Glaucus tells Hector that Sarpedon has been killed and that Ares has done it using the spear of Patroclus. He asks Hector to help prevent the Myrmidons from stripping Sarpedon's armor. Hector leads the Trojans to the body of Sarpedon and Patroclus cheers on the Greeks to strip and dishonor the body.
The Trojans kill one of the Myrmidons, which enrages Patroclus. He kills Sthenelaus the son of Ithaemenes and the Trojans retreat, but then Glaucus recovers and kills the richest Myrmidon.
Meriones kills a Trojan, priest of Zeus of Mt. Ida. Aeneas misses Meriones. The two taunt each other. Patroclus tells Meriones to fight and shut up. Zeus decided the Greeks should get the body of Sarpedon, so he makes Hector fearful, recognizing the gods have turned against him, so he flees on his chariot with the Trojans following. The Greeks strip the armor from Sarpedon. Then Zeus tells Apollo to take Sarpedon away, anoint him and give him to Death and Hypnos to take him back to Lycia for proper burial. Apollo obeys.
Patroclus pursues the Trojans and Lycians instead of obeying Achilles. Patroclus kills Adrestus, Autonous, Echeclus, Perimus, Epistor, Melanippus, Elasus, Mulius, and Pylartes.
Apollo now helps the Trojans, keeping Patroclus from breaking the walls of Troy. Apollo tells Patroclus it is not his lot to sack Troy.
Patroclus draws back to avoid angering Apollo. Hector is inside the Scaean gates when Apollo, in the guise of a warrior named Asius, asks him why he has stopped fighting. He tells him to drive towards Patroclus.
Hector ignores the other Greeks and goes straight to Patroclus. When Patroclus throws a stone, it hits Hector's charioteer Cebriones. Patroclus springs on the dead driver and Hector fights with him over the corpse. The other Greeks and Trojans fight, equally matched till nightfall when the Greeks grow strong enough to pull out the body of Cebriones. Patroclus kills 27 men, and then Apollo strikes him so that he grows dizzy, knocks the helmet from his head, breaks his spear, and makes his shield fall off.
Euphorbus, son of Panthous, strikes Patroclus with a spear but does not kill him. Patroclus draws back within his men. Hector sees this move, advances, and putting a spear through Patroclus' belly, kills him. Patroclus dying says to Hector that Zeus and Apollo have made Hector the victor, although he shares the mortal share of death with Euphorbus. Patroclus adds that Achilles will soon kill Hector.
Next: Major Characters in Book XVI
For information on people and places mentioned in Book I of the Iliad, see Iliad Book I - Who? What? Where?Read a public domain translation of Homer's Iliad Book XVI.
