THE TROJAN WAR: History, characters, gods and more

The Trojan War, with our article we will tell you the entire story of this war that lasted ten years and featured a series of mythological characters, wrapped in networks woven by the gods, with which they were handled like puppets, during the course of the war. of their lifes; Don’t miss it, because these are interesting facts, which are part of the cultural tradition of all humanity.

Introduction

Greek mythology is part of the cultural contributions that humanity has, throughout the development of history, being full of a series of legends that tell what life was like in the ancient civilization of the Eastern Mediterranean. And all of this is part of the world’s cultural heritage.

This mythology is full of stories where gods are given life who, within the Greek Pantheon, adopted the figure of humans, but with the personification of the forces of the universe; with which they could dominate the lives of all human beings, whom they considered mortal.

These gods had broad characteristics, and were often presented with a strict sense of justice, but at other times they were cruel and vengeful, using their power to dominate the lives of mortals, making them perform actions based on their desires. ., and with all this they showed who of all of them was the most powerful. (We recommend reading the article about The Phoenix Bird)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Av9LEzNiGU

On the other hand, the favor of these gods was only achieved through sacrifices and acts of piety, which did not guarantee anything; Well, the gods used to be very fickle and capricious in character; where it is also considered that they lived in a palace called Olympus, with Zeus as their head and where all the other gods were generally in conflict, because they were considered the most powerful.

On this occasion we are going to learn about a topic called The Trojan War, an important event that was the subject of many literary poems and that set a precedent within Greek culture; since it was a war that lasted about ten years, with great events, and that practically began for the love of a woman named Helena, who was stolen from her own kingdom.

During our tour we will make you aware of all the notable events that led to this conflict, and also, after all of this, its outcome; This with the purpose of giving another contribution of general culture to all lovers of reading, initiating the knowledge of some basic points about the gods, characters closely linked to The Trojan War, and how they were formed. its events. (You can also see who Achilles was)

History of the Trojan War

As we have previously indicated, the Trojan War was an armed conflict where the troops of two ancient peoples faced each other, such as those represented by the Achaeans of the island of Crete, who fought against the Trojans and all their allies.

This war arose in response to a mistake committed by a Trojan prince against the king of Sparta; more specifically, Paris, who was the son of the king of the Trojans, during a visit to the city of the Achaeans, stole his queen named Helen, thereby offending the people of Sparta.

This is an epic event, recounted in history with various versions contemplated, by all the poets who existed in the 13th and 12th centuries BC. C., of which Homer especially stands out with his renowned works the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Where it is said that Troy was a city that was located near the Dardanelles Strait, close to the Anatolian peninsula, which is where Turkey is today. And considering that the war broke out because of an enmity between the Persians and the Greeks.

The initial basis of this conflict or, if you will, what led to this happening, is in a myth related to Aphrodite and Paris; which as we all already know is about a goddess and a mortal.

It is said that there was a conflict on Olympus, where the goddess Eris, representative of discord, tied an apple for the most beautiful in the kingdom, which caused the fight between Aphrodite, Athena and Hera. Each of which was considered the most beautiful. Therefore Zeus, as a just judge, decided that a mortal would indicate which of the three was the most beautiful.

This work was entrusted to Paris, who was the mortal prince, for this reason each goddess tried to flatter him by offering him certain gifts; But the one that pleased him the most was that of Aphrodite, who offered him the love of the most beautiful woman on earth, which was precisely Helen, who, as a curious fact, also considers herself the daughter of Zeus.

The truth is that when Paris appears in the city of Sparta as ambassador, he falls in love with the beautiful Helen, who is at the head of the court in the absence of her husband Menelaus. The love between these two characters being magically instantaneous.

Reason why Paris decides to steal Helen and take her to Troy, but in addition, he stole a whole amount of treasures, which were property of the city of Sparta. When King Menelaus returns to the palace, he finds that he has been vilely robbed, which is why he declares war against Troy.

Some authors consider, on the other hand, that the real enmity of the rivalry between the Greeks and Trojans was due to the fact that both wanted to have control of the existing trade routes at the time, which were represented by sea routes, and were quite strategic. Reason why Agamemnon, leader of the Greek ranks, always wanted to invade Trojan territory.

