Ajax

Ajax's skeleton in his tomb

Ajax was a legendary hero, the son of Telamon, and a participant in the Trojan War in Greek mythology. He died by his own hand at the end of the war.

After his death, Ajax was buried in a tomb located on the Isle of Salamis. He also had a sanctuary dedicated to him on the island which, by the 5th century BCE, had been rendered a ruin, and bandits had set up camp there.

During the Peloponnesian War the Spartan misthios Kassandra visited Ajax's sanctuary in search of a treasure buried there by the Athenian general Themistokles.

Around the same time she also visited Ajax's tomb and recovered Ajax's golden feather which had ended up in the possession of some bandits camped at the tomb entrance.

Trivia

• In the myths, Ajax’s body is never brought back to Salamis from Troy and 2nd century geographer Pausanias would later attribute a giant skeleton found near Sigeion to that of Ajax.
• In the myths, there was another Ajax known as Ajax the Lesser who was the king of Lokris. During the Sack of Troy, he was infamous for raping the Trojan princess Cassandra in the temple of Athena, and killed in a storm while sailing home.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (skeleton only)