The Golden Apple

It was the wedding-feast of King Peleus and the Sea-goddess, Thetis, and all the gods were invited, them, along with the other mortal guests, all except Eris, the goddess of discord. (After all, Thetis knew that wherever Eris went trouble followed, and who would have wanted such a disruption at such a joyful event as a wedding-feast?) But nothing got past Eris. She knew she was being excluded, and she was furious! So she came to the wedding, uninvited and unannounced, and threw a golden apple into the circle of guests. On the apple was inscribed the words: “For the fairest one”. Athena, Aphrodite and Hera, all claimed the golden fruit and fought over the prize, so Zeus chose Paris, Prince of Troy, to make the decision as to who was to get the apple. Hence, each goddess offered him a bribe: Athena promised him supreme wisdom, and Hera offered to give him great wealth and unlimited power. However it was Aphrodite who made him the most irresistible offer of them all, promising to give him the fairest mortal woman alive—Helen of Sparta. But there was one problem: Helen was already married to Menelaus, King of Sparta. Therefore, in order to keep her promise, Aphrodite seduced Helen with an arrow of love and helped Paris abduct her. It was then that the furious Menelaus asked for the help of his brother, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, and other fellow kings so that they, together, could redeem Helen and conquer one of the finest cities in the land. It was the start of a ten-year war.

Book 1: The Quarrel of Achilles and Agamemnon

Many years later, well into the war, the Achaeans, under King Agamemnon’s command was losing many of its comrades in battle. Apollo was furious at Agamemnon for dishonoring Chryses, a priest of Apollo, when he had come to the Achaean King with gifts aplenty to ask for the return of his daughter, Chryseis, and Agamemnon refused, wanting her as a mistress and seeing her as a prize of his after stealing her from the city of Troy. So distressed with being denied his beloved daughter, Chryses prayed to Apollo. Phoibos Apollo, hearing his priest’s prayer, brought a plague and more destruction to the Achaeans. Finally, after ten days passed, Achilles of the swift feet, Agamemnon’s greatest warrior, called a meeting of the people and questioned a prophet about the means of the Achaeans’ devastation. And the seer spoke, in fear, instructing Agamemnon to return Chryseis without accepting the ransom and lead a sacrificial offering to her father, Chryses—only then would the plague be removed from the Achaeans.

The king of Mycenae was furious at the seer for speaking such news, and he still refused to return the girl. Nonetheless, after arguing tirelessly with Achilles over the matter, he finally agreed to return Chryseis, but wanted compensation for his loss of booty. He ordered Odysseus to return Chryseis and in turn stole Achilles’ prize, Briseis. Dishonored and angered, Achilles sat by his ship, refusing to fight; and on the twelfth day of his strike, Thetis went to Zeus on Mount Olympus and requested that he, King of the gods, give the Trojans strength and help them win the war until her son’s honor was redeemed.

Book 18: The Arming of Achilles

For days on end, Achilles refused to fight and the Achaeans suffered. With the loss of their greatest warrior and the devastation that plagued them, they were trapped. Desperate, Agamemnon sent Aias and Odysseus to beg Achilles to return, offering him gifts and treasures aplenty, but Achilles refused. Upon this refusal, the Achaeans’ plight worsened and Achilles remained relentless. But hearing of the Achaeans’ desperate need, he finally agreed to allow his dear friend, Patroklos, to take his armor and fight. Disguised as Achilles, Patroklos pushed the Trojans back to the walls of Troy. However, Apollo interceded and helped the Trojan prince, Hektor, kill Patroklos. Hektor then took Achilles’ armor into his possession while a huge fight arose over Patroklos’ body. At the end of the brutal fight, the Achaeans obtained Patroklos’ body and performed the appropriate burial rites.

Hearing of his beloved companion’s death, Achilles was deeply saddened and mourned endlessly for his dear friend. Then the great goddess, Thetis, came to him, her son, and filled Achilles’ heart with courage. Achilles was now ready to fight and avenge his friend’s death. At that time, the great warrior also learned that after Hektor’s death, his own death would soon follow. With that, Thetis, goddess of the sea, went to Hephaistos and requested that he make a most beautiful armor to protect her son.

