The Trojan War How It Got Started, Why It Was Fought, and How Everything Turned Out All Right…for Almost Everybody

Homer. According to tradition, the poet Homer lived in Greece sometime around 800’s-700’s BC. Legend says that Homer was blind. The epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey are attributed to him. The great Trojan War is believed to have been fought around 1200 BC.

Hera Eris and the Apple of Discord Eris, goddess of discord, crashes the wedding of the sea nymph Thetis and the mortal Peleus. She brings a golden apple inscribed “to the fairest.” Three goddesses immediately claim it. Aphrodite Athena

The Contest Zeus refuses to judge, so the goddesses ask Prince Paris of Troy to decide who gets the apple. Paris is promised many things… Aphrodite promises him the most beautiful woman in the world as his bride… …Hera promises him the kingship of Europe and Asia… …and Athena promises him victory over the Greeks in war.

Paris Chooses a Bride… Paris chooses Aphrodite. The most beautiful woman in the world’s name is Helen. She is a mortal daughter of Zeus. Problem: She is already married to King Melelaus of Sparta. Helen was so beautiful that her father, Tyndareus, made all her suitors swear an oath. Whoever won her hand in marriage would have to support the winner in battle. This way, no wars would be fought over her.

…and the Trojan War Begins. A thousand ships set sail for the four- walled city of Troy, led by Menelaus. The war lasted ten years.

ODYSSEUS Odysseus was king of the island of Ithaca. Odysseys was the wisest and most clever of all the Greeks. He was a suitor of Helen but did not want to go to war. He pretended to be insane by planting salt. The Greek leaders put his son in front of his plow to see if he was really crazy…he turned the plow aside so as not to hit the baby. His story after the Trojan War is told in the Odyssey

River Styx The Tale of Mighty Achilles Son of Thetis and Peleus Greatest Greek warrior After he was born, Thetis dipped him into the waters of the River Styx, which made him invulnerable in battle. But---she held him by his heel, so that spot didn’t get the magic protection.

MIGHTY ACHILLES – His mother Thetis had a prophecy that Achilles would live either a short and glorious life, or a long and unknown life. – His mother hid him in a palace disguised as a girl so he wouldn’t be found to join the fighting in the Trojan War – Achilles was tricked into revealing his true identity! – He was glad to join the army.

He was the commander of armies. He stole Achilles’ prize maiden, Bryseis, after being forced to give up his own prize maiden Chryseis. Brother of Menelaus, son of Atreus. Brother-in-law of the kidnapped Helen. He was later murdered in cold blood by his wife’s boyfriend, Aegisthus, when he got home from the Trojan War. Agamemnon, Lord of Men

Achilles, continued Achilles refuses to help fight in the Trojan War because Agamemnon had stolen his prize lady. He stayed in his tent a long time, and refused to fight even when Agamemnon brought her back. Patroclus: Achilles’ best friend. He wears his armor in the battle, in which he falls to the mighty Hector. Achilles swears vengeance, and his mother has Hephaestus make him some new armor.

Achilles, continued Achilles dons his new armor, confronts Hector, and kills him. After stripping the armor off, he ties Hector’s body to the back of his chariot and drags it around the walls of Troy. This did not please the gods.

Hector’s father, King Priam, sneaks into the Greek camp at night and begs Achilles to return Hector’s body for proper burial. Achilles surrenders the body and allows for 12 days of non- fighting so the Trojans can observe funeral rites for Hector.

Achilles, concluded Later, Apollo caused an arrow, shot by Paris himself, to fly at the only vulnerable spot on Achilles’ body, the heel, and kill him. Odysseus was given the mighty armor in remembrance of the mighty Achilles.

Odysseus and the Trojan Horse The most formidable of all of the Argive captains was Odysseus, Son of Laertes and King of Ithaca. Wise beyond comparison, Odysseus was a master of disguise, of craftiness, of cunning, and of guile—no one could outwit this man skilled in all ways of contending.

The Plan Troy fell overnight. Odysseus had the Greeks build a large wooden horse. A small group of soldiers hid inside it. The rest of the Greeks sailed away and hid their ships behind a nearby island. The Trojans assumed the Greeks had left, and dragged the “religious offering” of the horse into their city. The hidden soldiers sneaked out at night and threw open the gates of Troy. The Greek army, who had sailed back, entered the city.

The Aftermath The Trojan women are captured as slaves. Troy is burned to the ground. The infant son of Hector is thrown from the walls to die. The Greeks return home. Odysseus, however, takes 10 years to return home and has many adventures. The Romans believed that Aeneas was a Trojan survivor of the war who sailed to Italy and became an ancestor of Romulus and Remus.