Historical Background The Trojan War was the conflict between Greece and Troy, made famous by Homer's Iliad. The legend depicted here is thought to have been based on an actual conflict of c1250 BC.

King Priam ruled the wealthy, fortified city of Troy. He was not only prosperous, but he had fifty or more children, and it seemed as if good fortune would bless him and his children for a long time to come. However, his wife, Hecuba, had a nightmare in which she gave birth to a deadly firebrand. The seers interpreted this to mean that her unborn child would destroy Troy and its inhabitants. When the infant was born it was exposed on Mount Ida, but a she-bear nursed it and it survived, growing up as a shepherd named Paris. 

High on Mount Olympus, three goddesses were arguing. Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera each wanted a beautiful golden apple bearing the words For the Fairest. Hera turned to her husband--Zeus, the most powerful god of all--and said, "Tell the others that I am the fairest." But Zeus knew that if he chose Hera, the other goddesses would be angry. So he said, "Go to Mount Ida, and let Paris make the judgment. He is as good a judge of beauty as anyone."

 Paris was tending his flocks when the three goddesses approached him. Each of them tried to win his favor by offering him special gifts. Hera offered him power as king of Asia and wealth. Athena promised him knowledge and strength. But Aphrodite promised him love. "The most beautiful woman on earth shall fall in love with you," she said. "All you have to do is say that I am the fairest goddess of all."

Paris made his decision--he chose Aphrodite as the fairest goddess. Then he waited for Aphrodite to fulfill her promise.  This decision was to cost him later, as both Hera and Athena vowed to destroy both him and Troy. The most beautiful woman in the world was Helen, the lovely queen of Sparta. Although Helen was already married to Menelaus, the Spartan king, Paris knew that Aphrodite could make anything happen. He went to Troy and established himself as a true prince, the legitimate son of Priam and Hecuba.

 Paris then went to Sparta to visit the king and queen. Menelaus greeted him warmly, for it was the custom to treat each guest like a close friend. But Aphrodite, the goddess of love, made Helen fall in love with Paris. As soon as Menelaus turned his back, Paris and Helen ran away together. They sailed across the Aegean Sea to the distant city of Troy. 

 Meanwhile, Paris's sister Cassandra was faced with trouble. Apollo had given her the gift of prophecy, but she angered him and he turned it into a curse. He made it so that no one would believe her. When Paris returned with Helen he stood before Priam to get his father's acceptance. Cassandra came into the room, immediately knowing all that would occur because of Paris. She tried to warn her family, but they would not believe her due to her curse, and locked her in a palace cell.

 Menelaus vowed to bring back his wife. He called on all the other Greek kings to join him in a great war against Troy. They all had been suitors to Helen, and had made a pledge to avenge any dishonor that might befall her future husband because of her. Soon, a mighty fleet left the shores of Greece and went off to the Trojan War, led by Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus. They never dreamed that ten long years later they would still be fighting the same war.

 Some Greek heroes tried to get out of going to Troy. An oracle told Odysseus that he would be twenty years from home if he went, so he acted as if he were crazy. He was found out and forced to go. The greatest hero of the Greeks, Achilles, was hidden in the dress of a woman by his mother, the goddess Thetis. She was told that if he went to Troy, he would have a short but glorious life. She had dipped him in the River Styx at birth, causing him to become immortal everywhere but in his heel, where she had held him. However, Odysseus discovered Achilles through a trick, and he was also forced to go.

 On the way to Troy, the Greeks encountered unfavorable winds. It was declared that the goddess Artemis wanted the sacrifice of a young woman. Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia was chosen and sent for under the notion that she would marry Achilles. When she arrived, however, she willingly allowed herself to be sacrificed for the Greek cause. Some say, though, that Artemis put a deer in her place and carried her off to the land of the Taurians. In any case, the Greek expedition was able to reach Troy.

 The great city of Troy was surrounded by a mighty wall. No matter what the Greeks did, they could not get inside. They set up a huge camp between the city and the sea. For nine years, the Greeks battled the Trojans. First one side seemed to be winning, and then the other side seemed to have the upper hand. Then the luck would change again.

 The gods took part in the war as well, affecting the outcome of various battles. Apollo, Artemis, Ares, and Aphrodite sided with the Trojans; while Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, and Hephaestus aided the Greeks. Zeus might interfere on occasion, but he stayed neutral for the most part.

 In the tenth year of the war, the Greeks and Trojans lost their greatest warriors. Hector, who was the brother of Paris, was killed by Achilles. Then Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, was killed by Paris. Paris, in turn, was killed--but neither side could claim victory.

 The Greeks were more determined than ever to destroy Troy. "There must be some way we can get inside the city gates," said Odysseus. Odysseus was the King of Ithaca, and one of the cleverest men in all of Greece. "We must build a wooden horse," he decided. "It must be large enough for our greatest warriors to hide inside."

