The Iliad and The Trojan War
The Iliad The Trojan War took place in Troy which is in the northwest corner of what we now call the Republic of Turkey.
The Start of it All… Three generations of misery and bloodshed started because a wedding planner failed to invite an important goddess…
Peleus and Thetis’ Wedding Zeus holds a banquet to celebrate the marriage of the mortal Peleus and the goddess Thetis (parents of Achilles). However, Eris, Goddess of Discord is not invited (for she would have made the party unpleasant for everyone). Angered by this snub, Eris arrives at the celebration with a golden apple.
A Golden Apple Eris tosses the golden apple onto the dance floor. On the apple are the words, “To the fairest.” The golden apple was a serious party downer. Who was the most beautiful? To the fairest Deadwhitemales.net
Who is the fairest of them all? The competition is between: Athena – Zeus’ daughter Hera – Zeus’ wife and Queen of the Gods Aphrodite – The Goddess of Love They ask Zeus, as the King of the Gods, to award the prize, but he is no fool…
The Judgment of Paris Zeus gives the task to Paris, son of Priam, the King of Troy because he is a mortal known to be fair. Zeus knows that Troy is fated to be destroyed because of an old run-in with Apollo and Poseidon. Paris is the “torch to set the whole city on fire.”
Paris’ Ill-fated Choice Each goddess comes with a bribe: Athena offers him victory in war Hera offers him power over nations Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful woman in the world What would you choose? homepage.mac.com
Helen of Troy Paris accepts Aphrodite’s offer …… who happens to be Helen of Troy.
Slight Problem… Aphrodite fails to tell Paris that Helen is married. Helen’s father had had a heck of a time choosing a suitor since every king around wanted to marry her. To ensure that no disappointed suitor would declare war against him, he had made them all swear allegiance to the chosen suitor. They all did. Odysseus and Agammemnon (brother of Meneleus) had also been among the suitors.
The Kidnapping of Helen Paris sails off to Sparta to be guest at the palace of Menelaus and Helen where he is welcomed and offered hospitality. Paris commits a gross violation of hospitality when he runs off with / kidnaps Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, the prize promised to him by Aphrodite. The Trojan War begins because Menelaus calls on all the former suitors of Helen, who swore allegiance to him, to help him get Helen back.
Troy in Trouble When Menelaus discovers that his wife has been kidnapped, he runs to his big brother Agamemnon who agreed to get help wage war to get Helen back. Helen is known as the “face that launched a thousand ships.”
Clever Odysseus! Odysseus tries to get out of joining Agamemnon and Menelaus in their fight for Helen by pretending to be crazy… but it doesn’t work. He ends up going to war. users.adelphia.net
The Trojan War Lasts ten years. The Greeks spend those ten years attacking the walled city of Troy. Many heroes are made and killed. Achilles is one of the most famous heroes of the Trojan War. His death was foretold in a prophecy, and his mother, Thetis, dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable. Unfortunately, she held him by his heels, so they were still vulnerable. He is killed by a poison arrow that hits his “Achilles heel.”
Leading To… The Trojan War makes up the story of The Iliad. The Odyssey picks up where The Iliad ends, telling the story of the mighty warrior Odysseus’ 10- year struggle to get back to his homeland, Ithaca.