There shall his brethren and his friends perform
His fun'ral rites, and mound and column raise
The fitting tribute to the mighty dead
And as Andromache says (before) the naked and prostrate body of Hector (I. xxii. 509):—
But now on thee, beside the beaked ships
Far from thy parents, when the rav'ning dogs
Have had their fill, the wriggling worms shall feed
In thee all naked; while within thy house
Lies store of raiment, rich and rare, the work
Of women's hands: these I will burn with fire
Not for thy need—thou ne'er shalt wear them more
But for thine honor in the sight of Troy.
So, too, Penelope prepares the shroud (O. ii. 99):—
Even this shroud for the hero Laertes.
But these are examples of moderation. But exceeding these are the living creatures and men Achilles burns on the pyre of Patroclus. He tells us of them, but does not do so in words of praise. Therefore he exclaims (I. xxi. 19):—
On savage deeds intent.
And he first of all mentions monuments to the slain (I. vii. 336):—
And on the plains erect
Around the pyre one common pyre for all.
And he gave the first example of funeral games. These are common to times of peace and war.