29 • 04 • 2022

The Incredible Myth of the Trojan War

Author: Josiah Amwine Kakitahi

The Trojan War. The ten year war that showed an incredible display of wit, backstabbing, and marked the end of a truly promising nation.

How it Started

The Trojan War started when prince Paris of Troy stole Helen the princess of Greece from her husband Menelaus. He was absolutely furious with Paris because he believed that taking someone’s wife during a time of peace meant war. So he convinced his brother Agamemnon to get his best warriors including Achilles and Odysseus to sail to Troy to teach Paris and his brother Hector a lesson. The main problem was, Hector was a very valiant and strong warrior that would certainly give even Achilles a run for his money. Agamemnon and Menelaus didn’t care though, all Menelaus wanted to do was to kill Paris for his treachery, but Agamemnon secretly didn’t care about Menelaus and wanted to take the land of Troy to add it to his already large empire. So Agamemnon and Menelaus prepared to sail to Troy with an army, Odysseus king of Ithaca, Ajax son of Zeus and Hera and half brother of Herakles or Hercules. But Achilles didn’t want to go because he was angry at Agamemnon because he had ignored the priest of Apollo which caused a plague to be sent to the people of Achaea. Odysseus was asked to convince him to come, and he did, but he refused to fight.

Battle Lines are Drawn

Hector and the people of Troy were ready for the battle and when the Greeks landed on the shore and didn’t look so friendly the Trojans attacked. Achilles and his people, though, went and set up camp on the other side of the island. Agamemnon was furious that his best warrior was not fighting, but he didn’t do anything about it. However tragedy was about to strike Troy. Hector saw Achilles’ best friend Patroclus was in battle and thought that it was Achilles and quickly killed him and took his armor. News spread quickly to Achilles and he was enraged. So he quickly joined the battle and made his impact on it, having a battle with Hector, supposedly one on one, and Hercules killed him, dragging his body around the grave of Patroclus three times. The King of Troy begged Achilles to give Hector’s body to him, and he did. Unfortunately though, prince Paris shot an arrow into Achilles’ heel, killing him and taking Greece’s greatest warrior.

The Climax

The battle waged for ten years in total, and Troy held on because of it’s mighty walls, but Odysseus had enough. He asked the craftsmen to build a giant wooden horse that is hollow on the inside. When it was finished, he ordered this ships to leave for Greece, and also ordered his men to enter the horse and leave it at the gate of Troy. The people of Troy thought it was a gift and they had won the war, so they dragged the horse into the city, and at about midnight, the Greeks climbed down the horse and killed the confused Trojans, taking the city for Agamemnon.

Conclusion

The Trojan War was truly horrible and claimed the lives of great leaders and warriors. The total assumed death count of the war was about 500,000 people including Hector and Achilles, and the loss of a nation. And all of that was for one woman.