Phraseologisms play an important role in the modern language, since they allow us to convey the meaning of a sentence in a more vivid metaphorical language. For example, many have heard such a phrase as a Trojan horse. The meaning of phraseologism is far from clear to everyone, since the sources of its meaning still lie in myth.
The historical roots of the modern language
As you know, most aphorisms have historical roots. Something is connected with mythology, something with history, but in any case, it is absolutely necessary to know your roots and the roots of your language. This allows you to see the modern language through the past, due to which its enrichment takes place. So, the expression "Trojan horse" came to us from the era of the Trojan War.
Troy: causes of strife between Trojans and Greeks
History trojan horse full of mysteries, and to understand it, you need to talk a little about the city of Troy itself. Folk legend says that the future war for the city broke out from the conflict between Paris and Menelaus over the beautiful Elena, who was the wife of the latter. According to legend, Paris seduced her, and she decided to sail away with him. Menelaus regarded such an act as abduction and decided that this was sufficient reason to declare war. However, Troy was well and reliably fortified, so the Greeks did not succeed in capturing the city for a long time. They, however, limited themselves to devastating the surroundings and undertaking hikes to nearby cities. According to legend, the Greeks wanted to take possession of Troy, but could not cope with physical forces. Then an interesting thought comes to Odysseus: he proposed to build a huge wooden horse.
The Odyssey Trick
The legend says that the Trojans watched with considerable surprise how the Greeks erected a wooden horse. The Greeks wrote the story that a Trojan horse created by them could protect the city from Greek raids. That is why today the catch phrase “Trojan horse” means a gift, a gift that was presented with the purpose of deception. But the Trojans believed in this story and even wanted to introduce the horse into the city. But there were opponents of this decision, who called to throw the structure into the water or burn it. However, soon a priest appeared in the city, who said that the Greeks created a horse in honor of the goddess Athena to atone for the sin of many years of bloodshed. Allegedly after that, two snakes crawled out of the sea, which strangled the priest and his sons. The Trojans considered that all these events were omens from above, and decided to drive the horse into the city.
The beginning of the fall of Troy
According to archaeological and historical evidence, a Trojan horse actually existed. The meaning of phraseologism, however, cannot be understood unless one ponders the essence of the legend. So, the horse was brought into the city. And on the night after this hasty decision, Sinon released from the horse cavity the hidden warriors who quickly killed the sleeping guards and opened the city gates. The people who slept soundly after the festivities did not even show resistance. Several Trojans broke into the palace to save the king. But the giant Neoptolem was still able to smash the front door with an ax and killed King Priam. Thus ended the great story of the great Troy.
Until now, they have not determined how many soldiers were in the Trojan horse. Some sources say that 50 people were hiding there, while others talk about 20-23 soldiers. But the essence does not change from this: a well-thought-out horse-shaped design simply did not raise any doubts among the Trojans, which caused their death. Now it is generally accepted that the myth of the Trojan horse is an allegory of military cunning, which was once used by the Achaeans.
Symbols and allegories
It is noteworthy, but the horse as a creature from ancient times is a symbol of birth and death. So, the Achaeans created their horse from spruce branches, while the cavity of the structure remained empty. Many researchers agree that this is a symbol of the birth of a new one. That is, it turned out that the Trojan horse brought death to the defenders of the city and at the same time became a symbol of the birth of something new for many peoples.
By the way, around the same time in the Mediterranean there are events that are very important for history. The great migration of peoples began when various tribes — Dorians, barbarians — moved to the Balkans from the northern countries. This is what led to the destruction of the ancient Mycenaean civilization. Greece will be able to revive after several centuries, while the destruction that fell on this state was so widespread that the whole Dodorian history simply remained in the legends.
What does a trojan horse mean ?
Today, very often we use such phraseology as the Trojan horse. This winged expression has long been a household word. So we call some gifts that are presented in order to deceive or destroy. Many researchers have wondered why it was the horse that caused Troy to crash. But one thing can be noted: the Achaeans knew how to interest the Trojans. They understood that in order to lift the siege from the city, it was necessary to surprise the locals with something special, so that they would trust and open the gates.
Of course, the presentation of the Trojan horse as a gift from the gods played a decisive role, since in those days neglecting the sacred gift was considered an insult to the deity. And, as you know, joking with angry gods is very, very dangerous. It so happened that a competent inscription on a wooden statue (recall, on the side of the horse it was written that it was a gift from the goddess Athena) led to the Trojans having to take this dubious gift to their city.
Treasure of Troy
So, the Trojan horse (we have already described the meaning of phraseology) has become the main cause of the collapse of the Trojan kingdom. It is known from history that Troy was famous for its horses, it was in this city that merchants from all over the world gathered, it was on this city that raids were most often carried out. For example, one legend says that the Trojan king Dardan owned a herd of magnificent horses that descended from the god of the north wind Borea. Anyway, the horse has always been considered the animal closest to humans: it was taken to war, it was used in agricultural labor. Therefore, the appearance of horses in front of the city gate of Troy was precisely the locals could not but evaluate as a gift from the gods. Thus, not knowing what a Trojan horse is, the meaning of phraseology is not so easy to understand.
And therefore it is not at all accidental that Troy, who had been defending for 10 years, fell precisely because of the horse. Of course, the Achaeans’s cunning was also to blame, who were able to find a weak spot and chose a peculiar magic carrier in the person of a wooden horse for this. It is noteworthy that according to archaeological data, Troy was just a small fortress. But at the same time, whole armies of hundreds of ships were sent to capture her.
Modern interpretation
Today, this concept in a figurative sense denotes a malicious program that is distributed by people themselves. Moreover, the virus got its name in honor of the mythological Trojan horse, since most virus programs act in a similar way: they disguise themselves as harmless and even useful programs and applications that the user runs on his computer. Despite the simplicity of the virus, its complexity lies in the fact that it is difficult to recognize its purpose in it. For example, the most primitive modifications can erase the entire contents of the disk at boot, and some programs can integrate into certain applications on the PC.