The Trojan War

The Trojan War actually was caused by the marriage between Peleus and Thetis, a sea-goddess . Peleus and Thetis had not invited Eris, the Goddess of discord, to their wedding and this infuriated Goddess broke up the wedding banquet and threw a golden apple into the midst of guests. The apple belonged to; Eris said whoever was the fairest.

Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite laid claim for the apple. Zeus irritated with the argument proclaimed that Paris, prince of Troy and supposedly the most handsome man alive would act as the judge.

Hermes went to Paris and Paris agreed to judge who should have the apple. Hera promised him power, Athena promised him wealth, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world.

Paris chose Aphrodite, and she promised him that Helen, wife of Menelaus, would be his wife. Paris then prepared to embark for Sparta to capture Helen. Two prophets Cassandra and Helenus tried to persuade him against his intention, as did his mother, Hecuba. But Paris would not listen and he   started out for Sparta.

In Sparta, Menelaus, husband of Helen, treated Paris as a royal guest. However, when Menelaus left Sparta to go to a funeral, Paris abducted Helen and also most of Menelaus' wealth.

In Troy, Helen and Paris were married. Menelaus was outraged to find that Paris had taken Helen. Menelaus then called upon all of the men that had previously tried in vain to wed Helen, they had made an oath long ago that they would all back Helen's husband to defend her honor.

The Greek fleet assembled, under Agamemnon in Aulis. However, Agamemnon had killed one of Diana's sacred stags. Diana was outraged and she calmed the seas so that the fleet could not take off. The seer Calchas proclaimed that Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, must be sacrificed before the fleet could set sail. Unfortunately for Iphigeniathis was done, and the Greek ships set off to Troy.

Odysseus, known for his eloquence, and Menelaus were sent as ambassadors to Priam. They demanded Helen and the stolen treasure be returned. Priam refused, and Odysseus and Menelaus declared that war was inevitable.

The first nine years of the war consisted of both war in Troy and war against the neighboring regions. The Greeks realized that Troy was being supplied by its neighboring kingdoms, so Greeks were sent to defeat these areas.

The Greeks won many important battles and the Trojan hero Hector fell, as did the Trojan ally Penthesilea. But the Greeks could not break down the walls of Troy.  Achilles was felled by deception by Paris.

Helenus, son of Priam, had been captured by Odysseus. A prophet, Helenus told the Greeks that Troy would not fall unless:  Pyrrhus, Achilles' son, fought in the war, the bow and arrows of Hercules were used by the Greeks against the Trojans,  the remains of Pelops, the famous Eleian hero, were brought to Troy, and the Palladium, a statue of Athena, was stolen from Troy

Phoenix persuaded Pyrrhus to join the war. Philoctetes had the bow and arrows of Hercules, but had been left by the Greek fleet in Lemnos. Philoctetes was bitter, but was finally persuaded to join the Greeks. The remains of Pelops were gotten, and Odysseus infiltrated Trojan defenses and stole the Palladium.

Still seeking to gain entrance into Troy, Odysseus with the aid of Athena ordered the construction of a large wooden horse to be built. Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it.

Once the statue had been built by the artist Epeius, a number of the Greek warriors, along with Odysseus, climbed inside. The rest of the Greek fleet sailed away a little out to sea to deceive the Trojans. One man, Sinon, was left behind. When the Trojans came to the awesome sight of the huge creation, Sinon pretended to be angry with the Greeks, stating that they had deserted him. He assured the Trojans that the wooden horse would bring luck to the Trojans.

Laocoon and Cassandra, spoke out against the horse, but the Trojans disregarded their prophecies. The Trojans celebrated what they thought was their victory, and brought the wooden horse into the walls of Troy.

That night, after most of Troy was asleep, Sinon let the Greek warriors out from the horse, and they slaughtered the Trojans. Priam was killed by Zeus' altar and Cassandra was pulled from the statue of Athena and raped. Polyxena, daughter of Priam, was sacrificed at the tomb of Achilles and Astyanax, son of Hector, was also sacrificed, signifying the end of the war.

Aeneas, a Trojan prince, managed to escape the destruction of Troy, and managed to make a flight from Troy.  Aeneas was the only Trojan prince to survive. Menelaus, who had been determined to kill his faithless wife, later forgave her because of her beauty and she returned as his wife. The Trojan women that survived were shared among the Greek men along with the other booty. 

The Greeks then set sail for home which for some proved to be more adventurous as the Trojan War.