The Siege of Troy

Troy, also called Ilion, was the capital of a kingdom in Asia Minor, near the Hellespont. It was founded by Ilus, son of Tros. At the time of the famous Trojan War, the city was ruled by Priam, a direct descendant of Ilus. Priam was married to Hecuba, daughter of Dymas, king of Thrace. Among their most celebrated children were the brave and valiant Hector, the prophetess Cassandra, and Paris, who caused the Trojan War.

Before the birth of her second son Paris, Hecuba dreamed that she gave birth to a flaming torch. The seer Aesacus (a son of Priam from an earlier marriage) interpreted this to mean that she would bear a son who would cause the destruction of Troy. Eager to prevent the prophecy from coming true, Hecuba had her newborn baby left on Mount Ida to die. But some kind-hearted shepherds found the child and raised him, so he grew up not knowing his noble birth.

As the boy neared manhood, he became famous not only for his great beauty and strength but also for his courage in defending the flocks from robbers and wild beasts. For this, he was called Alexander, meaning "helper of men." Around this time, he settled the famous dispute over the golden apple that the goddess of Discord had thrown among the gods. As we have seen, he decided in favor of Aphrodite, making two implacable enemies: Hera and Athena never forgave the slight.

Paris married a beautiful nymph named Oenone, and they lived happily in the peace of pastoral life. But to her deep sorrow, this peaceful life was not meant to last long.

Hearing that funeral games would be held in Troy in honor of a departed relative of the king, Paris decided to visit the capital and take part. There he so greatly distinguished himself in a contest against his unknown brothers, Hector and Deiphobus, that the proud young princes became enraged that an obscure shepherd should take the prize from them. They were about to cause a disturbance when Cassandra, who had watched the games, stepped forward and announced that the humble peasant who had defeated them was their own brother Paris. He was then brought before his parents, who joyfully recognized him as their son. Amid the celebrations for their newfound son, the ominous prophecy of the past was forgotten.

As a sign of his trust, the king now entrusted Paris with a delicate mission. As we have seen in the legend of Heracles, that great hero had conquered Troy, killed King Laomedon, and taken captive his beautiful daughter Hesione, whom he gave in marriage to his friend Telamon. Although she became princess of Salamis and lived happily with her husband, her brother Priam never stopped regretting her loss and the insult to his house. So it was now proposed that Paris be equipped with a large fleet and go to Greece to demand the return of the king's sister.

Before setting out, Cassandra warned Paris not to bring home a wife from Greece. She predicted that if he ignored her warning, he would bring inevitable ruin upon Troy and destruction to the house of Priam.

Under Paris's command, the fleet set sail and arrived safely in Greece. There the young Trojan prince first saw Helen, daughter of Zeus and Leda, sister of the Dioscuri, and wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. She was the most beautiful woman of her time. The most famous heroes in Greece had sought her hand, but her stepfather, Tyndareus, king of Sparta, feared that if he gave her to one of her many suitors, the rest would become his enemies. So he made all suitors swear to assist and defend the successful candidate with all their means in any future quarrel over the marriage. He finally gave Helen to Menelaus, a warlike prince fond of martial exercises and the hunt, to whom he also gave his throne and kingdom.

When Paris arrived at Sparta and asked for hospitality at the royal palace, King Menelaus received him kindly. At the banquet given in his honor, Paris charmed both host and hostess with his graceful manners and varied accomplishments. He especially won the favor of fair Helen, to whom he gave some rare and beautiful trinkets from Asia.

While Paris was still a guest at the court of Sparta, Menelaus received an invitation from his friend Idomeneus, king of Crete, to join him on a hunting trip. Being unsuspicious and easygoing, Menelaus accepted, leaving Helen to entertain the distinguished stranger. Captivated by her surpassing beauty, the Trojan prince forgot all honor and duty and decided to rob his absent host of his beautiful wife. He gathered his followers, stormed the royal castle, seized the rich treasures it held, and carried off its beautiful and not entirely unwilling mistress.

They set sail at once but were driven by bad weather to the island of Crania, where they anchored. It was not until some years later, during which time home and country were forgotten, that Paris and Helen went to Troy.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE WAR

When Menelaus heard about the violation of his home, he went to Pylos with his brother Agamemnon to consult the wise old king Nestor, famous for his great experience and statecraft. After hearing the facts, Nestor said that only through the combined efforts of all the Greek states could Menelaus hope to regain Helen from such a powerful kingdom as Troy.

