Class Set

THE GODS WILL A WAR

(1)

King Priam of Troy explains the Trojan War in Homers epic poem The
Iliad. The ancient Greeks believed that all mens actions were willed by the gods,
and that they had no control over what happened in their own lives. Zeus, the
most powerful god, denied this claim and blamed the humans for their own
mistakes. Zeus says, How foolish men are! How unjustly they blame the gods!
It is their own lot to suffer because they bring it upon themselves. However, the
Greeks were convinced that all extraordinary events were of divine origin
including the Trojan War.

(2)

How did the gods cause the Trojan War? One day they were having a
wedding feast on Mount Olympus. Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited
because she was such a troublemaker. Upset at being left out, Eris decided that
she would show them what trouble really is. She threw a golden apple marked
For the Fairest down on the feasting gods knowing that there would be an
argument over who would win the title. All the goddesses claimed the honor, but
the choice was finally narrowed down to three Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena.

(3)

The three goddesses asked Zeus to choose between them, but he refused to
be put in that situation. Instead, he let Paris, a mortal man and the Prince of Troy,
decide because Paris was an excellent judge of beauty. Each goddess offered
Paris a bribe to pick her, but Aphrodites bribe was the most tempting. She
promised to give him the most beautiful woman in the world as a gift, and Paris
choice was made.

(4)

The judgment of Paris inevitably led to the Trojan War because the most
beautiful woman in the world, Helen, was already married to King Menelaus of
Sparta. Menelaus did not take it lightly when Paris stole Helen and took her off to
Troy. The king gathered all of the kings of Greece including his brother, King
Agamemnon, and a great army set out to get her back. The Greeks set 1000 ships
to sail towards Troy and bring their rightful queen back to Sparta.

(5)

That quarrel among the gods began the war among mortal men that
would last ten yearsthe Trojan War.

(6)

It was not the nature of the gods to be passive spectators once a war of
their own making had started. Even before the Greeks had beached their ships on
the shore facing the walled city of Troy, the gods had taken sides.

(7)

Aphrodite naturally favored Paris and the Trojans. Ares, the god of war,
had a crush on Aphrodite so he also took their side. Apollo, god of the sun,
admired King Priam of Troy, and he joined their team as well. The Trojans also
had the bravest of all Trojan warriors with them, Prince Hector, son of Priam.

Class Set
(8)

Hera and Athena were mad at Paris and chose to side with the Greeks.
Poseidon, god of the sea, also sided with the Greeks because they were great
sailors. The Greeks also had the secret weapon of Achilles. They considered him
godlike, and he was the greatest mortal Greek warrior.

(9)

What about Zeus? Zeus wanted to side with the Trojans but was too
scared of his wife, Hera. He decided that it would be best for him to not take
sides at all!

(10)
The most dramatic combat in The Iliad is the duel between the greatest of
mortal fighters, Achilles (Greeks) and Hector (Trojans). The gods forged the
magical armor and weapons that Achilles would use against Hector, and Athena
herself stood beside Achilles as he sought out the Trojan leader. For the first time,
Hector was scared and ran for his life. Athena, however, tricked him into
stopping by appearing as one of his brothers. Hector, feeling more confident with
a friend on his side, turned to fight Achilles. When he looked back for his
friend, he realized he had been tricked. A moment later, Achilles killed him.
(11)
The death of Hector did not end the Trojans fight. After almost ten years
of fighting, the Greeks were still unable to get through the gates of Troy. It was
obvious that they needed a better plan. A Greek warrior king, Odysseus, was
known for his wisdom, and he created a plan to trick the Trojans. Odysseus had a
huge wooden horse constructed, but kept it hollow inside. He and several of his
best fighters hid inside the hollow horse while the Greeks pretended to sail home.
(12)
Believing that the war was over and the horse was a gift offering to
Athena, the Trojans pulled it inside their city gates. Late that night, when all the
Trojans had fallen asleep after celebrating their victory, Odysseus and his men
climbed out of the horse and set fire to the city. By morning, the city of Troy was
in ruins, and the Greeks were victorious. Menelaus got his wife back and sailed
home safely to Sparta.
(13)
Odysseus was met with a far different fate. His arrogance about his
wisdom annoyed the gods and they set out to make his journey home a difficult
one. Odysseus was doomed to wander the seas and strange lands for another ten
years before he was able to return home to his wife, Penelope, and son,
Telemachus. His wanderings are told in Homers epic poem, The Odyssey.