Helen of Troy:
The Story Behind the
Trojan War
Celebration on Mount
Olympus
The gods and goddess of Athens were
celebrating a wedding. It was a HUGE
celebration! Everybody who was
ANYBODY was invited…except Eris.
Eris
Eris is the goddess of discord;
she is known for her orneriness.
Why do you suppose that she was
left off the guest list?
Golden Apple of Discord
Eris showed up to the wedding
anyway—mad, mad, mad!
For a wedding present, she brought
one of her infamous golden apples.
On the apple, Eris wrote, “To the
fairest.”
The Squabble
Eris rolled the apple in front of the
three goddesses: Athena, Hera,
and Aphrodite. The three
goddesses fought over the apple,
each thinking that she was “the
fairest.”
Zeus
The three goddesses could not
resolve their fight without
help, so they turned to Zeus,
king of the gods to decide.
Paris
Zeus couldn’t take the
pressure and decided a
mortal man named Paris
would decide.
Judgment of Paris
Each of the goddesses tempted Paris
with a gift:
Hera—queen of the gods—offered Paris
power.
Athena—goddess of war—offered Paris
luck in battle.
Aphrodite—goddess of love—promised
Paris the most beautiful woman.
Big Decision
Paris chose the most
beautiful woman.
Which goddess did Paris
“choose”?
Helen
Helen was the most beautiful
woman. The problem? She was
married to King Menelaus of
Sparta.
Let’s Get Ready to
Rumble!
Paris decided he would kidnap
Helen from her husband and hide
her in the city of Troy. He believed
that Troy’s walls would keep
Helen with him forever.
Greece
Meanwhile…
In Ithaca, Odysseus and
Penelope had their first son—
Telemachus.
Odysseus celebrated his new
son’s birth.
To Arms!
That very same day, King Menelaus
arrived in Ithaca to rally Odysseus
and his troops for war against Troy.
Why did King Menelaus want to go to
war against Troy?
Trojan War
After 10 years of fighting, Odysseus
led the Greeks in building a large
wooden horse for the soldiers to hide
inside. Once inside the walls of Troy,
the Greeks burnt the city and ended
the war.
Happily Ever After?
King Menelaus and Helen were
reunited. Odysseus and his men
set off on a 10 year journey
home…The Odyssey