 The work was begun at once. A huge platform was made, on which the horse would stand. Then a skilled woodcarver began shaping the horse's head and neck as well as its feet and legs. From the distant walls of Troy, the Trojans could not see what was going on in the Greek camp.

 Twenty of the best Greek warriors were chosen. Among them were Menelaus and the crafty Odysseus. If they failed, they would be killed by the Trojans. But if they succeeded, Troy would be burned to the ground. That night, the twenty men hid inside the horse. The trap door was closed tightly behind them.

 The rest of the Greek army broke camp and set sail in their ships. As the sun rose, the Trojans looked out across the battlefield. Clearly, it seemed that the Greeks had given up. They had deserted their camp and left for home. Even now, their sails could be seen disappearing over the distant horizon. 

 On the plains outside Troy stood the mighty wooden horse. Was it a peace offering from the defeated Greeks? Or was it a secret weapon that would break through the gates? "This must be a trick of some kind," said an old Trojan priest. "I do not trust the Greeks when they leave gifts."

 But the people began to celebrate what seemed to be a Trojan victory. They threw open the gates and rushed outside, rejoicing. The long bitter war had finally ended! The people explored the ruins of the Greek camp, and they gathered around the huge wooden horse.

 "Get back!" cried the old priest. "Can't you see that this is a trick?" Then some of the people said, "Perhaps the old priest is right." Others cried, "No! If this is a peace offering from the Greeks, we should bring it inside." But someone else shouted, "Let's burn it to ashes right where it stands!"

 The twenty Greek soldiers knew what would happen if the horse were to be set on fire, but they could hear more and more Trojans saying, "Bring the horse inside!" Suddenly there was a hollow sound. The old priest had hurled a spear at the side of the horse. "Did you hear that?" he cried. "The horse is hollow inside!"

 But Odysseus had thought of everything. At that very moment, a Greek soldier stumbled forth, his hands tied behind him. "Take pity on me," he cried. "My own countrymen tried to kill me before they set sail, but I escaped. They planned to offer me as a sacrifice to the gods--to guarantee themselves a speedy journey home." The Trojans saw his tears, and they believed his story.

 Then the soldier told them about the wooden horse. "It is a tribute to the goddess Athena," he said. "Odysseus hoped you would burn it, for that would bring Athena's anger down upon your city. He purposely made the horse too big to pull it through the gates of Troy. He feared that if you took it inside the city walls, Athena would smile upon Troy instead of Greece."

 "It is a trick!" cried the old priest. "Do not listen to those lies." But as he spoke, two huge and terrible serpents came out of the sea. They slithered up onto the beach and headed straight toward the old priest. Then they coiled themselves around the old man, squeezing the life out of him. "This must be a warning from the gods," cried the Trojans. "If we destroy the horse, as the priest wanted us to do, our fate will be the same as his!" Then they set about the difficult task of getting the huge wooden horse into the city. They had to take down part of the wall to do it. Then they dragged the horse inside and rebuilt the wall. A huge victory celebration was held. The Trojans had survived ten long years of battle against the mighty Greeks. Now was a time for feasting and merriment. Sentries were no longer needed at the top of the city walls or along the shoreline. So they joined the celebration.

 It was late at night when the Trojans finally went to sleep. Then the Greek soldier went to the wooden horse and opened the secret trap door. Out slipped the Greek warriors who had been hiding inside. Odysseus was first, followed by Menelaus and the others. Their helmets and shields reflected the soft glow of the moonlight.

 Odysseus unlocked the gates of Troy and opened them wide. There stood the rest of the Greek warriors. Their eyes reflected the fire of the torches they held. The entire fleet had returned after dark and had silently come ashore again. Now they poured in through the open gates--the gates that had kept them out for ten years.

 They ran in every direction, setting buildings ablaze. The sleepy Trojans awoke from peaceful dreams and found themselves in a fiery nightmare. Everywhere they looked, the city was burning. 
Greek warriors swarmed through the streets. Along the top of the Trojan wall were the shadows of still more Greeks.

 The Trojans scrambled about, searching for helmets, shields, and swords. Some of them were cut down before they could arm themselves. Others managed to find spears or knives, and they did their best to defend themselves. But there was no time to form a plan a battle. The Greeks swept through the city.

 King Priam and Queen Hecuba knew that there was no hope or saving their city. They fled to the temple of Zeus, in the inner courtyard of their palace. But the Greeks broke down the front door and quickly surrounded them. Priam was killed, and Hecuba was taken captive.

 And what of the lovely Helen, for whom the Trojan War had been fought--the face that launched a thousand ships? She, too, was led out of the city by Aphrodite--the very goddess who had made her go away with Paris so many years ago. Now she was reunited with her husband, Menelaus. Together, they set sail for their distant homeland of Sparta.