Part III – The Trojan War, The Odyssey & What We Can Learn From It All

Was the Trojan War

a Historical Event

Scholars are uncertain about the historical details of the Trojan War.

The story has been pieced together from several sources, most notably from Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The Trojan War is one of the most famous stories within Greek mythology, second only to Odysseus’ adventures returning home from it.

How the Olympians “Accidentally” Started the

Trojan War The story begins with a celebration on Olympus. The goddess of discord, Eris, was not invited to the

festivities. Eris devised a party-crashing gift to spite the Olympians. She inscribed “for the fairest” on a golden apple and tossed

it in the midst of the beautiful Olympian goddesses Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera.

Each goddess felt that she was the fairest and rightfully deserved the apple.

Zeus, knowing better than to get in the middle of an argument among women told the goddesses that they should allow the dispute to be settled by a mortal man: Paris, the Prince of Troy.

The Judgment of Paris

Paris was currently courting a nymph named Oenone was surprised at the goddesses appearance and insistence that he choose which of them was the most beautiful.

Each goddess promised Paris an extravagant bribe in return for choosing her. Athena – victory over the

Greeks, who were the enemies of the Trojans

Hera – dominion over the known world

Aphrodite – the most beautiful mortal woman in the world

Angry goddess = Death and destruction!

The Face That Launched a Thousand

Ships Helen was already soon to be married.

The champions of Greece all wanted to marry the Spartan princess.

Each suitor swore an oath to honor and protect whomever was chosen to wed Helen.

Menelaus was then chosen as the lucky husband.

Aphrodite led Paris to Sparta and he attended the wedding feast (even though he was an enemy of Greece), took Helen, and fled back to Troy.

Unclear whether Helen was kidnapped or willingly left with Paris.

Paris’s actions were heinous.

The Face That Launched a Thousand

Ships Menelaus was infuriated and called upon the Greek champions to fulfill their oath.

Agamemnon, Menelaus’ brother, assembled the army as their General.

Some of the most notable warriors included: Odysseus Achilles Ajax Diomedes

One thousand Greek warships sailed for Troy.

A loosing battle: Thick walls of Troy The leadership of King Hector Pestilenece sent from Apollo

The Gods Choose Sides

Over 9 years of fighting Olympus took notice and

intervened with each god choosing sides

Gods fought alongside men and the battle was bloodier than ever.

Achilles discovers Chryseis was the cause of the pesilence and ordered her release.

Agamemnon, in revenge, took Achilles’ slave-girl Briseis.

Petty feud caused devastating losses amongst the Greeks.

Achilles refused to fight until Agamemnon returned Briseis and the Greeks couldn’t win without him.

Greeks:Trojans:

Athena Aphrodite

Hera Apollo

Poseidon Artemis

Neutral:

Zeus**Sorta, kinda, but not really

Paris Versus Menelaus An agreement at last: Menelaus

and Paris would battle on-on-one for Helen.

Menelaus was more than a match for Paris.

Menelaus’ sword breaks in half do to godly interference turning the fight into hand-to-hand combat.

Aphrodite intervenes and cuts the strap of Paris’ helmet releasing him. Paris fled back to Troy like a sissy.

Honor of the Greeks was offended by the cowardice of Paris.

With a little goading from Athena and Hera the war was back on.

Gods on the Battlefield

•Her and Athena join the Greek hero Diomedes to battle Ares, who is fighting alongside Hector.•The goddess guide Diomedes’ spear directly into the chest of Ares. •His pride hurt Ares fled to Olympus to tend his wound. Aphrodite also fled back to Olympus to

nurse her wounds after receiving a minor injury.

Achilles’ mother, Thetis, persuaded Zeus to act on behalf of the Trojans to avenge Achilles’ loss of Briseis; hoping the war would end before her son could change his mind and return to fight.

Hera couldn’t stand her husbands interference, seduced Zeus and kept him “preoccupied”.

The battle turned in favor of the Greeks.

The Death of Patroclus Prince Hector was still an

obstacle. Home-field advantage was too

much for the Greeks to overcome.

Greeks were weary from 9 years of fighting to get back one man’s wife.

Even Agamemnon considered retreat.

Patroclus donned Achilles’ armor and went to battle King Hector. Hector swifty killed him thinking it was Achilles, stripped Patroclus of Achille’s armor to wear as a trophy.

The gods of Olympus returned into the heat of battle again.

•Athena felled Ares to the ground•Hera stole Artemis’ bow and beat Artemis with it•Poseidon provoked Apollo•Zeus sat back and laughed enjoying the sight of gods matched against gods.

The Wrath of Achilles Thetis brought Achilles

replacement armor forged by Hephaestus.

Achilles, with his new armor, was eager to rejoin the fight and avenge Patroclus.

Hector knew Achilles would be his undoing.

Hector fled from Achilles, who chased him around the Trojan city three times before Hector stopped to face him.

Hector begged a covenant that the victor honor the dead body of the defeated, even offering Achilles a reward.

•Achilles viciously attached Hector and exploited the weak points in his old armor.•King Priam requested the return of his son’s corpse for burial.•Achilles showed sympathy and returned Hector’s body to the aging King.

The Death of Achilles Achilles met his own doom. Achilles felt that victory was near,

but also knew his own death would be at hand.

Paris shot an arrow, guided by Apollo, directly into Achilles’ heel, killing the otherwise unstoppable Greek warrior.

Ajax took the body of Achilles back to the Greek camp while Odysseus and his men held the Trojans at bay.

In the Greek camp, the surviving warriors mourned the loss of Achilles and struggled to decide who would don his mighty Hephaestus-forged armor.

Odysseus and Ajax were selected as the most worthy candidates.

•Odysseus received the armor. Ajax, furious that the armor was not given to him, temporarily went mad, slaughtered a number of livestock, and beat a ram to death with his bare hands; in his delirious fury he believed the ram was Odysseus. •When Ajax returned to his right mind, he realized the shame he had brought on himself and chose to commit suicide.

The Death of Paris

Odysseus, eager to return to his wife and son, took matters into his own hands. Capturing a Trojan prophet, he held the man at knife’s point and demanded to know how to defeat the Trojans.

The prophet revealed that the Greeks would need Hercules’ bow if they were to secure victory. Odysseus took his men and traveled to find Philoctetes, the keeper of Hercules’ bow.

When they returned to the battlefield, Philoctetes used the bow to shoot Paris through the chest.

Frightened and dying, Paris cried out to Oenone, the nymph with whom he had been romantically involved prior to receiving his prize from Aphrodite. Oenone refused to heal Paris’ wound and he died. In her grief, Oenone then killed herself.

The Trojan Horse

THE END!

The Trojan War is a centerpiece of Greek mythology.

It is a story of lust, betrayal, courage, ingenuity, and perseverance that few stories can rival.

Everything either leads to it or stems from it. Every god, mortal, and beast we’ve heard about comes into play during or after the Trojan War in the two most famous Greek poems The Illiad and The Odyssey.