Don't Fight the River

by Homer , Translated by Samuel Butler (1835-1902), Date of origin: Late 8th Century B.C.

Conributed by Sanjay Patel

Excerpts from Book XXI of The Iliad

Summary

Homer’s Iliad recounts the story of the Trojan War and of the Greek hero, Achilles. Achilles has sat out most of the battle out of anger against the Greek leadership. But, when his dearest friend is killed, he rushes into the fight with savage purpose. Oblivious to enemies and obstacles, he plunges into the river Xanthus that blocks his path in his attempt to reach Troy. Xanthus, himself a god, is enraged by this act of hubris and unleashes his full fury against Achilles, who is only saved by the intervention of the gods Hera and Hephaistos.

This irrational fight against an overwhelming force shows the futility of such head-on confrontations. Homer tells us that Achilles could not win, “for the gods are stronger than men.” Recognition and respect for such forces is fundamental to good strategy-making. Sometimes, no amount of brute force will do the job – a more nuanced approach is required. Contrast the way scientists work to understand and even harness nature’s own mechanisms for their purposes to Achilles’ senseless defiance of nature’s might. Daring is admirable, but there are smarter ways to fight.

Achilles arrives at the River Xanthus

Now when they came to the ford of the full-flowing river Xanthus…Achilles cut their forces in two: one half he chased over the plain towards the city… The other half were hemmed in by the deep silver-eddying stream, and fell into it with a great uproar. The waters resounded, and the banks rang again, as they swam hither and thither with loud cries amid the whirling eddies. As locusts flying to a river before the blast of a grass fire – the flame comes on and on till at last it overtakes them and they huddle into the water – even so was the eddying stream of Xanthus filled with the uproar of men and horses, all struggling in confusion before Achilles.

Forthwith the hero left his spear upon the bank, leaning it against a tamarisk bush, and plunged into the river like a god, armed with his sword only. Fell was his purpose as he hewed the Trojans down on every side. Their dying groans rose hideous as the sword smote them, and the river ran red with blood… He drew them out like dazed fawns, bound their hands behind them with the girdles of their own shirts, and gave them over to his men to take back to the ships. Then he sprang into the river, thirsting for still further blood.

The battle between Achilles and Xanthus begins

Meanwhile Achilles sprang from the bank into mid-stream, whereon the river raised a high wave and attacked him. He swelled his stream into a torrent, and swept away the many dead whom Achilles had slain and left within his waters… The great and terrible wave gathered about Achilles, falling upon him and beating on his shield, so that he could not keep his feet; he caught hold of a great elm-tree, but it came up by the roots, and tore away the bank, damming the stream with its thick branches and bridging it all across; whereby Achilles struggled out of the stream, and fled full speed over the plain, for he was afraid.

But the mighty god ceased not in his pursuit, and sprang upon him with a dark-crested wave… The son of Peleus [Achilles] darted away a spear's throw from him; swift as the swoop of a black hunter-eagle which is the strongest and fleetest of all birds, even so did he spring forward, and the armour rang loudly about his breast. He fled on in front, but the river with a loud roar came tearing after. As one who would water his garden leads a stream from some fountain over his plants, and all his ground-spade in hand he clears away the dams to free the channels, and the little stones run rolling round and round with the water as it goes merrily down the bank faster than the man can follow – even so did the river keep catching up with Achilles albeit he was a fleet runner, for the gods are stronger than men.

Achilles struggles against the river

As often as he would strive to stand his ground, and see whether or not all the gods in heaven were in league against him, so often would the mighty wave come beating down upon his shoulders, and be would have to keep flying on and on in great dismay; for the angry flood was tiring him out as it flowed past him and ate the ground from under his feet.

Hera intervenes to save Achilles

[H]e upraised his tumultuous flood high against Achilles, seething as it was with foam and blood and the bodies of the dead. The dark waters of the river stood upright and would have overwhelmed the son of Peleus, but Juno [Hera], trembling lest Achilles should be swept away in the mighty torrent, lifted her voice on high and called out to Vulcan [Hephaistos] her son. "Crook-foot," she cried, "my child, be up and doing, for I deem it is with you that Xanthus is fain to fight; help us at once, kindle a fierce fire; I will then bring up the west and the white south wind in a mighty hurricane from the sea, that shall bear the flames against the heads and armour of the Trojans and consume them, while you go along the banks of Xanthus burning his trees and wrapping him round with fire. Let him not turn you back neither by fair words nor foul, and slacken not till I shout and tell you. Then you may stay your flames."

On this Vulcan kindled a fierce fire, which broke out first upon the plain and burned the many dead whom Achilles had killed and whose bodies were lying about in great numbers; by this means the plain was dried and the flood stayed. As the north wind, blowing on an orchard that has been sodden with autumn rain, soon dries it, and the heart of the owner is glad – even so the whole plain was dried and the dead bodies were consumed. Then he turned tongues of fire on to the river. He burned the elms, the willows, and the tamarisks, the lotus also, with the rushes and marshy herbage that grew abundantly by the banks of the river. The eels and fishes that go darting about everywhere in the water, these, too, were sorely harassed by the flames that cunning Vulcan had kindled, and the river himself was scalded, so that he spoke saying, "Vulcan, there is no god can hold his own against you. I cannot fight you when you flare out your flames in this way; strive with me no longer. Let Achilles drive the Trojans out of city immediately. What have I to do with quarrelling and helping people?"

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960 words

Strategy requires humility - an honest understanding and acknowledgement of a competitor's capabilities is a prerequisite for making good decisions

Fear can be the beginning of wisdom - in the face of an unbeatable opponent, we are forced to drop old assumptions and look for innovations

Don't let passion cloud your judgment - emotion and enthusiasm can drive great efforts but can also lead to irrational acts

It is good to have powerful friends - good relationships can sometimes save one from the catastrophic consequences of one's own mistakes

Keywords:
Homer, Achilles, Greek, Trojan, river, gods, battle, hubris, fear, irrationality, passion, alliances, respect, revenge