Ajax
3 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Ajax. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the name of two heroes of the Trojan War. (1) Ajax, son of Telamon, King of Salamis, was next in warlike prowess to Achilles. His chief exploits, AJAX recorded in the "Iliad," are his duel with Hector (7th book), and his obstinate defense of the ships in the protracted battle described in the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th books. After Achilles' death, the armor of that hero was to be given as a prize to him who had deserved best of the Greeks. Ajax and Ulysses alone advanced their claims, and the assembled princes awarded the splendid prize to Ulysses. Ajax was so much mortified at this that he went mad, and afterward slew himself. (2) Ajax, son of Oileus, remarkable for swiftness of foot and skill in using the bow and javelin. When the Greeks had entered Troy, Ulysses accused Ajax of having violated Cassandra in the temple of Pallas. He exculpated himself with an oath; but the anger of the goddess at last overtook him, and he perished in the waves of the sea. AKBAR (äk'bar) [i. e., "the Great," his proper name being Jelal-el-din-Mohammed], Mogul Emperor of India, the greatest Asiatic monarch of modern times. His father, Humayun, was deprived of the throne by usurpers, and had to retire for refuge into Persia; and it was on the way thither, in the town of Amarkot, that Akbar was born in 1542. Humayun recovered the throne of Delhi after an exile of 12 years; but The young prince died within a year. at first committed the administration to a regent-minister, Beiram; but, finding his au authority degenerating into tyranny, he shook it off at the age of 18 and took the power into his own hands. In 10 or 12 years Akbar's empire embraced the whole of India N. of the Vindhya mountains, but in southern India he was less successful. He promoted commerce by constructing roads, establishing a uniform system of weights and measures, and a vigorous police. He exercised the utmost vigilance over his viceroys of provinces and other officers to that no extortion was practiced and that justice was impartially admin istered to all classes of his subjects. For a born Mohammedan, the tolerance with which he treated other religions was wonderful. He was fond of inquiries as to religious beliefs; and Portuguese missionaries from Goa were sent at his request to give him an account of the Christian faith. He even attempted to promulgate a new religion of his own. Literature received the greatest encouragement. Schools were established for the education both of Hindus and Mohammedans; and numbers of Hindu works were translated from Sanskrit into Persian. Akbar died in 1605.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a'jaks, in Greek legend, a hero of the Trojan War. He was a cousin of Achilles. At his birth Hercules wrapped him in a lion's skin, making him invulnerable to the arrows of his enemies, except in the armpit. He is represented in Homer's Iliad as of colossal strength, "as unmoved by the shafts of his enemies as is an ass in a cornfield by the pelting of boys." Although noted for his size, strength, and courage, he was dull of intellect and slow of speech. During the siege of Troy he was a constant terror to the Trojans. Time and again he encountered Hector in single combat and came off victorious. He was accounted second only to the great Achilles. When Achilles was slain, his mother, Thetis, directed that his armor be given to him who was most deserving. Ulysses and Ajax were the two claimants for the prize. Ulyssses received it. In his despair Ajax lost his reason. He slew the sheep of the Greeks, believing them to be men and enemies. Realizing what he had done, shame drove him to suicide. Where his blood sank into the earth, there sprang up a flower which bore on its leaves the first two letters of Ajax's name, AI, which is also a Greek exclamation signifying "woe." This flower was the hyacinth. A similar story was told of a youth, Hyacinthus. Many stories are told in the Iliad of the exploits of Ajax, of his strength and prowess. Perhaps the best known is the incident of his struggle to protect the dead body of Patroclus from Hector, because it is at this time that Ajax utters his famous prayer for light. Zeus has enveloped the scene of battle with clouds and darkness, and Ajax exclaims: Lord of earth and air! Oh, king! oh, father! hear my humble prayer! Dispel this cloud, the light of heaven restore; Give me to see and Ajax asks no more; If Greece must perish we thy will obey, But let us perish in the face of day. This prayer is often quoted and alluded to in literature. In Longfellow's poem, The Goblet of Life, occurs the line, The prayer of Ajax was for light. 2026 Editor's Note: Sophocles' play about Ajax's madness and suicide has found a startling modern use: the 'Theater of War' project performs it for American combat veterans as a 2,500-year-old dramatization of what we now call post-traumatic stress . The hero's name also lives on, less loftily, as a household cleanser. (Ed: BR 2026-07-15)
1000 Classical Characters (1900)
Son of Telamon and Periboea, or Eriboea, was one of the bravest of the Greeks in the Trojan War. After the death of Achilles , Ajax and Ulysses both claimed the arms of the dead hero, which were given to Ulysses. Some say that he was killed in battle by Paris, but others record that he was murdered by Ulysses. Sophocles has written a tragedy entitled Ajax.