Simile Post, by Patricia Johnson

"The Greeks were rallied by the two Ajaxes

Along with Odysseus and Diomedes -

Not that they quailed before the Trojan attack.

In still weather, when the winds that usually

Scatter the shadowy clouds are asleep,

Huge banks of mist lie absolutely steady

Where Zeus has set them on the mountain tops.

The Greeks met the Trojans without a tremor."  Iliad 5. 561-568 (Lombardo translation)

This simile occurs in the middle of the fifth book.  The scene is set in the midst of the first day of battle, after the wounding of Aphrodite.  Sarpedon has just scolded Hector for letting the Greeks advance, so the Trojans are charging the Greeks, who are holding their ground.  In analyzing this simile, one must first consider the anomalous wording.  Words like still, shadowy, asleep, and  steady, along with the image of misted mountains, create a calm, aloof mood completely contrasting with the chaos of battle.  The simile is describing the Greek army, so the army is the tenor and the banks of mist are the vehicles.  There are several similarities between them, first and foremost the reason for the simile; the poet is emphasizing the unmoving quality of the Greek army by blatantly describing the mist as "absolutely steady".  The banks of mist are also described as "huge", big enough to cover mountains, bringing back the earlier set of similes denoting the astounding size of the Greek army.  Speaking of referencing earlier similes, the "banks of mist" concept has a direct correlation in a simile from when the Greeks first enter the plain (before the battle) in book three:

"While the Greeks moved forward in silence,

Their breath curling in long angry plumes

That acknowledged their pledges to die for each other.

Banks of mist settle on mountain peaks

And seep into the valleys.  Shepherds dislike it

But for a thief it is better than night,

And a man can see only as far as he can throw a stone.

No more could the soldiers see through the cloud of dust

The armies tramped up as they moved through the plain."  Iliad 3.11-19

While the army's atmospheric condition is the tenor in this simile, not the army itself, the mist is again the vehicle, lending a background to the simile from book five.  Furthermore, while the book five simile faithfully continues the nature theme found in most Homeric similes, the correlation with the book three simile gives it a more specific theme; mist is often associated with the unknown and uncontrollable, and therefore with the plans of the gods, an overarching theme throughout this epic and others.

While this simile reaches back in the poem, it also reaches forward, as there is a hint of foreshadowing in the last line ("...where Zeus has set them on the mountain tops.").  Ultimately, Zeus's plan is for the Greeks to win the war, and the words of this simile hint at how Zeus easily manipulates the armies into this outcome, as if he can just "set" each event into place.  The fact that he is the one setting the Greeks (the mist) into an "absolutely steady" position is a clue that no matter how close to losing they seem to be, they were meant to win form the start.  At first glance, this simile seem s to be some simple imagery to help the reader grasp the mood and actions of the Greek army, but on closer examination, it not only repeats past themes and images, but also foreshadows future events.