Ajax the Lesser Ajax the Lesser Ajax ( "Aias") was a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris. He was called the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax, to distinguish him from Ajax the Great, son of Telamon. He was the leader of the Locrian contingent during the Trojan War. He is a significant figure in Homer's "Iliad" and is also mentioned in the "Odyssey", in Virgil's "Aeneid" and in Euripides' "The Trojan Women". In Etruscan legend, he was known as "Aivas Vilates". Ajax's mother's name was Eriopis. According to Strabo, he was born in Naryx in Locris, where Ovid calls him
Phocus of Aegina whose athletic ability caused his half-brothers to grow jealous. Their jealousy drove them to murder him during sport practice; Telamon, the stronger half-brother, threw a discus at Phocus' head, killing him. The brothers hid the corpse in a thicket, but Aeacus discovered the body and punished Peleus and Telamon by exiling them from Aegina. Telamon was sent to Salamis, where he became king after Cychreus, the reigning king, died without an heir, while Peleus went to Phthia, where he was purified by the Phthian King Eurythion. However, the tradition varies with regards to the nature of Phocus' death. Other myths