Editing Paris (mythology) (section)

== Mythology ==

===Childhood===
Paris was a child of [[Priam]] and [[Hecuba]] (see the [[List of children of Priam]]). Just before his birth, his mother dreamed that she gave birth to a flaming torch. This dream was interpreted by the [[oracle|seer]] [[Aesacus]] as a foretelling of the downfall of Troy, and he declared that the child would be the ruin of his homeland. On the day of Paris's birth, it was further announced by Aesacus that the child born of a royal Trojan that day would have to be killed to spare the kingdom, being the child that would bring about the prophecy. Though Paris was indeed born before nightfall, he was spared by Priam. Hecuba was also unable to kill the child, despite the urging of the [[priest]]ess of [[Apollo]], one [[Sibyl|Herophile]]. Instead, Paris's father prevailed upon his chief herdsman, [[Agelaus]], to remove the child and kill him. The herdsman, unable to use a weapon against the infant, left him exposed on [[Mount Ida]], hoping he would perish there (cf. [[Oedipus]]). He was, however, suckled by a she-bear. Returning after nine days, Agelaus was astonished to find the child still alive and brought him home in a backpack ([[Ancient Greek|Greek]] ''pḗra'', hence by [[folk etymology]] Paris's name) to rear as his own. He returned to Priam bearing a dog's tongue as evidence of the deed's completion.<ref>For a comparison of hero births, including [[Sargon of Akkad|Sargon]], [[Moses]], [[Karna]], [[Oedipus]], Paris, [[Telephus]], [[Perseus]], [[Romulus]], [[Gilgamesh]], [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]], [[Jesus]], and others, see: [[Rank, Otto]]. ''[[The Myth of the Birth of the Hero]]''. Vintage Books: New York, 1932.</ref>

Paris's noble birth was betrayed by his outstanding beauty and intelligence. While still a child, he routed a gang of cattle-thieves and restored the animals they had stolen to the herd, thereby earning the surname Alexander ("protector of men").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ancientlibrary.com/seyffert/0461.html |title=Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, page 458 |access-date=2006-07-15 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625014021/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/seyffert/0461.html |archive-date=2006-06-25 }}</ref> It was at this time that Oenone became Paris's first lover. She was a [[nymph]] from Mount Ida in [[Phrygia]]. Her father was [[Cebren]], a [[river-god]] or, according to other sources, she was the daughter of [[Oeneus]]. She was skilled in the arts of [[prophecy]] and [[medicine]], which she had been taught by [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]] and [[Apollo]], respectively. Through her ability to see the future, she foresaw Paris leaving her but loved him deeply even so. When Paris later left her for Helen, she told him that if he ever was wounded, he should come to her, for she could heal any injury, even the most serious wounds.<ref>Love Romances 4. Parthenius.</ref>

Paris's chief distraction at this time was to pit Agelaus's [[bull]]s against one another. One bull began to win these bouts consistently. Paris began to set it against rival herdsmen's own prize bulls and it defeated them all. Finally, Paris offered a golden crown to any bull that could defeat his champion. [[Ares]] responded to this challenge by transforming himself into a bull and easily winning the contest. Paris gave the crown to Ares without hesitation. It was this apparent honesty in judgement that prompted the gods of [[Mount Olympus (Mountain)|Olympus]] to have Paris arbitrate the divine contest among [[Hera]], [[Aphrodite]], and [[Athena]].

===Judgement of Paris===
{{Main|Judgement of Paris}}

In celebration of the marriage of [[Peleus]] and [[Thetis]], Lord [[Zeus]], father of the [[Greek pantheon]], hosted a banquet on [[Mount Olympus (Mountain)|Mount Olympus]].  Every deity and demi-god had been invited, except [[Eris (mythology)|Eris]], the goddess of strife (no one wanted a troublemaker at a wedding).  For revenge, Eris threw the golden [[Apple of Discord]] inscribed with "For the most beautiful" ({{Langx|grc|τῇ καλλίστῃ|translit=tē(i) kallistē(i)}}) into the party, provoking a squabble among the attendant goddesses over for whom it had been meant.

The goddesses thought to be the most beautiful were [[Hera]], [[Athena]], and [[Aphrodite]], and each one claimed the apple. They started a quarrel so they asked Zeus to choose one of them. Knowing that choosing any of them would bring him the hatred of the other two, Zeus did not want to take part in the decision. He thus appointed Paris to select the most beautiful.

Escorted by [[Hermes]], the three goddesses bathed in the spring of Mount Ida and approached Paris as he herded his cattle. Paris was frightened at the appearance of the deities, but Hermes assured him it was the will of Zeus.<ref>Heroides 16, Paris’ letter to Helen. Ovid.</ref> Some artistic depictions have the goddesses appear unclad before the mortal. Still, Paris could not decide, as all three were ideally beautiful, so the goddesses attempted to bribe him to choose among them. Hera offered ownership of all of Europe and Asia. Athena offered skill in battle, wisdom and the abilities of the greatest warriors. Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman on Earth: Helen of Sparta. Paris chose Helen and thereby Aphrodite.

