Homeric Epic. The Iliad (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Homer (Ancient Greece)
Publisher:
Publish Date: Not available
Features: The Iliad narrates a war between the ancient Greeks and the Trojans. The Trojans lived in the northwest corner of Asia Minor, and according to mythology, the cause of the war was attributed to a dispute among the gods, which then involved mortals. It is said that the chief god Zeus learned from Prometheus that if he married the goddess Thetis, their child would overthrow his rule. To preserve his position, Zeus decided to marry Thetis to a mortal. During the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, the goddess of discord, Eris, who was not invited, took revenge by throwing a golden apple inscribed with "For the Fairest Goddess" into the banquet. This sparked a dispute among the queen Hera, the goddess of wisdom Athena, and the goddess of love Aphrodite. Zeus had the three goddesses seek judgment from Paris, the prince of Troy. Paris was abandoned by his father King Priam in the Ida Mountains at birth due to an unusual omen, and he grew up herding in the mountains. The three goddesses offered Paris power, martial prowess, and beauty, but Paris awarded the title of the fairest to Aphrodite. On one occasion, Paris visited Greece as a guest and, with the help of Aphrodite, abducted Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and the most beautiful woman in the world, back to Troy. The Greeks, failing to reach a peaceful resolution with the Trojans, assembled an alliance under the command of Menelaus's brother, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, including renowned Greek heroes such as Achilles, the son of Thetis and Peleus, and marched on Troy, thus beginning the Trojan War.