In ancient Greek mythology, the myths of the Trojan cycle occupy a special place. The modern world knows about these stories mainly due to Homer's epos "Iliad". However, even before him in the folklore of this ancient culture there were plots telling about the Trojan War. As befits a myth, this story received a large number of characters related to religion and the gods.
Sources
The events of the Trojan War, archaeologists and historians date back to the XII century BC. Before the ancient city was discovered by the German expedition of Heinrich Schliemann, it was also considered a legend. Researchers in their search relied not only on the Iliad, but also on Cyprus. This collection narrated not only about Troy, but also about the immediate cause of the war.
Apple of discord
The inhabitants of Olympus gathered at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. They called everyone except Eris. She was the goddess of chaos and contention. She could not bear such a grudge and threw a golden apple on the festive table , which grew in the forest of the Hesperides nymphs.
On the fruit was a distinctive inscription "The most beautiful." Myths of the Trojan cycle claim that because of him, a dispute began between the three goddesses - Aphrodite, Hero and Athena. It is precisely because of this plot that the phraseologism “apple of discord” has entrenched itself in many languages of the world.
The goddesses asked Zeus to resolve their dispute and name the most beautiful. However, he did not dare to give the name, because he wanted to say that it was Aphrodite, while Athena was his daughter, and Hera was his wife. Therefore, Zeus suggested making a choice to Paris. This was the son of the ruler of Troy Priam. He chose Aphrodite because she promised him the love of the woman that he wishes.
Treachery of Paris
Endowed with charms, Paris arrived in Sparta, where he stayed in the royal palace. He conquered Elena - the wife of King Menelaus, who at that moment departed for Crete. Paris fled with her to her home, while taking gold from the local treasury. Myths of the Trojan cycle narrate that such treachery unified the Greeks who decided to declare the Three War.
There were many legendary warriors in the Hellenic army. Agamemnon was recognized as the head of the army. Menelaus himself, Achilles, Odysseus, Philoctetus, Nestor, Palamed, etc. were also there. Many of them were heroes — that is, children of gods and mortals. For example, this was Achilles. He was the perfect warrior without flaws. His only weak spot was the heel. The reason for this was that his mother - Thetis - held the baby by the foot when she lowered him into the furnace of the god Hephaestus in order to endow the child with inhuman strength. From here came the expression "Achilles' heel," meaning the only vulnerability.
Long siege
In total, the Greek army had about one hundred thousand soldiers and thousands of ships. They sailed from Boeotia by sea. After a successful landing, the Greeks offered the Trojans peaceful negotiations. Their condition was the extradition of Elena the Beautiful. However, the inhabitants of Troy refused this offer.
Hector was considered their commander in chief - the son of Priam and the brother of Paris. He led the army half as much as the Achaeans. But on his side were powerful fortress walls, which no one had managed to take or destroy. Therefore, the Greeks had no choice but to begin a long siege. At the same time, Achilles with a part of the army robbed the neighboring Asian cities. However, Troy did not give up, and exactly nine years passed in a futile siege and blockade. The daughters of Aniya Enotrofa helped the Greeks to receive food in a foreign land. They turned the earth into cereals, oil and wine, according to what the myths of ancient Greece tell. The Trojan cycle tells little of a long siege. For example, Homer devotes his Iliad to the last, 41st day of the war.
The Curse of Apollo
The Greek army often took prisoners who found themselves outside of Troy. So, the daughter of Chris, one of the Apollo priests, fell into captivity. He arrived at the enemy camp, begging to return the girl to him. In response, he received gross ridicule and denial. Then the priest in a fit of hatred asked Apollo for a fair revenge on the fanatic. God sent a pestilence to the army, which began to mow one soldier after another.
The Trojans, having learned of this misfortune of the enemy, left the city and prepared to give battle to the weakened army. At the last moment, diplomats on both sides agree that the conflict should be resolved by a full-time duel between Menelaus and Paris, whose act caused the war. The Troyan prince was defeated, after which the contract was finally to be executed.
However, at the most crucial moment, one of the besieged soldiers fired an arrow into the Greek camp. The first open battle ensued under the walls of the city. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece narrate in detail about this event. The Trojan cycle includes the death of many heroes. For example, Agenor (the son of Elder Troy) killed Elefenor (king of Evbia).
The first day of the battle led the Greeks to be driven back to their camp. At night they surrounded him with a moat and prepared for defense. Both sides betrayed their dead. The battle continued in the following days, as described by the Trojan cycle of myths. The summary is as follows: the besieged under the leadership of Hector manages to destroy the gates of the Greek camp, while part of the Greeks, together with Odysseus, goes into reconnaissance. Soon the attackers were knocked out of the camp, but the Achaeans' losses were great.
The death of Patroclus
All this time, Achilles did not participate in the battles due to the fact that he had a fight with Agamemnon. He remained on the ship with his pet Patroclus. When the Trojans began to burn the ships, the young man persuaded Achilles to let him go to fight the enemy. Patroclus even received the weapons and armor of the legendary warrior. The Trojans, mistaking him for Achilles, in horror began to run back to the city. Many of them fell from the sword in the hands of a satellite of the Greek hero. But Hector was not weak in spirit. Calling for the help of the god Apollo, he defeated Patroclus and took the sword of Achilles from him. The heroes of the Trojan cycle of myths often turned the development of the plot in the opposite direction.
The Return of Achilles
Patroclus' death was a shock to Achilles. He repented that all this time was away from the battle, and reconciled with Agamemnon. The hero decided to take revenge on the Trojans for the death of his best friend. In the next battle, he found Hector and killed him. Achilles tied the corpse of the enemy to his chariot and drove around Troy three times. Heartbroken Priam begged for the remains of his son for a huge ransom. Achilles gave the body in exchange for gold equal to its weight. The Trojan myth cycle tells about such a price. The main subjects are always narrated in ancient works with the help of metaphors.
The news of the death of Hector quickly spread throughout the ancient world. The warriors of the Amazon and the Ethiopian army came to the aid of the Trojans. Paris, avenging his brother, shot Achilles in the heel, which is why he soon died. The Trojan heir himself also died after being mortally wounded by Philoctetus. Elena became the wife of his brother Deifob. Myths of the Trojan cycle tell in detail about these dramatic events.
Trojan horse
Both sides suffered heavy losses. Then the Greeks, seeing the futility of their attempts to take possession of the city, decided to take advantage of the trick. They built a huge wooden horse. This figure was hollow inside. The most brave warriors of Greece, who were now led by Odysseus, took refuge there. At the same time, the bulk of the Greek army left the camp and sailed off the coast in ships.
Surprised Trojans went beyond the city. They were met by Sinon, who announced that in order to propitiate the gods, it is necessary to establish the figure of a horse in the central square. So it was done. At night, Sinon released the hiding Greeks, who broke the guard and opened the gate. The city was destroyed to the very foundation, after which it could not recover. The Greeks returned home. The return journey of the Odyssey became the basis for the plot of Homer's poem "The Odyssey."