Divine Intervention? The Phantom Warrior of the Battle of Marathon

Credit: GreekReporter Archive

Echetlaeus, oregon Echetlus, was the sanction of a mysterious ancient Greek ‘phantom’ warrior who appeared successful the Battle of Marathon and helped to halt the Persians from invading Greece. He past abruptly disappeared.

The conflict leader seems to person travel retired of nowhere. He appeared successful the midst of the conflict against the Persians. While helium was not successful soldier’s armor and wore a farmer’s hat, helium is commonly displayed with a limb that looked precise overmuch similar a plow.

The mysterious quality of the antheral successful the mediate of the conflict is referenced by 2 past Greek historians, Pausanias and Herodotus. However, their descriptions disagree and incorporate imagery that could beryllium described arsenic supernatural.

The sanction Echetlus derives from the past Greek connection “echetle” (Greek: εχέτλη) successful notation to the grip of the plow. His sanction astir apt originates from the plow grip that helium is said to person carried portion warring the Persians, and due to the fact that nary 1 knew oregon saw him aft that, they named him aft it.

In Italy, an past Etruscan sarcophagus is adorned with a sculpture depicting the Battle of Marathon and containing a peculiar fig resembling a farmer. This fig is successful possession of a plow helium is utilizing arsenic a weapon, and helium is successful the midst of a fight.

A half-naked antheral fights 3 warriors with a plough – a communal country connected #Etruscan ash chests.

Is helium the Greek leader Echetlus, who aided the Athenians astatine the Battle of Marathon successful 490 BC, earlier mysteriously disappearing? Why would an obscure Greek fable beryllium fashionable successful #Etruria? pic.twitter.com/TOJszC7UVv

— Kulturhist. depository (@Kulturhistorisk) June 22, 2023

Moreover, successful Stoa Poikile successful Athens, located successful the Ancient Agora of Athens adjacent to the Acropolis, a 5th period BC coating depicts the elusive past Greek warrior on with Heracles and the goddess Athena. This is an denotation of however overmuch Athenians valued and honored their heroes.

But the question is—what was he?

Pausanias and Herodotus picture the past Greek phantom warrior, Echetlus

The statement of the disappearance of the chartless combatant aft the Battle of Marathon by Pausanias is arsenic follows:

“They besides accidental that a antheral with archaic quality and apparel happened to beryllium contiguous successful the battle. After sidesplitting galore of the foreigners with the hetli, helium disappeared erstwhile the conflict was over. When the Athenians asked the oracle, the deity simply instructed them to grant Echetlaeus arsenic a hero. They adjacent erected a achromatic marble monument…the Athenians affirm that they buried the Persians, due to the fact that successful each lawsuit divine instrumentality yet states that the dormant assemblage should beryllium buried nether the earth, yet they did not find a grave. There was nary tumulus oregon different mound of world visible, arsenic the dormant were thrown into a ditch.”

Herodotus gives a antithetic statement of the puzzling beingness of the past Greek phantom warrior:

“…in the conflict of Marathon 6,400 Persians and 192 Athenians were killed. During the struggle thing precise unusual happened: an Athenian soldier, Epizilus, lad of Koufagoras, portion warring bravely abruptly mislaid his imaginativeness successful some eyes, though thing had touched him, neither spear nor sword nor bow and arrow.”

Continuing, Herodotus states that “Epizilus tells of seeing a gigantic hoplite whose beard covered his full shield, and that this specter (or ghost, from the Greek connection :Φάσμα) overtook him, and killed the Persian hostile that was lasting adjacent to him. This country was the past Epizilus saw. The Athenians asked the Oracle of Delphi to find retired who the chartless leader who fought with them was but the Oracle lone gave them the reply that they should grant the leader Echetlaeus.”

Was Echetlus a being of different magnitude oregon adjacent a clip traveler?

In past Greek history, the beingness of Echetlus astatine the Battle of Marathon and his disappearance afterwards was ne'er explained. There are immoderate theories that helium was sent by the deity Pan, who was said to beryllium watching the conflict from his cave. Others person said helium was sent by goddess Demeter and Persephone.

In modern times, determination are immoderate speculations that are rather incredible. Indeed, determination are depictions of a farmer-like fig warring the Persians with a plow successful Marathon. But what became of him afterwards?

According to a modern theory, the limb Echetlus utilized was a blase raygun, hence the agleam airy that blinded Epizelus. Another mentation has it that Echetlus was a clip traveler oregon a being from different magnitude who joined the conflict to help.

According to Swiss historiographer F. Pfister, this was a clip erstwhile past Greece was successful a transitional period. The Greeks were going from Homeric leader worship to the caller gods of the Classical period. In a coating by Pansinus, who was the member of Pheidias, Echetlus was depicted among the heroes of the Battle of Marathon. That coating is displayed successful the Stoa Poikile.