S7E6 - Trojan War Side Quests: Odysseus and Palamedes

stories featured in Greaking Out are original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features a return to the Trojan War, treason, a competitive edge, and murder for plotting purposes.

Today's story is all about rivalry.

Rivalry is defined as competition for superiority in the same field.

Essentially, you are competing to be the best at the same thing.

Right, and friendly rivalries can be fun to watch.

Just ask any sports fan.

But sometimes, rivals can take things a little too far and become bona fide enemies.

And that's exactly what happens in today's story.

So who exactly are these rivals?

Since this is greaking out, you might be thinking we're talking about two talented warriors like Ajax and Achilles, or maybe even two powerful gods like Zeus and Poseidon, but this particular rivalry isn't based on brawn.

It's more of a battle of the brains.

And our two rivals are some of the cleverest men in Greek mythology, Odysseus and Palamedes.

Now, if you've been listening for a while, you'll probably be well acquainted with Odysseus.

He's the smart, charismatic king of Ithaca who pops up in a lot of stories in Greek mythology.

He's also the hero of Homer's epic, The Odyssey, which details his adventures and journey home after the Trojan War.

Exactly, but that's a story for another episode.

Or who knows, maybe another season.

But today's story takes place during the Trojan War.

Odysseus is known for being instrumental in the Greeks' victory over the Trojans.

It was Odysseus's idea to build the gigantic Trojan horse as a way to to breach the gates of Troy.

But what most people forget is that when the war was getting started, Odysseus didn't even want to go.

In fact, he actively avoided the call when he got the news.

Other men were showing up to fight, but Odysseus refused to come.

He wanted to stay back in Ithaca with his wife and baby son.

While his love for his family is admirable, It was Odysseus who made all of Helen's suitors take an oath to fight in her honor should she ever be threatened.

He was one of the suitors, yet he did not honor his own oath.

Exactly.

This is an example of hypocrisy, or engaging in behavior that contradicts with what one claims to believe or feel.

This didn't exactly go over well with Agamemnon and Menelaus, the two kings in charge of the Greek army.

They probably would have just had him killed for violating his oath if he had been an average guy, but this was Odysseus we're talking about, the brightest mind in all of Greece.

They knew they needed him to win the war, but how could they convince him to come?

The only person capable of outsmarting Odysseus is Odysseus, Agamemnon roared.

No one else is nearly as clever.

Well, actually, there is this one guy, Menelaus countered.

And just like that, Palamedes was on the sea.

Palamedes was the prince of a country called Aboia and was slowly gaining a reputation for being quite intelligent.

It was rumored that he might even be smarter than the famous Odysseus.

Palamedes is now regarded as one of the cleverest men of ancient Greece.

He invented several letters of the Greek alphabet and is said to be the inventor of writing.

Okay, he invented writing?

Yeah, he really was smart.

And that's not all.

He was also known for mathematics and was said to have invented counting and other forms of measurement.

That is quite the resume.

And in addition to his brains, Palamedes was quite honorable.

He considered it his duty to fight for the Greeks in the Trojan War, despite the fact that he was not one of Helen's original suitors.

He just felt an obligation and loyalty to his fellow Greeks.

So, when Agamemnon and Menelaus approached him about traveling to Ithaca and convincing Odysseus to fight in the war, he agreed immediately, even though he had heard of Odysseus' reputation and knew it was not going to be an easy task.

Now, we told the whole story about how Palamedes convinced Odysseus to fight in the Trojan War last season, but here's a quick summary.

When Palamedes arrived in Ithaca, Odysseus pretended to be insane.

He hoped Palamedes would fall for his act and go back and tell Agamemnon that Odysseus wasn't in his right mental space to fight a war, but Palamedes saw through the whole charade very quickly and pulled a stunt that forced Odysseus to show his hand and admit that he was lying about being insane.

Palamedes put Odysseus' infant son Telemachus down in front of a tractor that Odysseus was driving.

Palamedes knew that if he was really insane, Odysseus would plow right over his baby, but if he wasn't mentally deranged, he would rescue his son immediately, which he did, and although it worked, it was kind of a low blow.

