The Judgement of Paris is a famous episode in Greek mythology which tells how the Trojan prince Paris was chosen by Zeus to decide who was the most beautiful of the three goddesses, Athena, Hera and Aphrodite.
This judgement set in motion a series of events that culminated in the Trojan War.
The story starts on the occasion of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis which was attended by deities from Olympus, the home of the Gods.
In order to avoid any rifts with the goddess of discord, Eris, they decided not to invite her. Eris found out that she hadn’t been invited and she felt offended at having been left out (even amongst gods it’s difficult to keep a secret). In order to get her revenge, and taking advantage of the the fact that the three goddesses were talking together, she threw a golden apple with the inscription “For the most beautiful.”
This apple became the centre of discord and caused a rivalry amongst the three goddesses to see which of them was the most beautiful.
In order to avoid taking part in the disagreement, Zeus instructed Hermes to take Paris to Mount Ida, where his flocks were grazing, so he could choose the winner. Paris had grown up as an austere goat herd, although in reality he was the son of the King of Troy.
On Mount Ida, the three goddesses appeared to him and offered him gifts to win his approval. Hera promised him power and wealth, Athena wisdom and warcraft, and Aphrodite offered Paris, the most handsome of men, the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta.
Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful of the goddesses, giving her the apple, and fulfilling her promise, the goddess made Helen fall in love with Paris and both escaped together to Troy.
Because Paris did not want to renounce Helen, King Menelaus became furios and felt betrayed, and he swore to get his wife back, so beginning the Trojan war. The Greeks sealed an alliance and organized an army under Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, and lay siege to Troy during ten years in an attempt to recover Helen.
The conflict between the gods also played an important role in the war. Hera and Athena supported the Greeks, while Aphrodite protected the Trojans.
The divine rivalry played a fundamental part in the epic saga of the Iliad, written by Homer, who narrated the events of the Trojan war.
The Judgement of Paris is a central episode in Greek mythology and also in classical literature and has been depicted in numerous works of art throughout history.
Aphrodite, Venus in the Roman era, is still considered a symbol of beauty, which in Ancient Greece was a fundamental virtue.
The story is a reminder of how vanity and human desire can cause tragic outcomes.
