The Trojan War

The Trojan War

Period: Jan 12, 1184 to Oct 13, 1194

Discord.

Jun 3, 1184

The Olympians hold a party, inviting all but Eris, the goddess of Discord. In her anger, she threw a golden apple into the crowd marked "for the fairest". The three goddesses who were among the fairest were Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite. Each went to Zeus asking for his judgment on who is the fairest.

Paris

Jun 13, 1184

Zeus sends the 3 goddesses to Paris, a prince, who he decides will judge who is the fairest, because he knows that if he judges who is the fairest, then he will have a lot of bickering amongst the three no matter whom he chooses, and he doesn't want that. Paris is bribed by all 3, and in the end he choses Aphrodite's bribe: to have the greatest woman in his world.

The Greeks set sail for Troy.

Jun 14, 1184

Helen is whisked away by Paris to the city of Troy. Helen's suitors had made an oath to recapture her should she ever be taken away from Menelaus, and so the Greeks assemble an army to take her back.

Artemis.

Jun 30, 1184

On their journey, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, is angered and stirs up the seas because a family of rabbits died, making the trip to Troy impossible unless they can calm her. She asks them to sacrifice a maiden, which they do, and she calms the seas for them. But they did so at a terrible price.

Troy

Jul 11, 1184

The Greeks arrive at Troy, and immediatley lay siege to the town. The siege continues on for 9 more years, and victory is never assured for either side.

Pretty much nothing of note happened in the 9 years in between.

Jan 1, 1189

Victory went from one side to the other often in this big span of time.

Hostage Crisis

May 1, 1193

The Greeks had taken a priest of Apollo's daughter, and when they would not give her back, the priest prayed for Apollo's intervention. Apollo answered it, and threw plauges and other diseases at the Greeks.

Achilles v. Agamemnon

May 10, 1193

With Apollo hindering their siege efforts, Achilles and Agamemnon argue whether they should return her or not. In the end, Agamemnon agrees to return her, but Achilles must give another girl to him in her stead. This upsets Achilles, and he refuses to fight.

Olympians Assemble

May 14, 1193

The war had gone on long enough to have the Olympians be divided over the Trojans and the Greeks. Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, and Artemis are fighting for the Trojans, while Hera, Athena, and Poseidon are fighting for the Greeks. Zeus wishes to fight for the Trojans, but wishes to avoid arguing with Hera about it. So he remains neutral.

Paris v. Menelaus

May 16, 1193

Zeus made a promise to Thetis to help the Trojans win. He sent a false dream to Agamemnon of the Greeks promising victory if he fought ASAP. The fighting boiled down to Paris and Menelaus, and while Paris was losing, Aphrodite took him up in a cloud to safety. Paris was declared to have forfeit then, so the Trojans agreed to give Helen back. But Athena convinced a Trojan archer to shoot at Menelaus, and the Greeks were furious, and resumed the fighting.

Hera and Zeus.

Jun 12, 1193

Zeus remembers his promise to Thetis again, and orders all gods and goddesses to Olympus so he can fufil his promise. But Hera stops him from fighting for the Trojans by making herself very beautiful. and makes Zeus fall into a deep sleep.

Patroclus = Achilles?

Jul 4, 1193

Patroclus, a friend of Achilles, asked Achilles for his armor, to help demoralize the Trojans, because Achilles was their best warrior. Achilles grants him his armor, and Patroclus goes into battle, slaying many men but eventually being slain himself by Hector, the Trojan's best fighter.

Achilles is Back.

Jul 5, 1193

Upon hearing of his friend's, Patroclus, death, Achilles went back into battle to avenge his death by killing Hector. Hector had stolen his armor, and inheirited some of Achille's qualities by wearing it. After Achilles had killed Hector, he retrieved his armor from him.

Achilles v. Hector

Jul 6, 1193

Achilles and Hector meet in battle, fighting to the death. Achilles overpowers Hector, reclaims his armor that Hector took from Petroclus, and desecrates his body,

Temporary Truce.

Jul 7, 1193

King Priam wished to have his son back to cremate, and so he offered treasures to Achilles in exchange for having Hector. Achilles regrets having desecrated Hector's body, and puts a robe over him to hide the damage from the King. The exchange is made, and a temporary truce is negotiated in order to cremate the dead. It's with this that the Iliad ends.

Retreat...?

Apr 8, 1194

The Greeks, realising that they cannot win with the way things are going now, call upon Odysseus, a man with a crafty mind, to devise a plan to win.

False Story

Apr 10, 1194

The Greeks leave one man on the beach to tell a story to the Trojans, about how they needed to sacrifice someone to guarantee safe passage home, and that he had "escaped" before they could do so. He "explained" that the horse was intended to be given to Athena, and that the Greeks laid it outside the Trojan city in the hopes that they would destroy it, and thus earn the wrath of Athena. But they didn't, and the Trojans took it into their city to give to Athena themselves.

The Trojan Horse

Apr 11, 1194

Odysseus asks the Greeks to make a giant hollow horse to place in front of the gates of Troy, which they will hide in themselves. When the Trojans don't see the Greek ships near land, they think that the Greeks have given up, and take the horse into their city to give to Athena.

Defeat.

Apr 12, 1194

In the night, the Greeks open up a secret covering of the horse, and pillage the town, killing everybody except for a few women to take as slaves. The Trojans had seriously thought the Greeks were gone, so they did not expect an attack, and were slaughtered.

Slaves

Apr 13, 1194

After the Trojans were defeated, the Greeks spared some women as slaves, but one little boy was still alive. The Greeks ordered him to be thrown off the Trojan walls so that no male remained.

Depature.

Apr 14, 1194

The Greeks finally set sail for home, having taken Helen back and sacked the city of Troy. What happens next is known as "The Odyssey".