The tale behind my forth-coming short story THE BOLDEST OF THE GREEKS.
My passion for Greek mythology started when I was very young. Some might argue that I was too young to encounter the tales of Odysseus, Medusa, or the Minotaur of Crete when I did, but I can't remember a time when I did not know anything about the myths. Most of what I learned at first came to me from pop culture (Disney's Hercules, snip-its of Ray Harryhausen films, and certain episodes of Wishbone), so my knowledge, at first, was shallow and mostly centered on the action and adventure and not the poetry or philosophy. Then I read the Odyssey, or a middle-grade version of Homer's classic, and became hooked for good.
Still, most of what I read and watched were re-tellings of the myths. I never read the source materials until college when I was required to read Antigone for a Theater class. This experience kindled a desire to get to the bottom of the myths instead of the fluff most of us are familiar with. But this ember would lay dormant until many years after I graduated. After a childhood obsessed with swords and heroes clad in bronze, I finally opened a copy of Homer's Iliad when I was twenty-nine. I am glad I didn't read it sooner.
Despite my infatuation with the subject, I would have abandoned the Iliad as a younger man. The Iliad is a difficult read, even for mega-fans of myth like me. Every line is full of evocative imagery that ties into other stories and characters. The poem itself begins in the ninth year of a ten-year-long war but ends before the most well-known events of the Trojan War (The Trojan horse is notably absent, as is the death of Achilles). Despite this, I had a positive experience reading it in my late twenties. I would have skimmed a lot of the story as an adolescent, but much of it jumped off the page for me as an adult. Specifically, one of my favorite characters: Thersites.
The Man
Thersites is a minor character in the Iliad. He makes his appearance in the second book when the Greek armies are assembled together, and he rebukes the Greek kings and generals for their faulty leadership in the Trojan War. He is the only character in the Iliad whose father is not named (an important distinguishing remark), and is his place of origin given. He is, therefore, often associated with the common soldier. Many scholars assume that Thersites is from the nameless masses of foot soldiers who fought and died through most of the conflict.[1]
Homer also gives Thersites the lengthiest physical description of any Greek, and none of it is flattering. He is described as being bandy-legged (bow-legged), walking with a limp, hunch-backed, and having a head that comes to a point with only tufts of hair on top. This comical description has led to Thersites being made a foolish caricature in Shakespearean plays and other literature. But his role in the Iliad is anything but comic or foolish. Instead, he is bold. Even his name, likely derived from "Thersos" or "Tharsos," could mean audacious.[2]
Thersites stands before the great heroes and criticizes their role in the war and the out-sized glory characters like Agamemnon receive for the bravery of others.
"Son of Atreus [Agamemnon], with what art thou now again discontent, or what lack is thine? Filled are thy huts with bronze, and women full many are in thy huts, chosen spoils that we Achaeans give thee first of all, whensoe'er we take a citadel." -Homer, Iliad, 2.225
He says what many warriors- including fighters like Achilles and Odysseus- think and feel. But Thersites, despite his unbridled tongue and appeal to the masses, speaks out of turn. The assembly is not his place to talk; he is scorned for his error.
"... and [Odysseus] with his staff smote [Thersites] back and shoulders; and Thersites cowered down, and a big tear fell from him, and a bloody weal rose up on his back beneath the staff of gold." -Homer, Iliad, 2.265
Afterwards, Thersites makes no further appearance in the Iliad, and his remarks are largely disregarded.
The Myth
Though Thersites' appearance in the 24-part Iliad is short, he is found elsewhere in Greek myth. Later tradition tells that he led an insurrection against the king of Calydon before the Trojan War. Diomedes (another hero of the Iliad) played a role in thwarting Thersites' rebellion and punished him by slaughtering all of Thersites' brothers. Thersites presence in the Trojan War is a precautionary measure against future rebellion. Though depicted as common in the Iliad, Thersites is anything but a simple stand-in for the soldiers he represents. Even Odysseus says so:
“Thersites of reckless speech, clear-voiced talker though thou art, refrain thee, and be not minded to strive singly against kings." -Homer, Iliad, 2.245
He was not high-born nor a demigod, but Thersites possessed one of the greatest qualities of a mythological hero: ambitious charisma. He could rally men to his cause and did so in the past. By book two of the Iliad, he appeared poised to do it again. This might explain why he is dealt with so harshly after his speech. The kings of Greece could not tolerate insubordination, no matter how right it may be.
Like many Greek tales, Thersites' story has a tragic end. According to the Aethiopis (a Greek epic poem similar to the Iliad, of which only five lines are known, but tradition speaks of its contents), Thersites makes the fatal error of criticizing Achilles in battle. Achilles, known for his rage, strikes Thersites and kills him. This action offends the Greek armies, who refuse to fight again until Achilles is cleansed of the murder of their spokesman.
The Legend
My story, THE BOLDEST OF THE GREEKS follows the perspective of Thersites as he witnesses the events of the Iliad after his scene in Book 2. He watches the duel of Hector and Achilles. Absent are Homer's poetic trappings; he sees only brutality, fear, and desecration. He speaks with Achilles, who is more of a bully than a righteous warrior. He rallies a man to battle against imposing forces. Throughout, Thersites is witty and scathing but compassionate towards his fellow foot soldier. He does not see the Trojans as his enemy, but fights against the hubris of his masters.
I set out to write Thersites to call attention to the faceless numbers that get caught up in conflict. The victims when kings go to war. The Trojan War was set off by the offense of one man that set off a chain reaction, resulting in the sailing of a thousand ships to the shores of Troy. The number actually given in the Iliad is 1,186; Greek warships at the time carried between 50 and 200 men, so over 100,000 men set sail for Troy. It might be assumed that just as many fought on the Trojan side. Of these men, the Iliad only names a thousand, and there is little mention of the women and children involved. While the true history of the event likely differs, there is no doubt that too many people lost their lives in a senseless bronze-age conflict. Little differs between the wars in ancient times from those fought in our modern era. The methods may have changed, but still, less of the combat is done by those who start the fight.
My hope for retelling Thersites is that he represents the enlisted man once more. His objections to war, when I first read them three years ago, ring just as true almost three thousand years later. May his tale be heeded in our time.
THE BOLDEST OF THE GREEKS is a short story written by Corey D. Evans and is to be included in the anthology Myths, Gods, and Immortals: Achilles alongside other stories about the titular character by Amber S. Benham, Hammond Diehl, Kenzie Lappin, Russell Hugh McConnell, Zenobia Neil, Mari Ness, Parker M. O’Neill, Celeste Plowden, Sultana Raza, Chey Rivera, Patricia Scott, Susan Shwartz, Rose Strickman, Adam B. Widmer, Ernie Xu, and Lily Zimmerman.
The collection will be available for purchase in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2025 and in the United States/world-wide one month later.