TWG-12
John Jenkins Designs
Ajax was the son of Oileus, the king of Locris. He was called the “Ajax the Less”, the “Lesser” or “Locrian Ajax”, to distinguish him from Ajax The Great, son of Telamon.
Locrian Ajax was born in Naryx in Locris. According to the Iliad, he led his Locrians in forty ships against Troy. He is described as one of the great heroes among the Greeks.
In battle, he wore a linen cuirass, was brave and intrepid, especially skilled in throwing the spear, and next to Achilles, the swiftest of all the Greeks. In the funeral games at the pyre of Patroclus, Ajax contended with Odysseus and Antilochus for the prize in the footrace, but Athena, who was hostile towards him and favoured Odysseus, made him stumble and fall, so that he won only second prize.
He was the leader of the Locrian contingent during the Trojan War.