However, Helen was already married to King [[Menelaus]] of Sparta (a fact Aphrodite neglected to mention). When Menelaus was away from home, Paris seduced Helen into running away with him. In the Iliad, Helen notes how she had followed Paris to Troy,<ref>Iliad, book 3, lines 172–175.</ref> and Apollodorus describes the pair taking valuables together.<ref>Bibliotheca, e.3.3. Pseudo-Apollodorus</ref> Some sources claim Paris had to raid Menelaus's house to steal Helen from him, but others say he was first welcomed in.

The Spartans' expedition to retrieve Helen from Paris in Troy is the mythological basis of the Trojan War. This triggered the war because Helen was famous for her beauty throughout [[Achaea (ancient region)|Achaea]] (ancient Greece), and had many suitors of extraordinary ability. Therefore, following [[Odysseus]]'s advice, her father [[Tyndareus]] made all suitors promise to defend Helen's marriage to the man he chose for her.  When Paris took her to Troy, Menelaus invoked this oath.  Helen's other suitors, who between them represented most of Achaea's strength, wealth, and military prowess, were obliged to help bring her back. Thus, the whole of Greece moved against Troy in force and the [[Trojan War]] began.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Large amphora, Melian style, Paros, 7th c BC, AM Paros A 2652, 075954.jpg|7th-century BC [[Melian pithamphora]] depicting the Judgement of Paris, [[Archaeological Museum of Paros]]. 
File:Painting on terracotta panels of the judgement of Paris from Cerveteri (Boccanera tomb) - London BM 1889-0410-1 - 02.jpg|Paris receives [[Hermes]] who leads [[Athena]], [[Hera]] and [[Aphrodite]]. Painting on terracotta panels, 560–550 BC
File:Enrique Simonet - El Juicio de Paris - 1904.jpg|''[[El Juicio de Paris]]'' by [[Enrique Simonet]], {{circa|1904}}. Paris is studying Aphrodite, who is standing before him naked. The other two goddesses watch nearby.
Image:Julgamento-de-páris.jpg|[[Judgement of Paris]], {{circa|1801}}, [[Capodimonte porcelain]] ([[Capitoline Museums]], [[Rome]])
</gallery>

===Trojan War===

Homer's ''[[Iliad]]'' casts Paris as unskilled and cowardly. Although Paris readily admits his shortcomings in battle, his brother [[Hector]] scolds and belittles him after he runs away from a duel with Menelaus that was to determine the end of the war.<ref>e.g., ''Iliad'', book 3, lines 38–57.</ref> His preference for bow and arrow emphasizes this, since he does not follow the code of honor shared by the other heroes.

Early in the epic, Paris and Menelaus duel in an attempt to end the war without further bloodshed.  Menelaus easily defeats Paris, though [[Aphrodite]] spirits him away before Menelaus can finish the duel. Paris is returned to his bedchambers, where Aphrodite forces Helen to be with him.<ref>''Iliad'', book 3, lines 340–419.</ref>

Paris's second attempt at combat is equally fated: rather than engage the Greek hero [[Diomedes]] in hand-to-hand combat, Paris wounds Diomedes with an arrow through the foot.

Later, after slaying Hector and other heroes, [[Achilles]] dies by an arrow of Paris with Apollo's help. According to Hyginus (Fabulae, 107) Apollo disguised himself as Paris.

Later in the war, after [[Philoctetes]] mortally wounds Paris, Helen makes her way to [[Mount Ida]] where she begs Paris's first wife, the nymph [[Oenone]], to heal him. Still bitter that Paris had spurned her for his birthright in the city and then forgotten her for Helen, Oenone refuses. Helen returns alone to Troy, where Paris dies later the same day. In another version, Paris himself, in great pain, visits [[Oenone]] to plead for healing but is refused and dies on the mountainside. When Oenone hears of his funeral, she runs to his funeral pyre and throws herself in its fire.<ref>{{cite book |translator1=Way, A.S. |author=Quintus Smyrnaeus |title=The Fall of Troy |at=Book 10, 259–489 |series=Loeb Classics |volume=19 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge MA |year=1913 |url=http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NympheOinone.html}}</ref>

After Paris's death, his brother [[Deiphobus]] married Helen and was then killed by [[Menelaus]] in the sack of Troy.

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Helen and Paris, Pompeii.jpg|''Seduction of Helen by Paris'', antique fresco in [[Pompeii]], 1st century
File:The face that launched 1,000 ships.jpg|''Abduction of Helen'', ceiling fresco, Venetian, mid-18th century
File:Les Amours de Pâris et d'Hélène (painting by Jacques-Louis David).jpg|''The Love of Helen and Paris'' by [[Jacques-Louis David]] (oil on canvas, 1788, Louvre, Paris)
File:Fresco depicting the meeting of Helen and Alexandros (Paris), Black Room, Pompeii.jpg|Antique fresco from Pompeii, showing Trojan prince Paris with Helen of Troy (1st century CE)
</gallery>