Trojan War – 1st Backstory
Zeus & Leda – Zeus visited Leda,
Queen of Sparta, in the form of a
swan.
The result was two
eggs – one containing
Polydeuces (Pollux)
and Helen, the other
containing Castor and
Clytemnestra. Leda’s
four children.
Trojan War – Second Backstory
• All the Greek kings and princes wanted to marry
Helen
• When Menelaus was chosen, to prevent quarrels
after the fact, all the other suitors swore an
alliance to him—to defend his interests militarily.
• So Menelaus became king in Sparta.
• Menelaus’ brother, Agamemnon, married Helen’s
sister, Clytemnestra, and took her back with him
to Mycenae.
Trojan War – 3rd Backstory
Marriage of Peleus & Thetis
• Thetis, sea goddess, was destined to have a son greater
than his father, so Zeus (attracted to her) determined to
marry her to a mortal and chose Peleus
• A great wedding was held and all the gods and goddesses
were invited, but one—Eris, Goddess of Discord.
• Eris came anyway and tossed onto the table a golden apple
inscribed – “To the Fairest’
• Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera all three claimed it
• Zeus gave the decision to Paris, young Prince of Troy
• All three goddesses tried to bribe the judge – Hermes
oversaw the competition
• Paris selected Aphrodite and was granted Helen as prize
• Helen was the wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta
The Judgment of Paris
Judgment of
Paris
Paris then visited Sparta and Helen went back with him to Troy –
Abduction or seduction? Various views were advanced in antiquity.
• Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon, King of
Mycenae, collected Greek leaders for war, calling
on them to make good their oath to Menelaus.
• Troops assembled at Aulis – 2 big events there
(1) An omen of war’s length, interpreted by
Calchas as the war would be long and Troy would
fall in its 10th year.
(2) Agamemnon angered Artemis by killing
her deer. Artemis held up the winds for sailing
and Agamemnon was compelled to sacrifice his
daughter, Iphigenia, in order to get the fleet off.
Sacrifice of Iphigenia – Agamemnon at right; Clytemnestra, left.
• Greeks set sail: Agamemnon, Menelaus,
Achilles, Diomedes, Ajax the Greater,
Nestor, Odysseus, Ajax the Lesser,
Idomeneus, Philoctetes
• En route – Philoctetes was dumped on
Lemnos because of injury to his foot.
Philoctetes happened to own a magic bow
that had formerly belonged to Heracles
(Hercules).
Philoctetes, left with
his foot and his magic
bow.
Trojan History
King Dardanus
King Tros
Ilus
Ganymede
Laomedon
Priam + Hecuba
Hector, Paris, Helenus, Cassandra, Polyxena
Also, Aeneas and Sarpedon, plus Thracians,
Amazons, Ethiopians