Elephantinos is a merchant (a blade-sharpener) from Miletus who follows the Spartan army to Thermopylae after they help him with his broken-down wagon along the way. He ends up becoming “a kind of mascot or talisman to the troops, embraced as a storyteller, jester, and companion at everyone’s fireside.” He dies with them on the battlefield.
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Elephantinos Character Timeline in Gates of Fire
The timeline below shows where the character Elephantinos appears in Gates of Fire. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 26
...is a horrifying spectacle. In the meantime, the army has picked up a mascot of sorts—Elephantinos, a merchant with a disabled wagon who trailed the army all the way to Thermopylae....
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Chapter 31
...of Suicide, his mentor, is the last face he’ll ever see. He thinks also of Elephantinos, who refuses to leave the Spartan camp when he has the chance. He said that...
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...the earlier conversation with Alexandros and Ariston about fear and its opposite. He says that Elephantinos and Suicide have given him the answer. Looking out over the camp, he tells Xeo,...
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