Menelaus and Agamemnon now raised the war cry, which was answered from one end of Greece to the other. Many who volunteered were former suitors of Helen and so were bound by their oath to support Menelaus. Others joined out of love of adventure. But all were deeply impressed by the disgrace that would fall on their country if such a crime went unpunished. Thus a powerful army was gathered, with few notable names missing.

Only in the case of two great heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, did Menelaus have any difficulty.

Odysseus, famous for his wisdom and shrewdness, was at that time living happily in Ithaca with his young wife Penelope and his little son Telemachus. He was reluctant to leave his happy home for a dangerous foreign expedition of uncertain length. So when his services were asked, he pretended to be mad. But the clever Palamedes, a distinguished hero in Menelaus's company, saw through the trick and exposed it, forcing Odysseus to join the war. But Odysseus never forgave Palamedes for interfering and eventually took a cruel revenge.

Achilles was the son of Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis. She is said to have dipped her baby son in the river Styx, making him invulnerable except in the right heel, by which she held him. When the boy was nine years old, Thetis was told that he would either live a long life of easy obscurity or die a hero's death after a brief career of victory. Naturally wanting to prolong her son's life, the loving mother hoped the first fate would be his. So she took him to the island of Scyros in the Aegean Sea, where, disguised as a girl, he grew up among the daughters of King Lycomedes.

Now that Achilles was needed—because an oracle had said Troy could not be taken without him—Menelaus consulted the soothsayer Calchas, who revealed where Achilles was hidden. Odysseus was sent to Scyros, where by a clever trick he soon discovered which of the maidens was the one he sought. Disguising himself as a merchant, Odysseus got into the royal palace and offered trinkets to the king's daughters. All the girls except one looked at his wares with real interest. Seeing this, Odysseus shrewdly concluded that the one who held back must be young Achilles himself. To test his guess, he then showed a beautiful set of weapons, while at a signal, stirring martial music was heard outside. At that, Achilles, fired with warlike passion, seized the weapons and revealed his identity. He then joined the Greek cause, accompanied at his father's request by his kinsman Patroclus.

He brought a large force of Thessalian troops, called Myrmidons, and fifty ships.

For ten long years, Agamemnon and the other chiefs devoted all their energy and resources to preparing the expedition against Troy. But even during these warlike preparations, a peaceful solution was not neglected. An embassy consisting of Menelaus, Odysseus, and others was sent to King Priam to demand the return of Helen. Though the embassy was received with great pomp, the demand was rejected. So the ambassadors returned to Greece, and the order was given for the fleet to assemble at Aulis in Boeotia.

Never before in Greek history had such a large army been gathered. A hundred thousand warriors assembled at Aulis, and in its bay floated over a thousand ships ready to carry them to the Trojan coast. The command of this great host was given to Agamemnon, king of Argos, the most powerful of the Greek princes.

Before the fleet set sail, solemn sacrifices were offered to the gods on the seashore. Suddenly a serpent was seen climbing a plane tree that held a sparrow's nest with nine young birds. The reptile first ate the young birds, then their mother, after which Zeus turned it to stone. The soothsayer Calchas was consulted and interpreted the miracle to mean that the war with Troy would last nine years and that only in the tenth year would the city be taken.

DEPARTURE OF THE GREEK FLEET

The fleet then set sail, but mistaking the Mysian coast for Troy, they landed troops and began to ravage the country. Telephus, king of Mysia and son of the great hero Heracles, opposed them with a large army and drove them back to their ships. But he was wounded in the fight by Achilles's spear. Patroclus, fighting bravely beside his kinsman, was also wounded. But Achilles, who had been taught by Chiron, carefully bound up the wound and healed it. From this incident began the famous friendship between the two heroes, which lasted even in death.

The Greeks now returned to Aulis. Meanwhile, Telephus's wound proved incurable. He consulted an oracle and was told that only the one who had inflicted the wound could cure it. So Telephus went to the Greek camp, where Achilles healed him. At Odysseus's request, Telephus agreed to guide the voyage to Troy.

