The wedding

Great joys that day up in Pelion, in the cave of Chiron. They were all gathered together and watching the marriage of Thetida, daughter of the sea god Nereus, to Peleus, king of Phthia.

The gods admired Peleus' bravery and care and that is why they gave him a goddess as his wife.

The guests

The gods also came to the wedding with precious gifts: Poseidon gave the groom two immortal horses. Hera brought the bride the veil. Athena brought the bride a flute, Aphrodite a golden cup, the other gods a suit of armour and Chiron a staff.

The gods feasted nicely with the humans all night long. Apollo played his lyre, the Muses danced; Hermes and Mars joined in the dance. Everybody was happy

Who was not invited

However, a goddess was not invited, because no one wanted her, and even at a wedding. This goddess was Eris, and wherever she went she made people fight.

What did he do?

So she got angry and went to the Garden of Hesperides, where she took an apple. On it she wrote "to the fairest" and then she went to the wedding and in a manner left it on the table and left.

Apple claim

As soon as the goddesses saw the apple, they all wanted to take it. But when they saw what it said, the others withdrew, leaving only Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. That's when the fight started. Each of the three wanted the apple for herself and none of them backed down.

As soon as the goddesses saw the apple, they all wanted to take it. But when they saw what it said, the others withdrew, leaving only Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. That's when the fight started. Each of the three wanted the apple for herself and none of them backed down.

Paris

So to get away with it, he tells them:

- 'Go down to that mountain of Troy, where a shepherd boy, Paris, sits in the shade and plays his flute. Go there and put the judge there.

He gives the apple to Hermes and soon all four of them appear before Paris. Hermes goes forward and gives him the apple, telling him to give it to the prettiest one.

The promise of Hera

Dazzled, Paris looks at them and doesn't know who to give it to. Then Hera approaches him and says:

- If you give it to me, I'll make you the richest king in the world.

The promise of Athena

Then Athena approaches him and says:

- If you give it to me, I will make you the wisest man and the best craftsman in the world, and so you will be glorified.

The promise of Aphrodite (Venus)

Finally, Aphrodite says to him:

- If you give me the apple, I'll give you the five-faced one for your wife.

The decision of Paris

And Paris, dazzled by the beauty and promise of Aphrodite, gave the apple to her.

The dream of Hecuba

In rich Troy, Priam was king and his wife was Hecuba. When their second child was born, Hecuba had a bad dream: that Troy was on fire and burning. The king and queen were frightened and asked the oracle what the dream meant. "The child born will one day burn Troy," he answered.

The baby Paris in Ida

Sadly, Priam and Hecuba gave the child to a slave to take it and leave it on Mount Ida, to be lost. The baby was crying when the slave left him in the forest. A bear heard it, took it to its den and raised it with its milk.

Paris the shepherd

When it began to run, the shepherds of Priam saw it one day and caught it. They raised him as their own child and named him Paris. He was a strong and beautiful child and quickly learned to talk and fight. So Paris became a shepherd in his father's flocks, unbeknownst to Priam. He was the shepherd who judged the three goddesses.

Games in Troy

Years have passed since then. Hecuba wept for her lost child, and Priam, to make her happy, ordered that the palace should be used for games. The prize to the winner would be his best bull.

But this bull happened to be in Paris' herd. And when they came to take him away, Paris was very sad, because he loved him more than all the others.

Paris in the games

So he decided to go and fight him too, to see if he could beat him. Paris won the races and was about to take the beautiful bull. Then the royal children, who had been beaten by a shepherd, were angry and rushed to kill him. Then Cassandra, the daughter of Priam, who was a fortune-teller, met her brother and gave a loud cry.

- Priame, they're killing your son!

This is how his family recognized Paris, embraced him in their arms and everyone forgot the old oracle.

Paris - Aphrodite

Paris lived a few years in the palace and one day Aphrodite and the other two goddesses mentioned above appeared before him.

Which one was the prettiest?

The other goddesses were angry and left. Then Aphrodite says to him:

- Paris, the most beautiful woman, the five-legged one, is Helen, the queen of Sparta. You go there and I'll help you get her.

In Sparta

Paris went down to Troy, took a boat, took companions and set off for Greece. He crossed the Aegean Sea and the islands, and one day he landed in a port in Laconia. He left his companions there and set out for the palace alone. Menelaus welcomed him and invited him to dine with him.

Menelaus leaves

The next day Menelaos left for Crete. He had to discuss with King Idomeneus. But before he left, he instructed his wife to take care of the stranger for as many days as he would stay in Sparta.

Eleni is dazzled by Paris

It happened to be the feast of Aphrodite and Helen invited Paris to go to the temple to worship the goddess. That's what Paris wanted too. There as they prayed, the goddess Aphrodite made Helen dazzled by Paris' beauty. Paris realized this and told her to take her with him to Troy and marry her. And she accepted.