Book 22: The Death of Hektor

Armed in his new armor and filled with renewed courage and anger, Achilles returned to the battlefields of Troy. Meanwhile, Priam and Hekabe were trying desperately to convince their son, Hektor, to remain within the walls of Troy, safe from Achilles. Alas they failed. Hektor stayed outside the gates and waited and waited. When he finally saw the Achilles coming toward him, Achilles’ spear shaking above his shoulder, terror swept over the Trojan prince and he fled. Achilles raced with rage, chasing Hektor around and around the walls of Troy. And the gods looked down on them and counseled, trying to decide who should be the one to die. It was the fourth time that the two warriors had come racing around the side wall. Apollo had been keeping Hektor’s knees light, driving him forward, but Zeus balanced his golden scales and set two measures of death, one on each end. Hektor’s weight was heavier. It was done. It was decided. Apollo retreated and the gray-eyed Athena came swooping down, transforming herself into Deiphobos, Hektor’s brother. She stopped Hektor’s swift feet and convinced him to face up to Achilles in combat, telling him that he (Deiphobos) would indeed be there to help Hektor finish Achilles off. This deceiving act brought great courage to Hektor as he turned toward Achilles, declared his newfound spirit and fought. Eventually, Hektor realized that he was fighting alone and fought to his death.

After Hektor gasped his last breath, Achilles pulled the spear out from Hektor’s body, stripped him of his armor, stabbed a hole by the tendons in his ankles, threaded ox-hide through the holes, and tied the Trojan prince to the chariot letting his head drag. Achilles rose onto the chariot, and lifting the golden armor high, he started the horses running and dragged Hektor in a cloud of dust that trailed around the walls of Troy. Appalled, the people of Troy, and especially Hektor’s wife, father and mother, who loved him the most, looked down at Hektor’s lifeless body being dragged in the dust and mourned for the death of their most favored prince.

Book 24: Achilles and Priam

While the Trojans wept for Hektor, the Achaeans held funeral games for their beloved warrior, Patroklos, and were showered with joy, all of them that is, but Achilles. He would not eat, and his sleep was restless. Tossing and turning, he was plagued by his companion’s death. Every night Achilles would weep, and every day he would rise with the sun, tie Hektor to his chariot and drag him three times around Patroklos’ tomb. However, Apollo had pity on Hektor and protected his body from destruction. On the twelfth day, Phoibos Apollo spoke before the gods, convincing them that they should persuade Achilles to return the lifeless body. Thus, Zeus ordered Thetis to tell her son to return Hektor’s body to Priam. Then the king of the gods commanded Iris to tell Priam to offer gifts to Achilles and secure the release of his son.

Hermes was sent to guide the Trojan king and keep him safe from harm. When they reached the dwelling of Achilles, they found him sitting and dining with his fellow companions. Priam entered inconspicuously, knelt down by Achilles, took the warrior’s knees in his arms and kissed the hands that had caused blood to flow from his son. The two heroic men looked into each other’s eyes, each in marvel of the other, and finally the Trojan King spoke and humbly asked that Achilles take pity on him and return his son to him. Finishing his request, Priam huddled at Achilles’ feet and wept; and Achilles wept with him—for his own father and once again, for his dear friend Patroklos. Then the swift-footed warrior led the Trojan king to the side and ordered his serving-maids to wash Hektor’s body, anoint it with olive oil and cover him with a cloak and tunic. When this was done, Achilles himself helped to lift the body into a beautifully polished mule wagon and took his supper with Priam. The two enemies feasted on roasted meat, bread and wine, and when they had eaten to their heart’s content, they took pleasure in sleep—their first sweet sleep in many days.

The next morning Priam departed with his son’s body, and Achilles ordered a twelve-day truce so that the Trojans could perform the proper burial rites for their prince. The Trojans mourned over his body, each woman coming to pay her respects, and on the tenth day, they burned his body. When Dawn rose again the next day, they gathered up what remained of his lifeless body and placed it in a golden casket, and wrapping it with soft purple robes, they placed it in a hollow grave. After they had finished this task, they gathered at house of Priam and rejoiced with a glorious feast.

But that was not really “The End”. The war went on for many more months. As you probably know, it ended with the wooden horse—a gift to the Trojans—that concealed the hiding Achaean warriors, led by the command of Odysseus. There was a great slaughter within the walls of Troy, and when it was over, there was nothing but destruction. The Trojans were devastated; the Achaeans were victorious; and the woman with the face that launched the thousand ships ten years earlier was returned to her homeland.