The Trojan War was between the Greeks and the people of Troy, a war that was to influences people in literature and arts for centuries.
The two powerful gods, Zeus and Poseidon try to forced sea-goddess Thetis to lay with them.
Themis or Prometheus warned the gods that any son Thetis borne would become greater than his father, and in Zeus' case, would probably one day rule Olympus. Zeus decided to quickly marrying Thetis off to a mortal. Pelus, son of Aeacus, was chosen by Zeus as the most worthy of mortals. Feeling slighted, Eris threw a golden apple in the mist of the weeding inscribed "For the fairest", knowing that it would cause problems when three powerful goddesses wished to claim the prize as the fairest: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.
The three goddesses asked Zeus to be their judge. However, Zeus directed Hermes to refer the arbitration to Paris, a Trojan prince, the young son of Priam and Hecuba.
Each goddess offered to reward him if he chose her. Athena offered to make him become a great hero or general; Hera offered to make him ruler of the richest and powerful kingdom; while Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world in marriage: Helen of Sparta. Paris foolishly decided in Aphrodite's favor and awarded her the golden apple as the fairest of them all. Troy was to suffer the enmity of the two most powerful goddesses.
Paris was living in Mount Ida with his wife, Oenone, a mountain nymph, but he abandoned her for Helen. He had been warned by his brother and sister that he would cause the downfall of Troy if he sailed on this journey but he would not listen.
Paris became the guest of Menelaüs and Helen. Aphrodite made Helen fall in love with the Trojan prince as agreed. When Menelaüs went to attend his grandfather's funeral in Crete, Helen ran off to Troy with Paris with most of the treasures in Sparta. The events that caused the Trojan War.
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