 King Tyndareus picked Menelaus – King of
sparta (Brother of Agamemnon) – Whoever
Judgement of Paris
 Evil goddess of discord = Eris
- Eris is not very popular in Olympus.
 There was a banquet – but they (gods) left her
out. Therefore, Eris went to cause trouble
 In the wedding of King Peleus and Sea nymph
Thetis she (Eris) presented a golden apple
(given to the fairest of them all) – Aphrodite
(goddess of love and beauty), Hera and Athena
were the competitors
 Zeus was asked to judge but wisely declined.
Instead he told them Paris ( also called
Alexander – weakling and coward) at Mount Ida
near Troy at this time Paris was keeping his
father’s sheep,
 The King of Troy (Priam) had been warned that
Paris would bring troy down. – he sent him
away to a lovely Nymph (Oenone)
 When Paris was asked to judge the goddess
offered him – Hera: make him lord of Europe
and Asia – Athena: Would lead trojans to
victory against Greeks – Greece in ruins –
Aphrodite (PICK): The fairest woman will be
his.
Trojan War
 Fairest woman in the world is Helen ( daughter
of Zeus and Leda - sister of Castor and Pollux)
 All young prince in Greece wants to marry her. –
when these prince gathered with proposals her
Reputed father King Tyndareus is afraid to
select one because “others might unite against
him” therefore they would champion for her
(Helen).
carried or tried to carry Helen would be
punished.
 Helen and Menelaus welcomed Paris (Aphrodite
brought him). They are very close – yet Paris
broke this bond. Menelaus left Paris and went
to Crete.
 When Menelaus got back Helen was missing –
angered he called upon all Greece to put Troy in
ashes.
 Two of the first rank were missing: Odysseus
The king of the island Ithaca and Achilles the
son of Peleus and Thetis
 Odysseus: the shrewdest and most sensible
men in Greece – he does not want to leave his
family for a faithless woman (Helen) – He
pretended to be crazy and when a messenger
arrived from Greek army arrived – Odysseus
was plowing and sowing the field with SALT
instead of seed. The messenger used Odysseus
son and put him directly in the way of the plow.
Because of this (reluctantly) joined the army.
 Priam and the queen of troy (Hecuba) had
many brace sons to lead and defend the walls.
 Hector – one of the sons, noble and braver.
 Achilles had been told by his mother that he
would die – Hector as well knew this even
without any divinity
 Hector’s wife Andromache. Hector said to his
wife that there will come a time that troy will
fall.
god/s interventions
 At this point the war has reached Olympus –
gods were ranged against each other.
 Troy: Aphrodite (Paris), Ares (god of war),
Apollo, Artemis and Zeus (however neutral
because of Hera)
 Greece: Hera, Athena, Poseidon.
 Regarding Zeus – he could not resist Thetis
(Thetis told Zeus that she has nothing to do with
the Greeks and went up to heaven and) – her
request is to let the trojans win. Since Hera was
a mouth fully disagreeing with Zeus – Zeus
threatened to lay hands if she would not stop.
 Zeus plan: He sent a lying dream to
Agamemnon promising him victory if he
attacked. – at this point Achilles is at his ten
followed by a hardest attacked against the old
king of Priam and other old men wise in war.
 Then came Helen with and they could not
blame her “Men must fight for such as she”
“Her face was like to that of an immortal spirit”
 She stated each Greek hero – because of this
the armies drew back and made a space for
Paris and Menelaus to fight.
 Paris struck first but Menelaus caught the spear
on his shield – when he pulled out his sword it
was broken then he tackled Paris and won the
fight – he was about to drag Paris until
Aphrodite tore the strap of Paris’ helmet.
Caught up in a cloud and took back to Troy
 Menelaus furiously went to the trojan ranks and
no one helped him because they as well hated
Paris – no one knew where he was. So
Agamemnon spoke to both armies to declare
Menelaus champion bidding to give back Helen
– this was already okay until Athena and Hera
intervened – Hera said the war will not end until
Troy is ruined – Athena persuaded a foolish
heart of Pandarus, a Trojan to break the
agreement and shoot an arrow at Menelaus
(now wounded slightly) – Greeks in rage
because of the treachery.
 Achilles now with Athena yet Hector was alone
(Apollo leaving him) – three times they were
chasing until Athena made Hector halt. – Hector
said “ If I kill you I will give back your body to
your friends and do you do the same to me” -
Achilles replied “ mad man there are no
covenents between sheep and wolves nor
between you and me”.
 Achilles attacked first -> misses yet the spear
was brought by athena -> hector attacked true
hit however the spear hit the cent shield the
armor was magical and could not be pierced ->
Hector turned to Deiphobus unfortunately he
was not there because athena tricked him.
 Hector said “The gods have summoned me to
death”
 He thought “at least I will not die without a
struggle but in some great deed of aims which
men yet to be born will tell each other”
 Achilles knew that hector took the armor of the
dead Patroclus aimed at an opening near the
throat and drove the spear point in. – hector
died saying “ Give back my body to my father
and my mother” Achilles replied” I would that I
could make myself devour raw tour flesh for the
evil you have brought upon me. -> hector’s soul
is now at Hades
 Achilles stripped the bloody armor and pierced
the feet of the dead man and attached them
with thongs to the back of this chariot. Round
 and round the horse roamed around the walls
of troy dragging hector- Achilles said” hear me
even in the house of Hades. I have dragged
Hector behind my chariot and I will give him to
the dogs to devour beside your funeral pyre.”
