By: Ivy Phillips

The Trojan War was fought between Greece and Troy over Helen of Troy. Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was married to King Menelaus. Paris came into Greece and fell in love with Helen. Together they ran off to Troy, leaving King Menelaus and Greece behind.

Fate Fate had destined Paris and Helen to meet. A while back, Paris judged a contest of beauty between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. Paris voted Aphrodite the winner, so in return she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife.

Paris and Helen’s scandal became known all throughout Greece. Menelaus called upon all of the kings of Greece and commanded them to march upon Troy. None of the Kings wanted to risk open warfare, especially on Troy, but they had to obey the High King’s commands.

The fighting went on for over nine years. Many heroes died on both sides of the war. Of these heroes some of the more well-known were Achilles, Hector, and Patroclus.

Toward the end of the Trojan War, Ulysses received an idea. His idea was that the Greeks should build a giant wooden horse and give it to the Trojans as a peace offering. Inside the horse, would be a hidden army of men that would overtake Troy. This plan was carried out effectively, bringing victory to the Greeks. They won the Trojan War after 10 years of fighting.

women  In Greek society women were viewed as status symbols. The more beautiful your wife was, the greater you were. Men thought of women as possessions instead of equals. This is why King Menelaus became enraged when Helen left him for Paris. Not only had Menelaus spent time fighting for Helen’s hand, but he possessed the Most Beautiful Woman in the World.  Men,  Men, on the other hand, were the head of everything. The men controlled politics, the household, and were always expected to be the ones to go on quests. Since men are stronger than women they went to war and fought for the gods.

Piety is a word that means having spiritual devotion. This was extremely important in ancient Greece because the gods wanted to be adored and revered. The gods also had a very quick temper, so when they didn’t get enough attention they hurt humans (usually in a variety of ways depending on the god). People in Ancient times showed respect to the gods because they often gave favor to their faithful subjects. For example, a person that prayed to Demeter for good crops might be blessed with a good harvest. The Greeks also respected the gods because of their reputation for getting angry. The gods got angry all the time, and when they did it was not a pretty sight. Storms might ravage the land, or various disasters would occur if all of the gods were mad at once. People were afraid of the gods’ vengeance, so they worshipped them often to please them. Piety is demonstrated in the story of the Trojan War. When Troy or Greece needed favor with the gods, they would pray and give sacrifices to them to show their devotion. Most of the time this would appease the gods and they would help whoever sacrificed to them.

Hospitality Hospitality is very important in Greek culture and mythology. In olden times if a man came to your door seeking lodging it was unwise to refuse him. People did not know their true identity. It could be a god, or a magician dressed up as a beggar. It was also important because Zeus had set up the law of hospitality, and if it was violated there could be major consequences from Zeus. In the story of the Trojan War, King Menelaus showed Prince Paris hospitality by letting him stay at his home in Sparta. Paris violated Menelaus’ generosity by stealing away Menelaus’ wife, Helen. This is the event that started the whole Trojan War.

Kings & Heroes…  In Greek mythology the Kings of a nation were always the most powerful people. Oftentimes, these kings needed heroes to fulfill their wishes or to perform great deeds in their name.  For example, Kings Menelaus, Agamemnon, and Ulysses all went to war on Troy. They had the help of Achilles, Ajax, and Diomede to defeat the Trojans. Without each side’s own heroes to do most of the fighting, the war would have been very one-sided.

The concept of honor drives many of the events in Greek Mythology. Honor was something the people felt the gods had ingrained in them, and if they did not uphold that honor their reputation was blackened. In the Trojan War, the concept of upholding honor is shown in many ways, but more so in Menelaus. When Helen ran away from him his honor had been damaged. His country’s honor had also been damaged by Helen’s rash actions. As a result, King Menelaus had to declare war upon Greece. He was forced to uphold his honor, even if it meant getting thousands of his men killed in the process.