The Trojan War
The Real Troy
• 1260-1240 BC
• Troy was a real place,
off the coast of Turkey
• Excavated by
Heinrich Schliemann
• He used the writings of Homer to find the site
• “Priam’s Treasure” in 1873
Sources:
• Virgil
– Aeneid, 19 BC
• Homer
– Iliad, 710 BC
The Fall of the House of Troy
• King Priam and Queen Hecuba
• Son, Hector
• Daughter Cassandra
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Very beautiful
Caught the attention of Apollo
Offers her the gift of prophecy in exchange for romantic favors
She accepts the gift, but then spurns his love
The Fall of the House of Troy
• Apollo & Cassandra
– Apollo curses Cassie: allows her to keep the gift, but adds the
curse that nobody will believe her
– Most people considered her insane
Hecuba pregnant again
• Hecuba dreams that she gives birth to a flaming torch
• Cassandra predicts that the child will be the downfall of
Troy, and that he must be killed
What to do?
• The baby is born, named Paris
• Priam takes the child, gives him to a servant, and orders
that he be abandoned in the hills
• Paris is found and raised by shepherds, becomes
successful cattle farmer
The Spartans
• King Tyndareus & Queen Leda
– 2 sets of twins
• Castor & Clytemnestra
• Polydeuces (Pollux) & Helen
Helen
• Most beautiful mortal woman
• Many suitors from all over the world come to try and win
her hand
Some of the Suitors
• Agamemnon, King of Mycenae
– Oldest son of Atreus and Aerope
– Comes to represent his brother, Menelaus
– Marries Clytemnestra himself
– Ambitious and power hungry
• Lycomedes, King of Scyros
– Some say he pushed Theseus off the cliff
Some of the Suitors
• Odysseus, King of Ithaca
– Only suitor who did not bring lavish gifts
– Known for cleverness more than strength
• Ajax, son of Telamon
– Telamon, King of Aegina, and Periboea
• Was an Argonaut
• Brother of Peleus
Some of the Suitors
• Diomedes of Argos (not mares)
– Name means god-like cunning
– Advised by Zeus
• Idomeneus
– Cretan military commander
– Grandson of Minos, son of Cleopatra
Gee, thanks guys, but you really shouldn’t
have…
• Tyndareus worried they will fight over Helen, cannot
choose. Will not accept any of the gifts.
You saw this coming right?
• YES!! There was a PROPHECY!!
• Thetis, Goddess/Sea Nymph
• Zeus receives a prophecy that says an immortal son of
Thetis will overthrow Zeus
Shouldn’t he know better
by now?
• Zeus tries to defeat the prophesy
• Arranges a marriage between Thetis and Peleus
Peleus: The perfect groom
• Peleus (the Argonaut)
– Son of Aeacus, King of Aegina
– Friend of Hercules
– Brother of Telamon
Peleus: The perfect groom?
– Peleus and Telamon kill their brother, Phocus, in a hunting
accident
– They flee Aegina to avoid punishment
– In Phthia, Peleus is purified by King Eurytion and marries
princess Antigone
– Has a daughter, Polydora
Peleus: Not again…
• Peleus accidentally kills his father-in-law, Eurytion, in yet another
hunting accident
• He then flees Phthia to avoid punishment
• Goes to Iolcos, and is purified by Acastus
• So it’s all better, right?
More trouble…
• In Iolcos, Queen Astydameia falls in love with Peleus
• Peleus is faithful to his wife, Antigone, and refuses her
advances
A woman scorned…
• Astydameia sends a letter to Antigone (forged, from King
Acastus)
• Letter says that Peleus will marry the daughter of Acastus
• Antigone believes the lie and hangs herself
• Astydameia then tells Acastus that Peleus tried to rape her
He did what?
• Acastus takes Peleus on a hunting trip
• During the trip, Acastus hides Peleus’ sword, then
abandons him
• Peleus attacked by centaurs
• Sources differ - either Chiron or Hermes returns the sword,
and Peleus escapes
Revenge!
• Peleus returns to Iolcus, pillages the city, kills Acastus and
dismembers Astydameia, then marches his army between
the severed limbs
• The kingdom passed to Jason’s son, Thessalus
Let’s recap…
• Peleus’ crimes include
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Third degree murder
Attempting to elude an officer
Evading pursuit
Third degree murder
Attempting to elude an officer
Evading pursuit
First degree murder (royalty)
Atrocities/war crimes
Destruction of public and private property
Inciting riot
Back to the wedding…
• The bride is a goddess, and Zeus was the wedding
planner, so all of the gods and goddesses are invited
• …except one.
Eris cont.
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Really into golden apples
Rolled an apple in front of Herc
Whenever Herc struck it, the apple grew
Athena told him, fighting discord makes it grow, leave it
alone and it stays small
Eris / Discordia
• Goddess of strife, discord, contention, and rivalry
• Demon of strife and bloodshed, haunted battlefields,
delighted in human bloodshed
• Maleficent?