Palamedes put Odysseus' son in danger, and Odysseus never forgot it.

You will never forget the day you crossed Odysseus, he said to Palamedes after agreeing to fight in the Trojan War.

Now, Odysseus meant this as a threat, and it turned out to be a good one.

Odysseus never forgot how Palamedes had wronged him, and from that moment on, they were rivals, and not the friendly kind.

Which is kind of a shame because the two actually had a lot in common.

They were smart, charismatic men who, under different circumstances, might have gotten along very well, but they were never able to get past their rocky start.

The two competed in almost everything they did, and it only got worse once the Trojan War was underway.

You see, Odysseus was originally thought to be the top strategist in the Greek camp.

I mean, he was Odysseus, right?

The guy had a reputation at this point.

But Palamedes proved to be just as, if not more, useful than Odysseus when it came to military plans and battle strategy.

Lack of battle plans?

Palamedes drew up some successful strategies and developed a close relationship with Achilles, the Greeks' best warrior.

Running out of food?

Palamedes created a rationing system for the Greek army while they were in short supply.

Low morale?

Palamedes created several games like dice and checkers for the Greeks to play while waiting for battle.

I mean, the guy was everywhere.

Odysseus was starting to get fed up.

It didn't help that Odysseus was tasked with figuring out how to break into Troy, which, to be fair, was a pretty difficult task.

But while Odysseus was spending day after day going over plans to breach the city's massive walls, Palamedes was becoming an invaluable part of the Greek camp.

If anyone was keeping track, and believe me, they were, Palamedes was in the lead over Odysseus as Greece's top military strategist.

He was just that good.

Odysseus knew he had to do something about the situation.

He couldn't just sit by and let Palamedes emerge as the smartest guy in camp.

That would not do.

He started watching Palamedes closely.

The guy had to have a weakness or a downfall.

Everyone did.

Odysseus, for example, was overly competitive, so all he had to do was find out what Palamedes' weakness was.

Sooner or later, it revealed itself.

Palamedes' downfall was also one of his greatest strengths.

It was his integrity.

Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

Moral uprightness.

Exactly.

And that sounds like a good thing, right?

I mean, moral uprightness can't be bad, can it?

Well, if you as a general of the Greek army are determined to do a bad thing, like, I don't know, destroy a city for something that happened a decade ago, then maybe Palamedes' integrity wasn't exactly your favorite part of him.

Because after 10 years, Palamedes strongly believed that the Greeks needed to abandon the war and leave Troy.

We have been here for almost a decade, he said.

We are unable to breach the city.

We just haven't figured out how.

He didn't name names, but everybody knew that was a shot at Odysseus.

Our troops are dying of sickness and starvation.

We should leave Troy immediately.

It is unwise to stay any longer.

The Trojans will wait us out until we starve or turn on ourselves.

When Odysseus heard this speech, it was like a light bulb went off in his head.

Turning on Palamedes wouldn't be easy.

He was so well liked around camp.

Odysseus knew he would need buy-in, especially from Agamemnon, who wouldn't be so keen on letting Palamedes go after all the value that he provided to the team.

But this speech of Palamedes had now made it easy.

Odysseus approached Agamemnon that very night.

Did you hear what he said?

He asked the king.

He wants us to leave.

Can you believe it?

The audacity.

Audacity is rude or disrespectful behavior, but also can mean a willingness to take bold risks.

Right.

And what Palamedes said could be seen as both rude and a bold risk.

Saying, we should stop warring in a camp full of warriors was brave, risky, and to Agamemnon, rude.

As Odysseus had predicted, Agamemnon was also offended by Palamedes' desire to leave Troy.

He had worked too hard to get to this point.

He was not a man who would choose to admit defeat, even if it would save lives.

He would find a way to win the war, or he would die trying.

He didn't care how many innocent soldiers would perish as a result.

It's dangerous, Odysseus continued.

Palamedes is liked and respected around the camp.

If he wants to leave, others will take him seriously.

We could have anarchy on our hands.

We need to do something about it.

Are you sure this is necessary?

asked Agamemnon.

I've heard it said around camp that King Agamemnon couldn't even count his own feet without the discoveries of Palamedes.

