The Trojan War took place because of the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta, by the Trojan prince Paris, triggering a long series of events and conflicts between the Greeks and the Trojans.
It all starts at the famous wedding of Peleus and Thetis, where all the gods of Olympus are invited except for Eris, the goddess of discord (no wonder, she brought a bad vibe!). Offended, she throws a golden apple marked "To the fairest" right in the middle of the celebration. Naturally, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite start to quarrel, convinced that the apple belongs to them by default. Zeus, not wanting to get involved, wisely refuses to pick a side (like he was going to risk upsetting these ladies...) and passes the hot potato to the Trojan prince Paris. Each goddess then tries to bribe young Paris to win the prize. But Aphrodite hits the jackpot: she promises him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, queen of Sparta and wife of Menelaus. Deal made, apple for Aphrodite, and trouble for everyone else!
It all begins with a fierce romantic rivalry between three goddesses: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. During a beauty contest, the Trojan prince Paris is chosen as the judge. To influence his choice, Aphrodite promises him the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen, who is already married to Menelaus, king of Sparta.
Paris accepts Aphrodite's offer, declares her the winner, and goes to Sparta. There, he falls directly in love with Helen (some say he abducts her by force, while others claim she willingly follows him). The humiliation is terrible for Menelaus, who sees this not only as a betrayal but especially as a huge public disgrace.
To avenge the insult, Menelaus mobilizes all his Greek allies, thus launching the famous Trojan War. Behind this love drama, what is really at stake is a matter of wounded honor, divine promises, and bruised egos.
At that time, ancient Greece was not a united country like it is today, but rather a collection of independent city-states, each with its own king and ambitions. Naturally, this kind of organization often leads to alliances and behind-the-scenes machinations. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, wanted to expand his influence; so when his brother Menelaus, king of Sparta, found himself humiliated by the abduction of Helen, it was a perfect opportunity to assert his authority. Each king had his own commitments: some, out of loyalty, were obliged to follow; others, out of self-interest, hoped to profit from the impending battle. As a result, a simple love affair quickly transformed into a full-blown war involving nearly all of ancient Greece.
The Olympian gods clearly had their say in the story of the Trojan War. It all begins during the famous episode of the golden apple, where the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite compete to see who is the most beautiful. By choosing Aphrodite, the prince Paris wins the love of the beautiful Helen, but he also attracts the wrath of Hera and Athena. As a result, the latter clearly take sides against Troy, constantly influencing events in favor of the Greeks. The war then becomes a sort of celestial battle, with each deity maneuvering discreetly or openly in favor of their chosen camp. Zeus himself plays a double game, mainly seeking to maintain balance to respect the already predetermined fate. Without these divine interventions, the conflict would undoubtedly have turned out very differently or might not have happened at all.
The drop of water is when the Trojan prince Paris casually heads back to Troy with Helen, wife of Menelaus, the Spartan king. Immediately, Menelaus sees red, rallies his brother Agamemnon, and together they assemble a large Greek army to avenge the insult. But gathering all these people is far from simple: Odysseus is hesitant to come, while Achilles is also dragging his feet (he had been warned that it would end badly for him over there). Once the team is complete at Aulis, stuck by the calm seas, they resort to sacrificing Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, to get the winds back to work. It works, but the atmosphere is tense. Ultimately, the Greeks land on the shores of Troy, ready for a war that will last ten years.
The Trojan War, famous in the collective imagination for its symbolic significance, is said to have lasted ten long years. However, the core of the narrative we know today mainly covers the final weeks of the siege.
Homer, the famous Greek author of the Iliad, which recounts the Trojan War, was likely blind. Yet, his work is one of the foundational texts of Western literature.
The famous trick of the Trojan Horse, which ultimately led to the capture of the city, is only briefly mentioned in the Iliad. Its detailed account is mainly found in the Odyssey, another work attributed to Homer.
According to some versions of the myth, Helen of Troy never actually reached the city of Troy: the gods supposedly substituted a phantom in her place, while the real Helen remained hidden in Egypt throughout the entire war.
In Greek mythology, the gods often had personal interests, rivalries, or favorites among humans. For example, Aphrodite protected Paris because of his judgment in her favor, Athena favored the Greeks because Paris had rejected her, and Hera also supported the Greeks out of vengeance and rivalry against Aphrodite. These divine interactions illustrate the complex relationship that the ancient Greeks had with the wills of the gods.
Historically, it is difficult to assert with certainty that the Trojan War occurred exactly as described by Homer. However, many historians believe that real events may have inspired Homer's epic, particularly the discovery of archaeological ruins at the presumed site of Troy, located in present-day Turkey.
The Trojan Horse, according to mythological accounts, was a gigantic wooden horse, presented as a trapped gift to the inhabitants of Troy by the Greeks. This ruse is said to have allowed the Greeks to enter the city and take it by surprise. Today, historians regard the horse primarily as a metaphor for strategic deception rather than as a verified historical event.
Among the most famous heroes are, on the Greek side, Achilles, Odysseus, Agamemnon, and Ajax; on the Trojan side, Hector, Paris, Aeneas, and Priam. These heroes have become symbols of bravery, tragedy, and the sometimes fatal destinies tied to human conflicts orchestrated by the gods.
According to Homer's Iliad, the war lasted ten years, with a prolonged siege. This figure of ten years is symbolic and generally reflects the idea of a long and exhausting conflict rather than a precisely documented historical reality.
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