He’d fight to the death
as a panther springs forth from her thicket lair
to stand and face the huntsman: no fear in her heart,
no thought of flight when she hears the baying packs –
and even if he’s too quick with spear or lunging sword,
even if she’s run through, she never slacks her fury
until she’s charged him hard or gone down fighting.
And so the noble son of Antenor, brave Agenor
would never run until he’d tested Achilles.
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 21, lines 658-666. With Achilles routing the Trojan army, Agenor is the first Trojan to stop fleeing from the Greek leader’s rampage and bravely stands his ground to confront Achilles. The Trojan hero would fight to the death, the epic simile tells us, like a fearless panther springing from her lair to face the hunter.