Motif
Contest for a dead hero's arms
contest_for_a_dead_hero_s_arms
A motif of the Heroic Funeral Rites and Memorialization family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
2 occurrences
1 traditions
roman
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The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV EXPLANATION. / BOOK THE TWELFTH. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 8336-8395 confidence: high
“Even his very shield gives occasion for war”; arms are wielded for arms.
Achilles' shield and arms become the cause of a dispute, with two principal claimants identified.
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The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / BOOK THE THIRTEENTH.; lines 8455-8538 confidence: high
Introductory fable summary: after Achilles' death Ajax and Ulysses contend for his armor; chiefs award it to Ulysses; Ajax kills himself and his blood becomes a flower; Philoctetes with Hercules' arrows is brought to the siege; Troy falls and Hecuba becomes Ulysses' slave.
The passage summary frames the episode as a dispute between Ajax and Ulysses over Achilles' armor after Achilles' death, judged by the Greek chiefs.
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