This was very important for Troy, since the city was considered very rich and powerful. A fortress that controlled the passage of ships passing through a strait, which was of vital importance for trade, whose walls were created at the suggestion of the god Zeus himself.

Start

The war begins as soon as the Greeks from the city of Sparta plan to carry out an ambush against the beaches of the Trojan city; which apparently was foreseen by the Trojan soldiers, who were already present at the scene.

A legend says that the prophecies indicated that the first Greek to set foot on Trojan land would be precisely the first to die in this war. And this is fulfilled when Hector, representative of Troy, kills Protesilaus, who was the captain of the Philacians, representative of the troops of Sparta.

This was a war that from its beginning brought only tragedies for both sides, since the famous demigod called Achilles also participated in it, the son of a mortal Peleus, with the goddess Thetis, and endowed with great agility and strength for combat, who He was also immortal; except for a point called Achilles’ Heel, where if he was wounded there he could die.

In this war Achilles kills Poseidon’s son, named Cycnus, raised by shepherds and who fought on behalf of the forces of Ilion, which was the other name by which Troy was known.

For many years the Greeks kept the Trojans under siege and robbed their Aladean cities. On one of these occasions, Agamemnon, representative of the Greek army, takes Chryseis as slaves, who was the daughter of a priest of the god Apollo.

Reason why this god punished the Greek army with many plagues that plagued them until the young woman was returned to her father, along with them he had also stolen another maiden called Briseis, who was Achilles’ lover, and who Agamemnon himself snatched him away, after he had to return Chryseis. An epic passage that marked the retirement of Achilles from the front of his troops. (We also recommend you see our article on Nymphs)

This was a fact that had a great impact during the Trojan War, as it unleashed the wrath of the demigod Achilles, who immediately refused to continue fighting alongside the soldiers of Sparta. All of this made up a series of successive events that took place to reach the final outcome, after about ten years.

But with great losses for both sides, since the legends say that in this war, Hector, who was the brother of Paris, and eldest son of the king of Troy, killed Patroclus, who was the cousin of Achilles, in anger, and this because of that he used the hero’s armor to encourage the troops.

Achilles furiously attacks Hector, whom he kills and drags across the battlefield in front of his entire family, but in another fight he is avenged by Paris, who kills Achilles with an arrow in his heel. (See also Elegua, representative of the Yoruba Religion)

But the truth of all this is that the gods lead mortals behind their heels during battle, since Apollo helped Hector kill Patroclus and in the same way he helps Paris, guiding the arrow that kills Achilles. While the goddess Artemis used to support Apollo in this war, preventing the Greeks from being able to sacrifice the sacrifice of a maiden without offerings.

As we indicated at the beginning, Aphrodite was an accomplice in the kidnapping of Helen, Ares was also involved in the conflict, Athena participated with the help of Diomedes and even Leto, who was the mother of the twins Apollo and Artemis. The truth is that the gods were the ones who incited the fight, enjoying it as if it were a strategic game on a chess board.

This is a war that was ultimately won, thanks to the ingenious idea of ​​the Trojan horse, which by some was also a recommendation from the gods, but with this wonderful device; which was invented by Ulysses with the help of Athena, the city of Troy was finally conquered, with a lot of blood and fire.

Prominent figures

During the Trojan War, many characters were presented, with a very important role in the development of all the events considered decisive, so that with them, both the Persians represented by the Trojans and the Greeks represented by the Achaeans, put an end to this long war conflict.

The prominent characters are made up mainly of mortals, the demigod Achilles, but counting behind the scenes with the presence of the gods who got involved in mortal affairs, creating the conflict and ultimately having to reach the end of it.

We have met the gods of Olympus and some of them were involved in this war, examples being Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Ares, Artemis and many others, who are considered to have dominated all the events that took place. were stirring up on earth, and as a result of which so many mortals died.

Achilles

Achilles was considered a demigod who was the son of the goddess Thetis, in his union with the mortal Peleus, who was blessed by his mother with the gift of being immortal, for whom it is said that she immersed him in the sacred waters of the Lagoon. Stygia, taking them by the feet and therefore being their only vulnerable point, was at their heels.

This hero was considered very agile and fast, and thanks to his immortality he always led the Achaean troops with ferocity; but whose death had been prophesied by the…