🍎 The Judgment of Paris

The Wedding of Peleus & Thetis

All gods were invited to the wedding of the sea-nymph Thetis and the mortal hero Peleus - all except Eris, goddess of discord and strife, who was excluded to prevent trouble.

Key figures: Thetis, Peleus (parents of Achilles)

The Golden Apple

Enraged at her exclusion, Eris threw a golden apple inscribed "To the Fairest" (καλλίστῃ - kallistēi) into the wedding feast. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each claimed the apple.

Inscription: "Τῇ καλλίστῃ" (To the most beautiful)

Zeus Refuses to Judge

Zeus, wise enough to avoid choosing among his wife, daughter, and favorite, appointed Paris - a mortal shepherd prince of Troy - to make the judgment, sending Hermes as messenger.

Location: Mount Ida, where Paris was shepherding flocks

The Bribes

Each goddess offered Paris a gift to sway his judgment:

• Hera: Power and kingship over all of Europe and Asia
• Athena: Wisdom, skill in warfare, and victory in all battles
• Aphrodite: The love of the most beautiful woman in the world

Paris Chooses Love

Paris chose Aphrodite, awarding her the golden apple. She promised him Helen of Sparta - already married to King Menelaus - setting in motion the events that would lead to Troy's destruction.

Choice: Love over power or wisdom

The Consequences

Paris abducted (or eloped with) Helen, sparking the Trojan War. Hera and Athena, scorned and humiliated, became Troy's implacable enemies, ensuring the city's eventual fall.

Result: Ten-year Trojan War, fall of Troy

Hera - Queen of the Gods

Hera, Zeus's wife, offered political power and sovereignty. As queen of the gods, she embodied royal authority and promised Paris dominion over the known world.

Offer: Kingship, power, empire

Rejection: Led her to support Greece against Troy

Athena - Goddess of Wisdom

Athena, virgin goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, offered intellectual supremacy and military prowess. She promised Paris would become the greatest warrior and tactician.

Offer: Wisdom, military skill, victory in battle

Rejection: She aided the Greeks, especially Odysseus

Aphrodite - Goddess of Love

Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, offered the ultimate romantic prize - Helen of Sparta, renowned as the most beautiful mortal woman. Paris chose passion over prudence.

Offer: Helen's love, ultimate beauty, desire fulfilled

Victory: She aided Troy, though it ultimately fell

Choice of Values

Paris's judgment represents the eternal dilemma of choosing among power (Hera), wisdom (Athena), and love (Aphrodite). His choice of love over power and wisdom reflects both romantic idealism and fatal shortsightedness.

Theme: Values hierarchy, priorities, consequences of choice

Doomed from Birth

Paris's mother Hecuba dreamed she gave birth to a flaming torch that destroyed Troy. He was exposed on Mount Ida as an infant, but survived. The judgment fulfilled the prophecy - his choice doomed his city.

Theme: Prophecy, fate, unavoidable destiny

Divine Vanity

The goddesses' willingness to bribe a mortal for validation reveals divine vanity and pride. The pettiness of the gods contrasts with the massive human suffering their quarrel caused.

Theme: Divine caprice, hubris, mortal consequences

Eris's Revenge

Eris, goddess of discord, proved that excluding her brought worse chaos than inviting her. The "Apple of Discord" became synonymous with any prize that brings conflict rather than honor.

Theme: Strife, revenge, unintended consequences

Beauty's Judgment

By making beauty a competition to be judged, the myth explores the subjective nature of beauty and the impossibility of objective aesthetic judgment. Paris's choice was personal, not universal.

Theme: Subjectivity, beauty standards, judgment

Mortal Caught in Divine Politics

Paris, a mortal shepherd (though royal-born), was thrust into divine politics beyond his comprehension. His choice had consequences he couldn't foresee, illustrating mortals' helplessness in divine schemes.

Theme: Mortal limitations, divine manipulation

Cypria (Lost Epic)

The earliest detailed account appeared in the now-lost Cypria, one of the Epic Cycle poems that filled gaps in the Trojan War narrative. It described the judgment as the war's ultimate cause.

Author: Attributed to Stasinus of Cyprus

Era: 7th century BCE

Homer's Allusions

Homer doesn't narrate the judgment directly in the Iliad, but alludes to Aphrodite's protection of Paris and the enmity of Hera and Athena toward Troy.

Works: Iliad (8th century BCE)

Euripides' Plays

Euripides referenced the judgment in several plays, particularly Iphigenia at Aulis and Helen, exploring its consequences for Greek heroes and their families.

Era: 5th century BCE

Lucian's Dialogue

Lucian's satirical Dialogues of the Gods presents a humorous version where the goddesses argue their cases and Paris awkwardly tries to judge divine beauty.

Author: Lucian of Samosata

Era: 2nd century CE

Ancient Pottery

Greek vase paintings frequently depicted the judgment scene: three goddesses standing before seated Paris, sometimes with Hermes present, the golden apple visible.

Style: Red-figure, black-figure pottery

Renaissance Painting

The judgment became immensely popular during the Renaissance, allowing artists to paint three female nudes in mythological context: Cranach, Rubens, Watteau, and Boucher all created versions.

Era: 15th-18th centuries

Theme: Female beauty, divine figures

Opera & Theater

The judgment appears in numerous operas and plays, often as prologue to Trojan War narratives. Offenbach's La Belle Hélène satirized the myth.

Notable: Offenbach's operetta (1864)

Modern Retellings

Contemporary authors reimagine the judgment from various perspectives, particularly Helen's and the goddesses', examining agency, beauty standards, and choice.

Example: Madeline Miller, Margaret Atwood, Pat Barker