Reterdeen Staff
Since we are in the month of Love, let me share with you the love story that caused one of the most legendary battles of all time, the Trojan War.
This love story is about Paris, the prince of Troy, and the beautiful Queen Helen, daughter of Zeus.
Helen
Helen, the most beautiful woman on earth, was a semi-god. This was because she was the product of a love affair between Zeus, the King of the Olympian gods and a mortal woman, Leda, the Queen of Sparta. It is rumored that Zeus appeared to Leda in form of a swan and they both conceived Helen. This divine lineage made her possess beauty that had not been seen before among mortals, and also made many great men offer to be her suitor. Among her many suitors, Helen chose to marry Menelaus, the eventual King of Sparta.
Paris
Paris, described as the most handsome and fashionably dressed mortal on earth was a Prince of Troy. Unfortunately, this young prince had fallen hopelessly in love with the married Queen Helen. However, when he thought all hope of winning Helen’s love was lost, the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gave him the gift of being loved by the most beautiful woman on earth (after he declared her the fairest of the goddesses).
Their Love Story
After getting this wonderful gift from Aphrodite, Paris set sail to Sparta, to conquer the heart of the woman he had loved for years, Helen. When he got to Sparta, he immediately went to the Kings palace to meet with Menelaus and of course, Queen Helen. As soon as Helen set her eyes on him, she was captivated by this young man, and with his charms, Paris convinced Helen to go back to Troy with him.
But when King Menelaus realized that his wife had absconded with the Prince, he flew into a rage and together with his brother, King Agamemnon of Argos and other kings of Greece, prepared a navy of a thousand ships and set sail for Troy.
What happened next was the Great War between the Greeks and the Trojans which lasted for over a decade.
Sadly, the war claimed the life of our handsome Prince Paris and Queen Helen became known as the ‘Helen of Troy’.
Please Note that while there may be a few other variations of this story, it is entirely a Greek myth. Or is it?
Comments