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Peace is a prize shared equally among the living and the dead. A body not properly laid to rest is a soul unable to find peace; unable to pass on to the hereafter. Any dead body prevented from being buried is still today considered an inhumane atrocity. Patroklos, unburied, complains to Achilles all night long in Achilles' dreams. He must have his burial, he must find peace, and he cries to Achilles to take care of it quickly¹. And also in the case of Hektor's funeral, peace is granted to the living. Achilles guarantees suspension of the war, promising King Priam eleven days of peace for the funeral of the Trojan hero.²

A funeral provides opportunities unmatched in any other assembly, whether it is today, or in the earliest of ancient Greek days. It is an opportunity to pay respect and honor to the dead, allowing the soul to pass on in peace. It is a time of religious worship, recognizing the Immortal Power controlling life and death. It is a time of fellowship with one another, a momentous social gathering. People having shared in the life of the one now passing on congregate and share with the others what part they played, and what they remember best. All that remains when we die is our deeds, a re-telling of our lifestory. And, based on our faith in our beliefs, an attainment or withholding of glory.

A funeral is also an opportunity for personal gain. We see a system of inheritance in the ancient Greek funeral games, in the sharing of wealth and personal effects as prizes to the winners of the competitions. When Achilles dies, Thetis shares some of her son's wealth with the soldiers who win competitions in his honor. For the highest prize, she promises her son's glorious armor to the Bravest of the Greeks, the top contender of the funeral games for Achilles. Certainly we find the family relationships binding all the compatriots of Achilles so extensive that it is difficult to know who is family and who is not. It seems they are all relatives of a huge, extensive family, each having some fraction of a claim to inheritance.

In a world believed to be ruled by Immortal Power, no human being is the true owner of anything. The Immortal Power, by whatever name or names identified, is Owner and Bestower of everything; what we receive is our fair share, and what we fail to give proper thanks for is often quickly lost, or becomes a means of downfall. But we will not carry any possessions with us when we die, even if they are buried with us. The funeral games provide a logical resolution, a fair sharing of the deceased's fair share, especially if he has great wealth or has an extensive family. And athletic prowess as a competitor is not the only means of winning an inheritance. The competition of poetic recital finds a voluntarily captive audience, and among it many competitors glad to recite their best stories, including the lifestory of the newly deceased. And if, by their sharing, the contenders are judged worthy of inheritance, so much the better for everyone.

It is the format of funeral games which nationalize the ancient Greeks. Funeral competitions carry such honor that to win is of ultimate personal value. Discipline, strength, sharing and fairness as characteristics are studied by each contender, naturally affecting them in all fields of life. By encouraging competition governed by fairness, the games nurture the seed of self-rule. Expanding beyond the boundaries of families, growing side by side with Government, the Games encourage and protect the value of fairness, uniting entire cities.

With roots in early funeral games, and growing as local worship events, the Pythian Games in Delphi, Nemean Games in Nemea, The Isthmian Games of Corinth, and of course, the Olympic Games at Elis soon blossom and become mammoth competitions, inviting huge numbers of participants. Legend has it that, in the 9th century BC, Sparta and Elidos leave off fighting their war after the oracle of Delphi advises King Iphitos of Elidos to save his people from war by organizing games in honor of the gods. Sparta agrees to stop the war and all attend the games which hereafter are called the "Olympics" in honor of the Olympian gods. Forming boards of city-state members, the organizers of the Games request each city-state leave off fighting, and send representatives instead to settle matters between them in friendly competitions. The winners bring home prizes instead of war booty, and the city-states are rewarded by seeing their citizens honored, rather than killed or enslaved. The cost of games, prizes, and publicly celebrated honor is an excellent price to pay for Peace. It is a simple, civilized solution to war, brilliantly executed. The value of fairness is maintained, and Peace is the ultimate prize shared by these fair contenders, uniting them all as a nation.

The story of the Iliad is the winningest poem in the poetry recital competition, repeated and loved since the death of Achilles. It resurfaces and bobs on each successive ring of generation, floating like a shining beacon of light on a beautiful river called Peace. Look at the blossoming of Literature, Drama and Art following the rise of the Panhellenic Games, especially the Olympics. The Iliad becomes every Greek schoolboy's primer, influencing every student for many generations. Like a Torah, Bible or a Qur'an, the Iliad is pondered and probed, students religiously mining it for something more precious than gold. And as each generation is inspired, they begin reaching deeper and higher, producing finer and finer works. Each fresh, young student examines the ideals of the others, and fine tunes them with new ideas. By this process of development all the arts and sciences are born, and are today still growing.

The ancient Greek ideals are still present, most tangibly evident in our recurring celebration of the Olympics. But it seems that many today consider the Olympics almost as superfluous as a long, drawn out description of a shield in the midst of an explosive battle. However, the beautifully simple ideals expressed in both still remain - the lessons to be learned in either one are simple and aimed at an identical target. Win the prize of Peace. Put an end to down-spiraling cycles of War; learn the value of Fairness. But the intangible value of Fairness is often buried under Jealousy's boots, for the sake of Personal Gain. Greed and Jealousy are selfish, knowing only how to lie, telling us what we want is worth more in our hands than in the hands of others. When this happens, there will always be War; it is the Immortal Protector of Fairness. When enough casualties are taken to Death by War, fear of Death and respect of Life grow in value, exposing the miserliness of Greed. The scales soon tip in favor of Peace, and War subsides for a while.

The language of Allegory is easily understood, and the ancient Greeks are masters. Today we prefer to restrain our ideals from growing lives of their own. Associating partners with our God is unacceptable in most of our religions. Our allegories are capitalized to indicate only the names of abstract concepts. But in the early Greek conceptualization, abstract concepts grow arms, legs and faces. As identities of abstracts uncontrollable by humans, they become recognized as powerful Immortals. And, once immortal, they are objects of worship, wrapped in the mantle of Religion.

Achilles is himself a kind of allegory of Justice; an equalizer, a restorer of fairness. It is not a surprise that his shield is a gift not created by a mortal. The shield is an allegory of Peace, bestowed only by Immortal Power. And whether or not we believe in a world ruled by Immortal Power, Peace is still the ultimate Prize that can be shared - the Glorious Golden Apple awarded "to The Most Fair."

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