This is technically true, as Palamedes discovered arithmetic.

But it was also insulting.

Yeah, and that's probably what tipped the scale for Agamemnon.

He was very proud, and this made him very angry.

So, with Agamemnon now on his side, Odysseus did what he does best.

He created a plan.

And unfortunately for Palamedes, Palamedes, the goal of this plan was to turn everyone in camp against him.

And with that, I think this is a good place for a commercial break.

I mean, not that there's ever really a good place for a commercial break, but if there was to be a good place, this would probably be it.

Anyway, we'll be back in a little bit.

Just take a break.

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Okay, thanks for that.

And now we're back with more Greaking Out.

Now, you have to remember remember that during the Trojan War, or any war, really, the worst thing you could do was to be a traitor.

A traitor is defined as a person who betrays a friend, country, or principle.

It is considered a very bad thing.

Exactly.

Especially over in Troy.

Remember, the soldiers had spent years fighting for their country.

They had risked everything.

To turn your back on the Greeks now to betray your fellow soldiers would be a horrible, unforgivable thing to do.

The sunk costs fallacy is when a person is reluctant to give up on a course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that giving up would be better.

But when Palamedes spoke about wanting to leave Troy, he displayed a tiny crack in his loyalty.

True, Palamedes was saying it out of love for his fellow soldiers and his belief that the war wouldn't end well for them, but it also presented Odysseus with an opportunity to paint Palamedes as a traitor.

He used that tiny crack and turned it into a wide gaping hole.

Odysseus got to work.

He began by writing a letter as though it were coming not from himself, but from King Priam.

King Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War.

He is known for being a kind, generous, respectful leader.

Now this wasn't a real letter, but it didn't matter.

What mattered is that it looked like it came from Priam himself.

I would like to remind listeners that forgery is a federal crime.

Creating false documents, especially military documents, is against the law.

True, but Odysseus wasn't exactly playing by the rules here.

He read the forged letter back to himself and smiled.

Dear Palamedes, I am pleased to hear that you have come to your senses about this war.

Troy will never fall, and it would be foolish of you to let an opportunity such as this go to waste.

You are not a foolish man so I am not surprised that you have taken me up on this offer.

Convince the Greeks to leave Troy and you will be rewarded beyond measure.

There is no reason why we can't help each other in this arrangement.

Signed, King Priam.

You got to give Odysseus credit.

It was the perfect plan.

A letter from King Priam thanking Palamedes for his help in ending the war?

This was irrefutable evidence that Palamedes was a traitor.

And it was perfect timing considering Palamedes had just given a speech about how ending the war was necessary for the soldiers' survival.

It's good, but it's not good enough, Odysseus thought to himself.

What if the troops think Palamedes would never take Priam up on his offer?

I have to be thorough.

So Odysseus continued on his quest and went to Agamemnon for help.

Gold, Odysseus said.

I need gold and lots of it.

Agamemnon, never one to part with gold, grumbled a little bit, but ultimately agreed.

If this was the thing that was going to stop Palamedes from ending the war, then he would pay the price.

Plus, Odysseus promised he would get it back.

That night, when Palamedes was out playing dice on the beach with his fellow soldiers, Odysseus snuck into his tent and started to dig a hole over in the corner.

When the hole was big enough, he dumped in the gold from Agamemnon.

It wasn't a fortune, but it was a decent-sized chunk of change, and it was definitely a believable amount Priam would send in exchange for being a traitor.

Odysseus covered the gold with dirt and made sure everything was back in order.

Then, he hid the forged letter from Priam inside one of Palamedes' many books and slipped away into the moonlight.

The evidence was planted.

Now it was time for phase two.

Odysseus wanted to make sure that no one would doubt Palamedes' intentions, so he wrote a letter back in response.

There does not need to be any more death or bloodshed.

I'll do my part to end the war with Troy as the victor.

Your humble servant, Palamedes.

P.S.

Thanks for the gold.

Again, the brilliant part of Odysseus' plan was that Palamedes did think they should end the war.

He already said he wanted to prevent prevent further death, so it wasn't that much of a stretch to believe that he was working with Priam when he said these things.