 In Olympus there was dissension. Abuse of the
dead displeased all the immortals except Hera,
Athena and Poseidon. It displease Zeus
 So Zeus sent Iris to Priam to redeem hectors
body from achilles. Bearing rich ransom. He
went to achilles the killer of his son.
 Grief stirred Achilles and he said to Priam “sit by
me here” and “let our sorrow lie quiet in our
hearts. Evil is all men’s lot but yet we must keep
courage” then he bade his servants was and
anoint hector’s body and cover it with a soft
robe.
 Achilles asked for how long is the funeral –
Priam replied “ For so long I will keep the greeks
back from battle” – form here he mourned las
neve another, even Helen wept. She said “the
other trojans upbraid me but always I had
comfort from you through the gentleness of
your spirit and your gentle words. You only
were my friend.”
 90 days lamented him they laid him in a lofty
pyre and set fire to it when all was burned, they
quenched it with wine and gathered bones
placed in a golden urn and placed in a hollow
grave pilled great stone over it. – Funeral of
hector, tamer of horses and with it the Iliad
ends
 Not Hector dead – Achilles knew that his own
death is near (said by his mother). Prince
Memnon of Ethiopia (the son of the Goddess of
the Dawn) – Helped Greec because they lost
many warriors
 Unfortunately for them Achilles killed Memnon
in a combat – he himself fell beside the Scaean
gates. – at this point Paris shot an arrow at
Achilles and Apollo guided it so it would hit his
foot (heel).
 Thetis when he (Achilles) son was born he
wanted to make him invisible by dipping him
into the River Styx but she was careless and did
not see that water covered the part of the foot
which she held. – Achilles died
 Ajax carried his body out of the battle while
odysseus held the trojan back.
 Greeks knew that if they can’t get their army in
the city they would never win. 10 years since
the last fight.
 Odysseus had a willy mind – he had a skillful
worker in wood make a wooden horse. They
were all terror stricken except the son of
Achilles Neoptolemus – the plan was to let the
other greeks strike camp and put out to sea but
they would really hide beyond the nearest
island where they could not be seen by the
trojans.
 The day of the plan was deployed, two trojan
watchers shocked by the wooden horse – they
made it seem as if they (greeks) where
retreating – Trojan armies rushed to the Greek
camp only to see nothing – They gathered
around the horse to inspect and saw Sinon (the
most plausible speaker) the last Greek left at
the camp – they seized and dragged him to
Priam – he was willing to give up being Greek.
 Sinon was granted to live his life with the by
using his false cunning and pretended tears. –
 he said that the wooden horse has been made
as a votive offering to Athena – hoping that
trojans would destroy it and draw Athena’s
anger.
 The most bitter of all gods was Poseidon
brought about the priest Laocoon when the
horse was first seen, urging to destroy it as he
said “I fear the greaks even when they bear
gifts” – his TWO SONS heard his suspicion
 Suddenly two serpents went to Laocoon at
killed him.
 Now that the war has ended they went to their
houses in peace after 10 years – one by one the
chieftains let themselves out; they stole to the
gates and threw them wide – fire started –
killing each trojan in their household silently. By
the time trojans were awake – Achilles son
killed king priam infront of his wife and
daughters.
 All the leaders of the trojans are now dead
except for one Aphrodite’s son Aeneas who
escaped. – He knew at that point the slaughter
continued and he can’t do anything about it. –
He hurried to his wife and son and his mother
(Aphrodite) appeared and promising to protect
him. But when they left the house his wife
separated and was killed. – Aphrodite was the
only one of the gods that helped a trojan.
 She (Aphrodite) heled Helen too, she brought
her to Menelaus.
 Chief among the captives was the old Queen
Hecuba, her daughter inlaw and Andromache.
 Andromache held her son Astyanax – which a
camp herald – he said the boy must die by
throwing him down from the wall of troy.
The adventured of Odysseus
 Athena and Poseidon had been the Greeks’
greatest allies among the gods. – it all changed
when troy fell. – They became the bitterest of
enemies. Because of this they were terribly
punished.
 Cassandra (One of priam’s daughter) was a
prophetess. – Apollo had loved her and given
her because to foretell the future – since
Cassandra did not love Apollo back – Apollo
cursed her and made it to no account no one
ever believed in her (because he cannot take
the gifts back)
 Cassandra told the trojans each time what ould
happen – they would never listen.
 When greeks raided she was in Athena’s temple
clinging to her image, under the goddess
protection. The greeks found her there and they
dared to lay violent hands on her. Ajax (a lesser
chieftain) dragged her out of the temple. Not
one Greek protested against this sacrilege.
Athena’s wrath was deep.
 She now went to Poseidon and laid her wrongs
before him. “help me to vengeance” – “Give the
greeks a bitter home coming, stir up your
waters with wild whirlwinds when they sail. Let
dead men choke the bays and line the shores
and reefs.”
 Agamemnon came near to losing all his ships:
Menelaus was blown to Egypt – the Ajax was
drowned. – he would have been saved if not for
his arrogance “he is the one the sea cannot
drown” – So Poseidon jagged bit of rock to
which he was clinging. Ajax fell and the waves
swept him away to his death.
 Odysseus did not lose his life but he suffered
LONGER than them because he wandered for
10 YEARS before he saw his home – when he
reached it the little son he had left there was
grown to manhood. 20 years had passed since
odysseus sailed for troy.