ ἀνδράσιν ἄλγεʼ ἔχητον; / οὐ μὲν γάρ τί πού ἐστιν ὀϊζυρώτερον ἀνδρὸς / πάντων, ὅσσά τε γαῖαν ἔπι πνείει τε καὶ ἕρπει.(17.443-447), ah, wretched ones, why did we give you to King Peleus, a mortal, you who neither age nor die? Was it that you might have sorrows among miserable men? For of all that breathes and creeps upon the earth, nothing is more worthy of pity than man.
In Book XVIII, when Hera makes Achilles show himself, Zeus tells her that she has finally managed to rouse him. In Book XIX, on seeing the chiefs weeping with Achilles, he takes pity and sends Athena to instill nectar and ambrosia in his breast.
ἀλλʼ ἴθι οἱ νέκτάρ τε καὶ ἀμβροσίην ἐρατεινὴν / στάξον ἐνὶ στήθεσσʼ, ἵνα μή μιν λιμὸς ἵκηται(19.347-348), But go, instill nectar and lovely ambrosia in his breast, so that hunger may not reach him.
In Book XX, Zeus summons the gods and fears that Achilles will bring down the wall beyond what fate allows, and for that reason lets each god choose a side. In Book XXI, he laughs with joy on seeing the gods clash, and Artemis weeps on his knees.
νῦν δʼ ὅτε δὴ καὶ θυμὸν ἑταίρου χώεται αἰνῶς / δείδω μὴ καὶ τεῖχος ὑπέρμορον ἐξαλαπάξῃ.(20.29-30), but now that he rages terribly because of his companion, I fear he may bring down the wall as well, beyond what fate allows.
In Book XXII, Zeus laments seeing Hector pursued before the walls, he who burned so many ox thighs for him, and asks whether he should save him. Athena objects, and Zeus says that he does not speak with a firm heart and lets her do what she has in mind. On the fourth lap, he raises the golden scales and puts in the pans the two Keres, Achilles' and Hector's: Hector's day sinks toward Hades.
ἐν δʼ ἐτίθει δύο κῆρε τανηλεγέος θανάτοιο, / τὴν μὲν Ἀχιλλῆος, τὴν δʼ Ἕκτορος ἱπποδάμοιο, / ἕλκε δὲ μέσσα λαβών· ῥέπε δʼ Ἕκτορος αἴσιμον ἦμαρ, / ᾤχετο δʼ εἰς Ἀΐδαο, λίπεν δέ ἑ Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων.(22.210-213), he placed in it the two Keres of death that brings long pain, that of Achilles and that of Hector, tamer of horses; he raised it holding the middle: Hector's fateful day sank, went to Hades, and Phoebus Apollo left him.
In Book XXIV, Zeus rejects the theft of Hector's body: Hector was the dearest to the gods among the mortals of Ilium, and never failed Zeus's altar. He summons Thetis, sends Iris to Priam and Hermes as a guide, and tells Priam, through Iris, that Achilles is neither senseless nor heedless nor impious and will carefully spare the suppliant.
φίλτατος ἔσκε θεοῖσι βροτῶν οἳ ἐν Ἰλίῳ εἰσίν· / ὣς γὰρ ἔμοιγʼ, ἐπεὶ οὔ τι φίλων ἡμάρτανε δώρων. / οὐ γάρ μοί ποτε βωμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐΐσης / λοιβῆς τε κνίσης τε· τὸ γὰρ λάχομεν γέρας ἡμεῖς.(24.67-70), he was the dearest to the gods among the mortals who live in Ilium; for so he was to me, since he never failed in dear gifts; my altar never lacked an equal feast, libation and the smoke of fat: this is the portion allotted to us as honor.
οὔτε γάρ ἐστʼ ἄφρων οὔτʼ ἄσκοπος οὔτʼ ἀλιτήμων, / ἀλλὰ μάλʼ ἐνδυκέως ἱκέτεω πεφιδήσεται ἀνδρός.(24.157-158), for he is neither senseless, nor heedless, nor impious; rather he will spare the suppliant man with all care.
Themes Embodied
Zeus embodies Fate and Free Will: he weighs the lots on the scales, announces the chain of deaths and at the same time yields to arguments from precedent, when Hera tells him that the other gods too have sons in the war. He embodies War as the execution of a plan, that of honoring Achilles, which passes through Hector and a ship in flames. He embodies Death in the Keres he weighs and in the sorrow for Sarpedon, and Compassion and Charity in the moments when he takes pity on Hector, on the horses, on Priam.
The golden scales show fate as something that is weighed, not as merit nor as an answer to prayer, and the poem leaves open whether they reveal a lot that already existed or make visible a decision that Zeus has just taken. The same holds for the chain he recounts to Hera in Book XV: the sequence comes from his mouth in the tone of one who commands and of one who foresees. Zeus has the power to postpone, but each time he thinks of undoing a death, Sarpedon's and Hector's, he draws back before the objection of the other gods. Compassion and plan walk together: he pities the man whom he himself destines to Achilles.
Relationships
- Thetis: the goddess to whom he owes a favor and whose prayer he fulfills, measured by a ship in flames.
- Hera: the wife who accuses him, is deceived by him and deceives him, and whom he threatens and yields to.
- Achilles: the hero he honors at the cost of many Achaeans.
- Hector: the man to whom he gives glory for the day, calls ill-fated and, at the end, weighs and cares for the body of.
- Agamemnon: the king he deceives with the Dream and whose sacrifices he accepts without fulfilling.
- Athena: the daughter to whom he is gentle and who contests him.
- Apollo: the god to whom he entrusts the aegis and the care of Hector.
- Priam: the king of a city he loved and whom he protects on the way to the tent.
- Sarpedon, the dearest son, whom he lets die.
- Poseidon, the brother who yields to the threat and keeps his own.