The Trojan War

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The Trojan War

• A look at The Iliad, Homers literary version
  of the events surrounding the Trojan War.

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The Apple of Discord

• Roots of the Trojan War- began at the marriage
  between Thetis and Peleus.
• Thetis a sea nymph and future mother of
  Achilles
• Peleus chosen for Thetis by the gods because
  they feared a prophecy that said her child would
  be greater than Cronus. He was a mortal man,
  therefore not as great a threat.

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• In attendance were mortals, gods, and goddesses
  however, the couple purposefully did not invite
  Eris, the goddess of discord, to the celebration.
  Angered and outraged, she came to the wedding
  anyway.
• Upon her arrival, Eris tossed a golden apple onto
  a banquet table and stated that it would belong
  to the fairest person in attendance.

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Three goddesses in attendance reached for the
apple at once!

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They were

• Hera
• Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
• Zeuss wife and sister
• Worshipped as goddess of marriage and birth
• Queen of the gods
• Sacred animal peacock (symbolic of her pride)

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Athena

• Perceived as a threat by Zeus. He swallowed her
  as an infant however, she was later born as a
  full-grown woman.
• Became Zeuss favorite daughter by his first
  wife, Metis
• Goddess of wisdom and arms
• Accompanied by the goddess of victory, Nike

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Aphrodite

• Zeuss supposed, adopted daughter
• Goddess of love (lust) and beauty
• Created from the removed genitals of Uranus at
  the hands of Cronus

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Who won out?

• All three goddesses appealed to Zeus for the
  apple.
• He knew better than to choose among them.
• He placed the decision on Paris, the prince of
  Troy and the most beautiful man alive.

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Fair Fight?

• Although the decision was supposed to be made
  without prejudice, all of the goddesses pled
  their cases to Paris and offered him a gift if
  they were the winner (chosen to be the fairest
  of them all).

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Hera

• Offered him power

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Athena

• Bribed him with wealth

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Aphrodite

• Promised him the love of the most beautiful woman
  in the world

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After a lengthy assessment, Paris chose Aphrodite.

• He was, in return, granted the hand of Helen, the
  wife of Menelaus of Sparta.
• Helen was known around the world for her beauty.
  Men fell instantly in love / lust with her.
• She was a mortal daughter of Zeus that had been
  created from the formers union with Leda, while
  in the form of a swan.

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The Theft

• Against the advice of his sister, Cassandra,
  Paris set off on a voyage to Sparta. When he
  arrived, he announced himself as an ambassador
  from Troy and was treated with great hospitality
  by the king, Menelaus.
• Shortly after receiving his visitor, the king had
  to attend a funeral in another land. Paris
  kidnapped Helen, along with a great deal of the
  countrys wealth.
• Oddly enough, the couple was married only a few
  days after returning to Troy.

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Whats a husband to do?

• Menelaus, angered by the indecency, gathered
  together Helens former suitors.
• Each one of these men had pledged an oath to her
  father, Tyndarecus, protect her before her
  husband was chosen.
• Odysseus, protagonist of The Odyssey, was among
  the men and went to Troy with Menelaus to demand
  Helens return. When they were denied, it became
  clear that war was the only means of resolve.

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Rallying the Troops

• Helen was indeed a beautiful woman in fact,
  there is a phrase associated with her. She was
  said to have had the face that launched a
  thousand ships.
• In addition to Odysseus, several other notable
  heroes went to seek her return including
  Achilles, Ajax, and Hercules.

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• After collecting a massive army, Menelaus chose
  Agamemnon to be the commanding general.
• All seemed to be well until one of the men killed
  a stag in the forest of the goddess, Diana.
• Highly angered and blaming Agamemnon, she vowed
  that she would not let the wind blow until a
  sacrifice was made.
• A seer named Calchas proclaimed that he must
  sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to calm the
  fury of the goddess.
• Seeing this was the only way to launch his ships,
  he agreed the young girl was executed on an
  alter. As her blood trickled on the alter, the
  wind began to blow.

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Lets Get Ready to Rumble!

• It took a long time for the army to finally land
  on the beaches of Troy.
• They might never have gotten there without the
  help of Telephus, who had been wounded by
  Achilles.
• The oracle at Delphi had prophesied that only the
  man who wounded him could heal him.
• Achilles agreed to heal Telephus in exchange for
  information about the whereabouts of Troy.

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An appeal to the king

• Once again, Menelaus went to Priam, king of Troy,
  and asked for Helens return.
• They were refused yet again.

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The Trojan War

• This event lasted for ten years.
• During this time, many lives were lost as the
  battling countries fought to see who should keep
  Helen.

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Notable Deaths

• Patroclus brother (rumored friend) of Achilles,
  killed by Hector (son of Priam and leader of the
  Trojan army).
• Hector killed by Achilles. His body was
  mutilated and dragged behind a chariot.
• Achilles killed by Paris after being shot in
  the ankle with an arrow. After his death,
  Odysseus and Ajax fought over his armor.
• Ajax went insane and killed himself after
  losing in combat to Odysseus.

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Toward the end of the war

• Odysseus came up with a plot to get inside Troy.
• He built an enormous horse and placed it outside
  the gates of the city.
• Inside of the horse, a squad of men were hidden.
• The Trojans, thinking this was a symbol of
  defeat, brought the structure inside the walls.
• It was said that Athena aided Odysseus in this
  plot because she was still angry that she had not
  been chosen to receive the golden apple.

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Conclusion of the War

• After Sinon helped the horse to enter the gates
  of Troy, the men inside waited until nightfall.
• As the Trojans slept, the Spartans climbed out of
  the structure and slew the sleeping citys
  populace.

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After the War

• Menelaus wanted to kill his wife, Helen, for
  her alleged infidelity however, he was charmed
  by her and allowed her to live.
• Odysseus set sail to return home to his wife and
  child, Telemachus. It is at this point that .

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• The Odyssey begins!