There was a kernel of truth out there.

But in reality, Palamedes just wanted what was best for his people.

Yes, he wanted the Greeks to leave, but he would never sink so low as to correspond with the enemy's king.

He was a man of integrity, and this was treason.

When Odysseus finished writing the letter, he gave it to a local Trojan prisoner and told him to deliver it to King Priam as soon as possible.

Then he opened the door and let the prisoner escape out into the night.

The prisoner ran towards his freedom with a letter crushed in his hand and a smile on his face.

But his joy was short-lived.

Odysseus waited just a couple of minutes until the prisoner was further away, and then he found a guard.

Excuse me, but is that door supposed to be open like that?

The guard panicked and sounded the alarm immediately.

The Greek soldiers found the Trojan prisoner immediately and killed him without discussion.

It wasn't long before they found his note from Palamedes.

Bring this to King Agamemnon, the guard shouted.

Now, while Agamemnon had been aware that Odysseus was trying to frame Palamedes, he didn't know any of the details.

I believe his exact words were something like, keep me out of it.

But when Agamemnon read that note, he had to admire the genius of Odysseus' plan.

He called a camp meeting that very afternoon.

Palamedes is guilty of treason.

He has been working with King Priam.

When Palamedes heard that, he actually laughed.

Me?

Treason?

Is there a man around this camp that has worked harder for the Greeks?

I have given everything I have to the success of our people.

Why would I work with Troy?

It says here that you will receive a reward, Agamemnon replied.

I have no use for worldly possessions, he countered.

Then you will not mind if we search your rooms, said Agamemnon.

Search away.

You will find nothing.

But unfortunately for Palamedes, that was not the case.

It didn't take long before the guards found the pile of gold buried in the corner of Palamedes' tent.

I have been framed, he yelled.

Odysseus!

But Odysseus just stood by and watched as his rival received his punishment.

The penalty for treason was severe.

Palamedes would be killed by his fellow soldiers.

Palamedes did his best to convince the Greeks that he had been framed.

I would never do this!

You are being tricked.

Why would I do this?

I have served the Greeks all of my life.

It's not me.

But no one listened.

Maybe they really believed Odysseus' ruse.

Maybe they didn't like Palamedes all that much to begin with and were threatened by his intelligence.

Maybe they were just bored.

Whatever the reason, they went along with it and killed Palamedes without even bothering to have a trial or truly hear his side of the story.

While several accounts agree that Palamedes was killed at the hands of Odysseus, there are multiple versions of the story of his death.

Yes, and it's worth pointing out that Palamedes wasn't mentioned in the Iliad or included anywhere in Homer's works.

Many critics think this is because it paints Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic, in in a bad light.

Well, we'll never know for sure, but it's true this isn't a good look for Odysseus.

Framing your rival for treason and then having him killed isn't exactly a heroic thing to do.

He did not like to lose and was not a very gracious winner either.

Agreed.

Well, thank you for joining us for today's episode of Greaking Out.

Is this how we are concluding the episode with a gruesome death?

Well, that's how the story ends.

What do you want me to do?

Perhaps a more pleasant conclusion.

Or one of those cute anecdotes you humans are so fond of.

Well, not all the stories have those.

I mean, we're talking about Greek mythology here.

They don't.

Actually, you know what?

Actually, wait, I do have one of those.

Yeah, can we cue the conclusion music, please?

And though his death was sad and tragic, and he released similar to a murder docuseries on a popular streaming service, Palamedes made the most of his afterlife.

There are tales of him hanging out in the underworld with Ajax and the other Greek soldiers, playing dice and discussing important matters.

He spent eternity doing what he loved most, thinking and learning and inventing new things.

Not a bad way to spend eternity.

All right, was that better?

You like that?

Much.

Okay.

I gotta get some coffee.

That's all for this week.

But we have another episode coming next Friday.

It's freaking

out.

National Geographic Kids Creaking Out is written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes and hosted by Kenny Curtis with Tori Kerr as the oracle of Wi-Fi, audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam, and our theme song was composed by Perry Gripp.

Dr.

Adria Haluska is our subject matter expert and Emily Everhart is our producer.