Welcome to our walk through on Greek mythology. Read the chapters and learn more about this island and it's beginnings.

Troy

It is widely believed that the kidnapping of Helen by Paris started the Trojan war. In fact it started a little earlier when Zeus deciding that the worlds population had increased and in order to limit this, decided to start a number of wars.

The marriage of Peleus to the beautiful Nereid Thetis was the begining. The two great gods Zeus and Poseidon were both in love with Thetis, however Themis- the goddess of justice warned them that whoever married Thetis would produce a son who would become more powerful than himself. The two gods decided to marry off Thetis to Peleus, the king of Pelion and son of Ajax who ruled in Aegina.One night, Peleus went down to the seashore, where Thetis was playing with her friends and tried to possess her. Being a goddess , she began to transform herself, first into a snake, then a lion to escape him. He however held her tightly until she finally became his The wedding took place immedediately with all the gods invited to the ceremony. The only goddess not invited was Eris- the goddess of discord. Feeling insulted and in order to get her revenge she appeared at the feast bearing a golden apple for the most beautiful goddess present. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed the apple. Zeus set Paris, son of Priam king of Troy, as a judge and ordered Hermes to bring them to him. As soon as they arrived, they began to make promises: Hera promised power, and Aphrodite the most beautiful woman in the whole world- Helen.

As Paris found Helen to be the more inticing, he gave the apple to Aphrodite.Led by Aphrodite, Paris arrived in Sparta and was given hospitality by the king, Menelaos and his wife, the beautiful Helen. Aphrodite inflamed Helen with an amorous passion for the strangr, and when nine days later Menelaos had to go to Crete to attend the funeral of his grandfather, she did not hesitate and abandoned both her husband and daughter and left for Troy with Paris. Having heard of his wifes flight Menelaos returned to Sparta, he went to Mycenae and asked his brother Agamemnon to organize an expedition to bring Helen back.Agamemnon called all the leaders who ten years previously as suitors had put in a claim for Helen and had given their oath to Tyndareus that they would always defend her honour.At the suggestions of Nestor, king of Pylos and the seer Calchas, they also invited Odysseus and Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis. When all was ready the greek forces gathered at Aulis. There however Agamemnon, hunting in the sacred grove of Artemis, killing one of her deer. The goddess was so angry at this that she sent a dead calm, so that the ships could not sail. The seer Calchas revealed that in order to be able to leave they would have to sacrifice Iphigeneia, daughter of Agamemnon. Having no alternative Agamemnon commanded Clytemnestra to send his daughter to Aulis. When Agamemnon raised his sword to sacrifice Iphigeneia, Artemis sent him a dear instead and she took Iphigeneia in a cloud and brought her to Tauris where she made her a priestess. After the sacrifice, favourable winds permitted the greek ships to set off. On arrival at their destiation, Menelaos and Odysseus demanded that the Trojans return Helen and the treasure that Paris had taken from the palace. If this was done this is where the affair would end. This request was refused and so the war begun. For the first nine years little happened with the exception of some expeditions to neaghbouring cities and villages to secure provisions. There were some skirmishes with the Trojans. During this time Achilles killed Troilos the little son of Priam as he was collecting water with his sister Polyxena.

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