Helen of Troy has always captivated the imagination of artists and writers. According to a popular myth of hers, her beauty would trigger the Trojan War and part of her world would be tormented for her ten years. For this she was called "the face that launched a thousand ships". Her legendary beauty was a gift of her divine lineage. In most accounts of her birth, Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, and a mortal woman named Leda, queen of Sparta. According to legend, Zeus appeared to Leda in the form of a swan, and the couple became pregnant with Helena. Instead of a normal birth, Leda laid an egg, which eventually Helen and her siblings hatched. According to some reports, Helen was the only one born of this union. In some myths, Helen is the daughter of Zeus and a goddess named Nemesis. The true origin of the myth of Helen of Troy remains unknown. The first known mention of her name comes from the poet Homer. This bust of Helen of Troy by artist Antonio Canova is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum (photo by Yair Hakurai).
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| The legendary love story of "Troy and Helena" |
Long ago, in the Age of Heroes, when gods and goddesses still had a keen interest in human affairs, a grand marriage was planned between a famous warrior named Peleus and a beautiful sea nymph named Thetis. I was. All the kings and queens of the time, as well as all the immortals who lived on Mount Olympus, were invited to the wedding feast, with one exception: Eris, the goddess of strife, was sent an invitation. did not. A quarrel refers to people arguing, and it was generally considered a bad idea to invite a Quarrel to a wedding party, as happy couples could argue. Ellis was very angry at her neglect and decided to play a terrible prank on her wedding guests in revenge. At the climax of the festival, she appeared in the banquet hall disguised as a servant. She holds a silver plate in her hand, with an apple on it, on which she writes the words "To the most beautiful of all" and places it on the table where the three most beautiful goddesses sit. I put it in Their names were Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. A quarrel soon began between the three goddesses when they saw the writing on the apple. Hera said to the others, "I am the Queen of all immortal gods, so I must be much more beautiful than both of you, so that apple is mine."
"Dear Hera, you may be a queen, but I am the Goddess of Wisdom, and I know all there is to know," said Athena. Believe me when I say you are completely wrong. Wisdom is beauty and beauty is wisdom. That apple is mine because they are exactly the same. "
"Dear friends," Aphrodite purred, "It is clear that the apple is mine. I have the power of love. because it's still beautiful."
The goddesses continued to quarrel for years after their marriage. Because time is meaningless to the immortal. The mighty and thunderous Zeus, king of all the gods, was tired of hearing their quarrels. Confused, he finally proposed to the three beautiful goddesses to settle the matter in a beauty pageant. And that's exactly what they did. The three goddesses agreed on one thing: the most handsome and fashionable mortal on earth was the Trojan prince Paris. They decided to surprise him. One day, when Paris was hunting at the foot of Mount Ida, he saw three beautiful goddesses standing under a tree. Never in his life had he seen such amazing beauty. He stood there in amazement for a while, after which Hermes, the winged messenger of the gods, flew to Paris and said to him: "Hail Paris, great Trojan prince. Zeus, the king of all the gods, sends you greetings. He wishes to give you great honor. He wants this apple to be the most of all I ask you to dedicate it to the beautiful goddess."
Paris, who has always had a sense of beauty, found it difficult to choose. Every goddess was so beautiful. Hera had the most beautiful milky skin ever seen. Athena had the brightest, most dancing eyes. And Aphrodite had a very lovely smile on her face. Which should he choose? Hera at last saw him at a loss, and she said, "Prince Paris, give me an apple, and I will give you great power."
Not yielding to this offer, Athena said, "Prince Paris, give me the apple, and I will give you the gift of great wisdom."
But Aphrodite laughed and said, "Paris, don't listen to these two foolish goddesses." What would be fun if you had power and wisdom? If you give me an apple, I'll make you a more personalized gift. I give you the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. "
Well, it wasn't too difficult for Paris to make a choice. For a long time he was in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Coincidentally, Helen is married to King Menelaus, and although up until that moment Paris had thought her chances of winning her love were hopeless, now realizing that her chances had greatly improved, Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. she chuckled