Aias; Ajax

Japanese: アイアス（英語表記）Aias; Ajax

A character from Greek mythology.
(1) Ajax the Great, son of Telamon, king of Salamis. In the Iliad, he is the second most powerful hero after Achilles, and fought against the Trojans as the main force in the Greek camp after Achilles retired to the rear. After Achilles' death, he competed with Odysseus for Achilles' armor, but was defeated. In Sophocles' tragedy Ajax, he went mad with despair, mistook a flock of sheep for the Greek army, killed them, and then killed himself with the sword of Hector, a trophy of war.
(2) Ajax the Minor: Son of King Oileus of Locris, he participated in the Trojan expedition. Though small in stature, he was the second fastest runner after Achilles. After the fall of Troy, he raped Cassandra in front of the statue of the goddess Athena and narrowly escaped the punishment of stoning to death. On the way home, his ship was wrecked and he was washed ashore on a rock, where he was drowned by Poseidon or killed by Athena with a lightning bolt.

Ajax
Aias

A Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Based on the legend of Troy, it is considered the oldest of Sophocles' surviving tragedies. After Achilles' death, Ajax goes mad with hatred for his loss and commits suicide. The second half of the play is dominated by a debate over the propriety of Ajax's burial and how the debate is resolved.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ギリシア神話の人物。
(1) 大アイアス　サラミス王テラモンの子。『イリアス』ではアキレウスに次ぐ英雄として，アキレウスが後方にひきこもったあと，ギリシア陣営の主軸としてトロイ軍と戦った。アキレウスの死後，その鎧をオデュッセウスと争ったが敗れた。ソフォクレスの悲劇『アイアス』では，彼は絶望の結果気が狂い，ヒツジの群れをギリシア軍勢と見誤って切り殺したあげく，戦利品であるヘクトルの剣で自殺した。
(2) 小アイアス　ロクリス王オイレウスの子，トロイ遠征に参加。小柄であるが，アキレウスに次ぐ駿足の持主であった。トロイ陥落のおり，カッサンドラをアテナ女神の神像の前で犯し，この罪の罰である石打ちの刑は危うく逃れたが，帰国の途次，船が難破し，岩に漂着したところをポセイドンによって溺死させられたとも，アテナにより雷で打たれて死んだともいわれる。