The Iliad

Origin Story

Beauty contest between the female gods. Zeus didn't want to judge it. So Prince Paris of Troy was chosen. Prince Paris couldn't choose, so aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman on earth if he chose her. So he did and was given Helen of Troy, the mortal daughter of Zeus, Wife of King Menelaus of the Acheans.

One interpretation of this origin story is that Helen of Troy ran away to Troy with Paris.

In response to losing his wife, King Menelaus convinced the Acheans to protect his honor and get Helen back. So the Acheans waged a 9 year war with the Trojans.

Story Picks Up

Near the end of this war, the God Apollo sent a great plague against the Acheans by firing arrows at them. They asked a priest of Apollo why it was happening. The priest said that they were being punished because Agamemnon had stolen the daughter of a priest of Apollo as a wife. The priest advised to return her to her father to stop the plague.

Apollo is the God of archery, music, dance, healing and disease. So when people started dying of disease they knew Apollo was unhappy with them.

At the meeting of the Acheans, the greatest warrior in Agamemnon's army rebuked him for being greedy and selfish. This warrior's name is Archilles. Archilles refuses to fight for Agamemnon any longer.

Agamemnon agrees to return the priests daughter but takes one of Archilles wives as a replacement. Archilles is powerless to stop him. However, Archilles mother is an ocean God. He asks her to help him punish Agamemnon by not allowing him to win the upcoming war. His goddess mother makes a deal with Zeus that the Acheans and Agamemnon will experience defeat without Archilles fighting with them.

Zeus sends a false prophetic dream to Agamemnon giving him the impression that Zeus wants him to win the war. When Agamemnon awakes he's confident the war can now be won and prepares his army for battle.

Seige Begins

The great army includes many ship loads of men, chariots and horses but also great heroes including Odysseus, Ajax and king Menelaus himself, who Paris took Helen from.

When the Trojan army meets the Archean army outside the city of Troy, Paris steps forward and challenges anyone in the Archean army to single combat. When his rival King Menelaus steps forward, Paris shrinks back in fear. Paris' brother Hector rebukes him for his good looks and cowardness. Hector insists that he must fight King Menelaus. Paris agrees.

Agamemnon and Priam, the King of Troy make an agreement that the winner receives Helen and the battle will be avoided. They seal their agreement by sacrificing goats to the God's.

The two fighters draw lots. Paris will throw his spear first but when he does, it hits Menelaus' shield only. When Menelaus throws his it smashes through Paris' shield, narrowly missing him. They draw swords and Menelaus smashes Paris on the helmet and his sword breaks. Now without a weapon he merely grabs Paris by the helmet and the chinstrap begins to choke him. The god aphrodite has great love for Paris and snaps the strap so he can breathe. Then Aphrodite whisks him away to the safety of his own bedroom.

Then Aphrodite takes the form of one of Helen's handmaiden and tells her Paris has returned from his fight. She goes to him and expresses both hatred and love for him.

Back in the battlefield, Menelaus searches for Paris with no success. Agamemnon declares victory.

Meanwhile, on mount Olympus, Zeus suggests peace but his wife Hera disagrees. They send the godess Athena to ensure the battle still happens.

Athena found the Trojan archers and took the form of a friend of Pandarus. She told him to imagine the honor and renown if he was the one who killed Menelaus. So Pandarus fired an arrow and hit Menelaus in the stomach. It wasn't a bad injury and Menelaus would live.

Agamemnon takes the shot as a sign the Trojans aren't honoring their fair terms and prepares the troops for battle.

Battle ensues with legendary fighters violently slaying legendary fighters on both sides. The Trojans are inspired by Ares and the Acheans by Athena.

The Trojans get pushed back against their own city walls.

Meanwhile, Trojan general, Hector, goes looking for Paris. He finds him in his house and criticizes him for not fighting, saying that he is more pretty than brave. Paris agrees to follow Hector beyond the city walls into battle. Before Hector does so, he wants to say goodbye to his wife and son.

Hector says goodbye to his wife -Page 106-110

Hector rejoins his army. Inspired by the goddess Athena, a prophet in the Trojan army suggests a one on one duel between Hector and the strongest warrior of the Aechens. The elder Nestor chooses Ajax to fight. Page 116-top 118

The two leaders agree to take a day long truce to bury their dead. While this happens, the Aechens build a wooden walls with a ditch in front of it around their boats.

Page 125 - fight restarts

Zeus decides to intervene and sends bolts of lightning to display his favor for the Trojans.

The Aechens get pushed back against the beaches and their empty ships.

All Is Lost

Page 140

Diomenes refuses to flee and inspires the men to stay. Agamemnon is fearful and sends Pheonix, Ajax and Odysseus to visit Achilles tent and offer him great rewards if he joins the battle. Agamemnon offers him:

Seven tripods
10 talents of gold
20 cauldrons
12 horses
7 women of his choice plus his Briseus back
ships full of gold from troy
20 women from troy of his Choice
1 of his own daughters
Largest recorded dowry
7 cities by the ocean

P148 - Achilles Answer

Chapter X - Night Adventure

P182 - top 184 - Agamemnon attacks but has to retreat

Fighting resumes

Agamemnon gets injured
Odyssius gets injured
Diomenes get injured
Machaon gets injured

Archilles watches as the men get rushed to the safety of the ships. He sends a messager to find out who the injured are. Bottom of page 193

Trojans attack the wall

207 to end of chapter

218- 223

The Acheans arrange a line of ships as a fortress in the shallows to protect the other ships further back.

276 - Achilles had a teacher who was a cenataur

Achilles' friend Patroclus is distraught by watching the dying and asks Achilles to fight. When Achilles says no, Patroclus asks to wear Achilles' armour.

279-283 Patroclus leads the counter
Death of Patroclus - bottom of 294 to end
Page 300
Page 320-321
324- 2 paragraphs

Agamemnon wanted to feast
Achilles couldn't eat and wanted fight ASAP
Battle resumes - middle of 351

Bottom of 353 to end

361-368 - Achilles versus the river

381 to top of 388 - Achilles vs Hector

390 and 391 - grief for Hector

Achilles dream - Bottom of 393 to 395 - ghost real?

Achilles & Agamemnon direct the Acheans to build a giant funeral pyre, sacrificed animals before Patroclus could go to Hades
They then held funeral games, having chariot races, wrestling, boxing, running, discus and javelin.

King Priam laments not being able to bury his son. Zeus disapproves of Achilles treatment of Hector's body. He sends a sign to Achilles and King Priam to offer a trade. King Priam takes Hector's body back to Troy.

Last 2 pages

Any truth to the story?

Real places - Mycenae and Troy have been excavated
Real people- Artifacts such as the mask of Agamemnon
P346 - talking horses
Demi-Gods?
Origination story?

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