Greece Vs Troy: 5 Truths surrounding the Trojan War
During Greece and the Roman eras, wars were a means to show might, power, revolt, or a new system. The Trojan war is another example of how then humans reacted to gestures not pleasing to them.
The Trojan war is said to have been caused by the kidnap of a king’s wife, according to the history books. There are also undisputed varying accounts of this war and varying Trojan wars which were quite unpopular. The most written and heard one being the story of Greece waging war against the city of Troy due to the King’s wife.
Let us delve into 5 truths that were recorded about this historic moment
The Lady’s Kidnap caused the war
The war was triggered by the fact that the wife of Menelaus, the then king of Persia was kidnapped by the prince of Troy named Paris. The story centers around a golden apple given to the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite by the goddess of strife and discord, Eris. In the line Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris who judged Aphrodite to be the fairest of them all, thereby receiving the apple. This came with a price as Aphrodite made Helen, wife of Menelaus the most beautiful of all women to fall in love with Paris, who then took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen’s husband Menelaus, led a mission of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris’ insult.
The war was fought for a decade
According to the famous story recorded in history, the popular Trojan horse was brought into the city of Troy after a 10 years siege by the Greeks. The barricade, marked by battles and tussles including the storied deaths of the Trojan prince Hector and the nearly-invincible Achilles, lasted more than 10 years until the morning the Greek armies retreated from their camp, leaving a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. After much debate, the Trojans pulled the mysterious gift into the city. When night fell, the horse opened and a group of Greek warriors, led by Odysseus, climbed out and sacked the Troy from within.
The Greek heroes took almost 10 years to return home
It is great to note that after the decade long war and the Trojan defeat, it took the Greek warriors another decade to return home. Odysseus took 10 years to make the difficult and often-interrupted journey home to Ithaca recounted in the “Odyssey.” Helen, whose two successive Trojan husbands were killed during the war, returned to Sparta to reign with Menelaus.
Odysseus feigned madness to avoid the war
In order to avoid the war, it is recorded Odysseus who was one of the suitors of Helen feigned madness and sowed his fields with salt. Palamedes outsmarted him by placing his infant son in front of the plow’s path, and Odysseus turned aside, unwilling to kill his son, so revealing his sanity and forcing him to join the war.
The Achaeans did not know the way to the war front
The Greeks were collectively described as the Achaeans. It is recorded that when they left for the war, they did not know the way, and accidentally landed in Mysia, ruled by King Telephus, son of Heracles. The Achaean fleet then set sail and was scattered by a storm. Achilles landed in Scyros and married Deidamia.
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