Just as the expedition was about to start for the second time, Agamemnon accidentally killed a deer sacred to Artemis. In her anger, she sent continuous calm winds that kept the fleet from sailing. Calchas was consulted and announced that only the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia would appease the angry goddess. How Agamemnon finally overcame his feelings as a father, and how Artemis herself saved Iphigenia, has been told in an earlier chapter.

At last a fair wind came, and the fleet set sail again. They stopped first at the island of Tenedos, where the famous archer Philoctetes—who had the bow and arrows of Heracles, given to him by the dying hero—was bitten on the foot by a poisonous snake. The wound gave off such a terrible smell that, at Odysseus's suggestion, Philoctetes was taken to the island of Lesbos and left there to his fate, much to his distress. The fleet then continued to Troy.

COMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES

Having received early news of the coming invasion, the Trojans asked for help from neighboring states, all of which answered the call. So ample preparations were made to receive the enemy. King Priam was too old for active service, so command of the army fell to his eldest son, the brave and valiant Hector.

As the Greek fleet approached, the Trojans appeared on the coast to prevent them from landing. But great hesitation arose among the troops about who should be the first to step on enemy soil, because it had been foretold that whoever did so would die. Protesilaus of Phylace, however, nobly ignored the warning and leaped ashore, only to be killed by Hector.

The Greeks then managed to land, and in the battle that followed, the Trojans were defeated and driven back behind their city walls. With Achilles at their head, the Greeks tried to storm the city but were repulsed with heavy losses. After this defeat, the invaders, seeing that a long campaign lay ahead, pulled their ships ashore, set up tents and huts, and built a fortified camp on the coast.

Between the Greek camp and Troy lay a plain watered by the rivers Scamander and Simois. It was on this plain, later so famous in history, that the memorable battles between the Greeks and Trojans were fought.

The Greek leaders now realized that taking the city by storm was impossible. The Trojans, being fewer in number, did not dare risk a major battle in the open field. So the war dragged on for many weary years without any decisive battle.

Around this time, Odysseus carried out his long-planned revenge against Palamedes. Palamedes was one of the wisest, most energetic, and most upright of the Greek heroes. Because of his tireless zeal and wonderful eloquence, most of the chiefs had been persuaded to join the expedition. But the very qualities that made him loved by his countrymen made him hateful to his implacable enemy Odysseus, who never forgave him for exposing his trick to avoid the army.

To ruin Palamedes, Odysseus hid a large sum of money in his tent. Then he wrote a letter supposedly from King Priam to Palamedes, thanking him warmly for valuable information and referring to a large sum of money sent as a reward. This letter was found on a Phrygian prisoner and read aloud to a council of Greek princes. Palamedes was brought before the chiefs, accused of betraying his country. A search was made, and the money was found in his tent. He was found guilty and sentenced to be stoned to death. Though he knew the treachery against him, Palamedes did not defend himself, knowing that in the face of such damning evidence, trying to prove his innocence would be useless.

DEFECTION OF ACHILLES

During the first year of the campaign, the Greeks raided the surrounding country and plundered nearby villages. On one of these raids, the city of Pedasus was sacked. Agamemnon, as commander in chief, received as his share the beautiful Chryseis, daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. To Achilles was given another captive, the fair Briseis. The next day, Chryses came to the Greek camp to ransom his daughter. But Agamemnon refused and rudely sent the old man away. Grieving over the loss of his child, Chryses called on Apollo for vengeance. His prayer was heard, and the god sent a terrible plague that raged for ten days in the Greek camp. Finally, Achilles called a council and asked the soothsayer Calchas how to stop this terrible punishment. Calchas replied that Apollo was angry at the insult to his priest and had sent the plague, which would only end when Chryseis was returned.

Hearing this, Agamemnon agreed to give up the maiden. But he was already bitter toward Calchas because of his prediction about Iphigenia, and now he insulted the soothsayer, accusing him of plotting against him. Achilles took Calchas's side, and a violent argument broke out. The son of Thetis would have killed his commander, but Pallas Athena appeared beside him, unseen by the others, and reminded him of his duty to his leader. Agamemnon took revenge on Achilles by taking away his beautiful captive Briseis, who had grown so attached to her kind and noble captor that she wept bitterly when taken from him. Disgusted by his chief's ungenerous behavior, Achilles withdrew to his tent and stubbornly refused to take any further part in the war.