Aeneas sprang from his chariot armed with shield and spear, fearing lest the Achaeans should carry off the body. He bestrode it as a lion in the pride of strength, with shield and spear before him and a cry of battle on his lips - resolute to kill the first that should dare face him.
~ The Iliad - Book V (Samuel Butler Translation. p33 / v297)
The Iliad - Book V. The war rages on with gods and men fighting alongside each other. Heroes are killed on both sides. Diomed outshines everyone. He even wounds the goddess Venus.
In book 5 of The Iliad, the war rages on with gods and men fighting alongside each other. Heroes are killed on both sides. One thing that I noticed was that, in many instances, people risked their lives to not give away the bodies of their dead comrades. At the start of the book, people feel sorry when Idaeus has to flee and not get his brother’s body, Aeneas takes a risk to take back Pandarus’ body, Greeks carry away Ulysses’ friend Tlepolemus’ body, etc. Why was the dead body so important to them?