The Trojan War
Welcome back, Greeks and Geeks! Today, I am going to tell you about the Trojan War, which in Greek Mythology, was a war between both the Greeks and the Trojans, but also was a war between the gods themselves.
The Trojan War is told in many ancient Greek books and poems, including the Iliad and the Odyssey, and many more that have been lost to time.
The Trojan War was an event that actually happened in history, though when it happened is up for debate. It is generally accepted that the war happened in the Late Bronze Age, and lasted for 10 years.
The Apple of Discord
In mythology, the Trojan War started as a fight between Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera. They were at a party celebrating the marriage of Thetis, a sea nymph, and Peleus, an elderly mortal king. Eris, the Goddess of Strife and Discord, was not invited to the celebration, so she threw a golden apple, often referred to as the Apple of Discord, to the three goddesses. The apple, she said, belonged to the fairest goddess there.
The three goddesses all claimed the apple, resulting in an argument that would last years. Zeus told Hermes to bring the three goddesses to Paris of Troy, who would decide between the three goddesses, and choose who was the fairest goddess.
The Judgement of Paris
Each goddess offered Paris gifts if he chose them. Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, offered him victory in battle. Hera, goddess of marriage and home, said he would be king of all men. Aphrodite, goddess of love, offered him Helen of Sparta in marriage, as she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Paris chose Aphrodite as the fairest goddess of all, and as he was promised Helen, he traveled from Troy to Sparta, and took her. Eros, god of love and more commonly known as Cupid, pierced Helen with an arrow, causing her to fall in love with Paris as soon as she saw him, so she gladly went with him.
Unfortunately for all of Troy, Helen of Sparta was married.
The Trojan War
Helen’s husband in Sparta was Menelaus, who then convinced his brother King Agamemnon to get Helen back in whatever way he could. Agamemnon, alongside many other Greek heroes including Odysseus and Achilles, sailed across the Aegean Sea to Troy (which is now the western shore of Turkey) to get Helen back.
The gods also took sides in the war, with Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Apollo siding with the Trojans, and Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, and Hephaestus fought alongside the Greeks.
For the next ten years, the Greeks laid siege to Troy, before the Greeks hatched a plan to trick the city of Troy. They constructed a giant wooden horse and many of the soldiers hid inside. They disguised it as a parting gift, and made it seem like they had decided to end the war.
The Trojans brought the wooden horse inside their city, and began to celebrate their victory in the war. When it became nighttime, the Greeks left the horse and destroyed Troy. They killed all the men, and took the women.
Following the war, the Greeks sailed home, expecting a welcome home, rest, and relaxation after ten years of war.
Unfortunately, the gods were upset with the Greeks due to how they treated the Trojans when they snuck into the city. So, many people did not make it home from Troy, and if they did, it took them years to get back, having gone on various different adventures and quests between Troy and Greece.
Paris ended up dying in the middle of the Trojan War, leaving Helen alone until the war was finished. Depending on the version of the story, Helen either returned to Sparta with Menelaus, or was brought to Olympus by Apollo.
So in the end, Paris should not have chosen Aphrodite as the fairest goddess, and should have left the gods to decide for themselves. Nothing good ever comes from having to choose the best goddess.
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again soon. Αντίο, Σοφία.
