Vergil in the Grynean Grove: two riddles in the third 'Eclogue'

The poetic contest of Vergil's 'Eclogue 3' between Damoetas and Menalcas ends with two riddles that have been the subject of a lot of study both by Vergil's contemporaries and modern scholars. However, the answer is shown to be Achilles' shield hangs in the Grynean Grove with the story of Ajax linking the two riddles. An ancient scholar, Junius Philargyrium, first answered one riddle with Ajax's shield, not referring to his actual shield but rather to Achilles' shield which Ajax later lost to Odysseus. The hyacinth in the second riddle has often been linked to Ajax's death.