• Hermes was to stand guard and refuse her entry
Back to the wedding (again)
• When Eris is refused entry, she produces a golden apple
inscribed with the word kallisti - “to the fairest.” (Snow
White?)
• She rolls/tosses the apple in amongst the wedding party.
• Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all see it, each claiming it was
meant for her.
To the rescue…
• Zeus takes the apple and hurls it off Mt. Olympus. More on
this later.
The happy couple
• Thetis and Peleus are married. The first 6 pregnancies end
in death. The 7th child is called Achilles.
• Thetis wants him to become immortal. She rubs ambrosia
on his body and holds him over a fire, but Peleus stops
her.
Invincibility
• Option 1: Thetis kills a dragon, takes baby Achilles by the
heel, and dips him in dragon blood - Ach becomes
impenetrable to weapons
• Option 2: Thetis takes Ach by the heel and dips him in the
River Styx - same result
Discovery
• When Peleus finds out, Thetis is angered and flees to the
sea.
• Achilles is raised and trained by the Centaur Chiron (are
we really surprised?)
Back to Troy:
Choice or Chance?
• Version 1: Zeus throws the Apple off of Olympus, Paris
catches it by chance, and is thereby declared judge of “the
fairest”
• Version 2: Zeus deliberately chose Paris as judge due to
his fairness. (Recently chose Ares – in bull form – over his
own bull)
Decisions, decisions...
• The three goddesses bathe in the spring of Ida, and Paris
arrives for the judging
• Each of the goddesses attempts to bribe Paris
What's behind Door #1?
• Hera – I'll make you king of Europe and Asia (the known
world at that time)
• Athena – Wisdom and skill in war: you'll never lose a battle
• Aprhodite – I'll give you the most beautiful woman in the
world
Aph. had help
• Karis (Grace) – goddess of charm, beauty, nature, human
creativity, and fertility
• Aglaea (splendor)
• Euphrosyne (mirth)
• Thalia (good cheer)
• Known to Romans as Gratiae (graces)
And more help...
• The Horae – goddesses of seasons and time
• Originally nature, but became order and natural justice
• Given the attributes of spring flowers, fragrance, and
graceful freshness
Go claim your prize!
• Oh, by the way, she's already married, but that's okay!
Problem solved...
We left off with Paris receiving the promise of marriage to a
beautiful woman.
But since Tyndareus couldn't/wouldn't choose a suitor, how
did Menelaus get to be the lucky fella?
Odysseus, the clever one, offered to help Tyndareus in
exchange for the hand of Tyn's niece, Penelope.
The solution? Don't pick one yourself, have them draw
straws. The losers then vow to protect the groom.
Problem solved...
P.S. Achilles wasn't there when everyone made their
promise to protect the groom.
So Helen and Menelaus are to be married.
...but Paris wants his promised reward.
Problem solved...
Paris has also, by this time, returned to Troy.
When it was discovered that he had survived to adulthood
(raised by the chief herdsman), he is reinstated as a prince
of Troy.
Hector and Paris are sent to Sparta to attend the wedding as
emissaries of Troy.
But wait, Mr. Reynolds – you said yesterday that she was
already married?!? Are you a little confused?
Problem solved...
Okay, so she wasn't technically Mrs. Menelaus yet, but back
in those days, being betrothed, or what we call engaged,
was a legally binding as being husband and wife.
Once Menelaus drew the lucky straw, and Tyndareus
declared him the groom-to-be, that was it. She wasn't 100%
married yet, but she legally belonged to Menelaus, to the
point that a divorce would be required to break off the
engagement.
An unexpected guest...
So how did Paris win over fair Helen? As we talked about
yesterday, Aprhodite usually operated with a little help. At
the spring of Ida, the Graces helped her influence Paris.
This time, she has Eros (aka Cupid) do her dirty work.
At the moment (prior to the wedding) when Helen first saw
Paris, Eros fired one of his special arrows into Helen's chest,
and she falls in love with Paris.
An unexpected guest...
But, too little, too late. The wedding ceremony proceeds,
Helen becomes Mrs. Menelaus. Furthermore, Tyndareus
and Leda abdicate their thrones, and Menelaus and his new
bride become King and Queen of Sparta.
Honeymoon?
Well, why settle for one kingdom when you can have two,
right? Immediately following the wedding, Menelaus,
Agamemnon, and Tyndareus head off to Mycenae with plans
to reconquer it.
Ag's father had been deposed and killed, and they wanted
the kingdom back in the family.
Honeymoon?
While they are gone, Paris takes Helen back to Troy, the
location with which she is most commonly associated: Helen
of Sparta is now Helen of Troy
Somehow, Paris has convinced himself that nobody is going
to mind.