The Apple of Discord

The Apple of Discord

"The Apple of Discord," also known as "The Golden Apple," is a Greek Mythology tale that involved three Goddesses. The three Goddesses included:
"Aphrodite" who is noted to have rose up from the foam on the ocean in Babylonian/Sumerian. Aphrodite was worshiped as the Goddess of love and beauty. "Aphros" is the Greek word for "sea foam." Aphrodite had powers associated with fertility and growth/harvesting of crops, war, and descent to the underworld, birth/life/love/death and fate.
"Athena" who is another one of the Goddesses, is known to be the daughter of Zeus, having been born from the head of Zeus as a full-grown woman and dressed in full armor. Athena was known as the Goddess of warfare, wisdom, and arts and crafts. She was especially protective of the city Athens. Athena is known to have powers that gave her the ability to change shape and assume different disguises. She also would carry a spear and shield which would paralyze her foes.
Hera is the third Goddess in this story and is the daughter of Kronos and Rhea, born at the Samian town of Herion. Hera was known as the Goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth. She was the first Greek Goddess, and the queen of Olympus. Hera had the ability to take on many forms, among them included a bird.

These three Goddesses were all competing to receive the Golden Apple, which was thrown by "Eris," the Goddess of strife, at King Peleus' wedding. As she threw it she said, "The fairest shall have it!" Each of the three Goddesses, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera all thought they should have the apple. Due to the conflict Zeus appointed Paris to be the judge of which of the three Goddesses should have the apple. Upon hearing of this judgment, the three Goddesses approached Paris with bribes to obtain the apple. Athena said she would give him wisdom and victory in battle. Hera said she would give him power and wealth. Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful maiden, Helen of Troy. Paris thought all of these offers sounded appealing but in the end decided to go with Aphrodite's offer. So he gave the Golden Apple to her. Although Helen was married to King Menelaus, Aphrodite sent her son Eros down to shoot Helen with one of his arrows to make her fall in love with Paris.

Paris then came and took Helen away to Troy. His refusal to return Helen then led to the Trojan War. The war lasted 10 years. In the first 9 years, it was inconclusive, but in the 10th year, Troy fell. The war was led by Agamemnon, brother of King Menelaus, so he could go and get Helen back. The Greeks hid in a large wooden horse and later came out and attacked Troy. Towards the end of the war, Paris was shot by Philoctetes who was called by a captured Trojan who said Troy would not fall without his help. Philoctetes was armed with a bow that had once belonged to Heracles. His arrows were dipped in the poison of Hydra. Paris went to Mount Ida where his former wife lived and begged her to heal him. She refused and Paris died. She then killed herself out of grief.

This was the end of the Trojan War.