Classics and the Western Canon discussion
The Library of Greek Mythology
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Week 10: 12. The Pelopids, 13. The Trojan War
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The wrath of Achilles (a summary of the Iliad) I was surprised to learn that even a god was wounded in the Trojan War, Diomedes performed deeds of valour* and wounded Aphrodite when she came to the aid of Aeneas. . .
Penthesileia the Amazon; Memnon and the death of Achilles; the suicide of Aias
It is said that Achilles lives on after his death as the husband of Medea on the Isles of the Blessed.I had not heard that before. I am not sure if that seems a fit end for the pair or not, what do you think?
Philoctetes and the death of Paris; conditions for the fall of Troy
Odysseus goes back to get Philoctetes and the bow of Heracles that was given to him. Philoctetes then kills Alexander/Paris with this bow. After the death of Paris, some brothers fight over Helen and the loser, Helenos leaves Troy only to be captured by Odysseus and reveal 3 conditions required for Troy to fall. So it happens that the bones of Pelops are brought over, Neoptolemos fights as and ally of Greece, and Odysseus steals the Palladion. Note: Wikipedia indicates, the Trojan Palladium was said to be a wooden image of Pallas (whom the Greeks identified with Athena and the Romans with Minerva) and to have fallen from heaven in answer to the prayer of Ilus, the founder of Troy. We also learn that Helen recognized and assisted Odysseus in stealing the object. I am always curious in evidences for and against Helen’s willingness in being abducted by Paris.mast
The wooden horse
Enough said.
The sack of Troy
Atrocities. Most notably the rape of Cassandra by Aias. A note indicates this was a later Hellenistic addition to explain Athene’s wrath.
Tantalos
Tantalos is tantalized in Hades for sharing too much of the god’s benefits with mortals. I see some parallels to Prometheus here. Artemis strikes again and causes Broteas, a son of Tantalos, to go mad and throw himself into fire for boasting the fire could not harm him.
Pelops and Hippodameia
Pelops wins Hippodameia but also curses, and also gains the Peloponnese which he names after himself.
Atreus and Thyestes
Atreus, son on Pelops, feeds Thyestes own children to him. Thyestes has another child, Aigisthos, by his own daughter who eventually kills Atreus and restroes the kingdom to Thyestes.
Agamemnon and Menelaos
Kings of Greece, Mycenae and Sparta, respectively, at the time of the Trojan War.
13. The Trojan War
The Judgement of Paris and the abduction of Helen
Interesting how some try to save Helen’s reputation by saying she was stolen away to Egypt for safekeeping by Hermes and replaced with a phantom of herself made from clouds.
Agamemnon assembles the Greek army
We get an impressive list of ships and a snake that eats nine birds interpreted to mean nine years of war ending in the tenth year.
The attack on Mysia; the Greeks assemble for a second time
Does Homer mention this major blunder for an entire army of heroes/demigods. And then to take 8 years to start over again after a storm causes them to turn back? And what is this about Artemis saving Iphigeneia?
The Greeks call in at Tenedos
Achilles is warned beforehand not to kill Tenes at the cost of being killed by Apollo, so of course Apollo kills him. Philoctetes snake bite must have been particularly stinky since, the army could not abide the stench.
The landing at Troy, and the first nine years of the mar
Achilles is warned beforehand not to be the first to disembark from the ships because the first to disembark would be killed. He heeds this advice and waits until Protesilaos disembarks first and is killed. More cattle rustling. [Achilles] laid waste to the land, and went to Mount Ida to rustle the cattle of Aeneas and Priam. After 9 years of warfare we get a list of Trojan allies who arrived to try and help.