Paris (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 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 priestess of Apollo, one 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 (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.^[16]

Paris's noble birth was betrayed by his outstanding beauty and intelligence. In some version of the myth, 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 ("defender", "protector of men").^[17]. Another account of the origin of the name Alexander (which could also mean "defended") is that it derived from him being adopted despite being sentenced to exposure by his parents (and thus was defended).^[18]. 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 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.^[19][20]

Paris's chief distraction at this time was to pit Agelaus's bulls 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 Olympus to have Paris arbitrate the divine contest among Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena.^[21]

Judgement of Paris

In celebration of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, Lord Zeus, ruler and a chief deity of the Greek pantheon, hosted a banquet on Mount Olympus. Every deity and demi-god had been invited, except 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" (Ancient Greek: τῇ καλλίστῃ, romanized: 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.^[28] 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. 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,^[29] and Apollodorus describes the pair taking valuables together.^[30] Late sources claim Paris had to raid Menelaus's house to steal Helen from him, but most 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 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.

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  7th-century BC Melian pithamphora depicting the Judgement of Paris, Archaeological Museum of Paros.
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  Paris receives Hermes who leads Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. Painting on terracotta panels, 560–550 BC
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  El Juicio de Paris by Enrique Simonet, c. 1904. Paris is studying Aphrodite, who is standing before him naked. The other two goddesses watch nearby.
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  Judgement of Paris, c. 1801, Capodimonte porcelain (Capitoline Museums, Rome)

Trojan War

Homer's Iliad describes Paris as a self centered coward. Even his brother Hector tells him he lacks the courage and commitment expected of a warrior, and scolds him when he tries to run away from Menelaus, after Paris made an empty boast challenging the Greeks, and then again after he abandons a duel with Menelaus that was to determine the end of the war.^[31] Paris' preference for bow and arrow symbolically underscores this characterisation, since he does not follow the code of honor shared by the other heroes.

However, Paris also kills several named Greeks, with and without divine assistance.^[32] His wounding of Machaon contributes to a Trojan advance.^[33] Hector says that his problem is not so much a lack of skill, as it is a lack of character. In Book 6 Hector, finding out that Paris is at home with Helen while the war rages, tells him that it is entirely wrong to remain inside with her while the army bleeds for him. He demands that Paris get up immediately. Helen is apologetic, expressing self loathing and shame at Paris' behaviour, openly mocking Paris' lack of moral character and courage, and wishing that if the gods had to curse her as they did, they could have at least paired her with a better man: "But since the gods ordained these evils, I wish I had been wed to a better man—one who could feel the sharp sting of public shame and the outrage of his people.", as well as acknowledging Hector's burden^[34]. Hector tells her that he cannot stay, and asks Helen to make sure that Paris gets moving so that they can return to the fight together. He bids farewell to his wife Andromache, then finally Paris catches up to him, making a lighthearted joke about keeping him waiting, and Hector laments that Paris would have the strength and skill of a warrior, but lacks the courage and commitment to use them as would be expected of him. He tells Paris that the Trojans speak of him in utter disgrace, and wishing Paris would get his act together and remove the disgrace his actions have brought upon himself and Troy.^[35].

Early in the Iliad, in Book 3, Paris makes an empty boast, challenging any Greek in single combat, but then his courage completely evaporates once Menelaus leaps to the challenge, recoiling back to the Trojan lines "like a man who steps on a snake in a mountain pass". Hector fiercely scolds him for his cowardice and calls him a "beautiful nuisance" who is only good for his looks. Paris, thus shamed, has to agree to the duel, and proposes that the winner would get Helen and the wealth he stole. Menelaus easily defeats Paris, though Aphrodite spirits him away before Menelaus can finish the duel. Paris is returned to his perfumed bedchambers. Aphrodite then disguises herself as an old woman and goes to fetch Helen, telling her "He is waiting for you in his bedroom, gleaming in his beauty, looking not like a man who just came from a fight, but one dressed for a dance". Helen seen through her disguise, and snaps at her. She is filled with shame and self loathing, and disgusted by Paris' cowardice, and asks Aphrodite if she is trying to trick her again, bitterly asking her if the goddess plans to carry her off to some other distant city just to please another one of her mortal favourites. Then, in a moment of shocking defiance, Helen tells Aphrodite to strip off her own divinity, abandon Mount Olympus and go serve Paris herself as his wife, or slave, declaring that she herself will never go back to his bed. At that point, Aphrodite threatens to use her powers to make both the Greeks and the Trojans despise Helen, and utterly destroy her. Helen's rebellion is thus crushed, and she is forced to sleep with Paris.^[36] She enters the bedroom, followed closely by the goddess Aphrodite, and tells Paris "Back from the fight? I wish you had died out there, beaten to death by that great soldier who used to be my husband", then proceeds to throw his past arrogance back in his face, reminding him of how he used to brag that he was a far better spearman and warrior than Menelaus. She sarcastically dares to fight him again, adding that he is so vastly outmatched that Menelaus' spear would quickly end him. ^[37]. Paris brushes her off, making up an excuse that Menelaus had only won this time because he had the help of Athena, and that he will win next time, since he too has gods on his side. Then brushes aside the entire war as unimportant, shifting the conversation to his lust, declaring: "Come, let us take our joy, couched together in love; for never yet hath desire so encompassed my soul."^[38]. Helen, defeated by her husband's indifference and Aphrodite's threats, follows him in silence, having no choice but to comply.

In Book 11, Paris wounds Diomedes from afar, with an arrow through the foot. In response to his unseemly crowing, Diomedes disparages him in multiple ways: "Archer, you who without your bow are nothing, slanderer and seducer!"^[39] In Book 13, Paris calls on the fighting Trojans to press the attack against the Greeks.^[40]

In the Aethiopis, after slaying Hector and other heroes, Achilles dies by an arrow of Paris with Apollo's help.^[41] According to Hyginus (Fabulae, 107) Apollo disguised himself as Paris.

Later in the war, Paris duels Philoctetes and dies. His corpse is fought over and eventually recovered by the Trojans.^[42]

In later versions, Paris doesn't die immediately, but after Philoctetes mortally wounds him, he goes to Mount Ida or is transported there by servants and attendants. There, either him or those accompanying him ask Paris's first wife, the nymph Oenone, to heal him. Still bitter that Paris had betrayed her, choosing to vote for Aphrodite in the Judgement of Paris in exchange for the world's most beautiful woman, lying to her and going to Sparta under the guise of a diplomatic mission to retrieve his reward, Helen, despite her prophetic warnings about the disastrous consequences of his actions, and abandoning her and, in the versions of the myth where they have a child, their son Corythus (in certain accounts, even killing him, believing him to be Helen's lover, not realizing he was his son), Oenone refuses. Depending on the account, Paris either dies on the mountainside, or is brought back to Troy where he dies the same day. When Oenone hears of his death she commits suicide, either by leaping from heights, hanging herself or jumping on Paris' funeral pyre.^[43] Yet another version has Oenone eager to heal Paris, but was prevented by her father from doing so.^[44]

After Paris's death, his brothers Deiphobus and Helenus competed for the hand in marriage of Helen, with Deiphobus winning out.^[45] Deiphobus was later killed by Menelaus during the sack of Troy.^[46][47]

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  Seduction of Helen by Paris, antique fresco in Pompeii, 1st century
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  Abduction of Helen, ceiling fresco, Venetian, mid-18th century
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  The Love of Helen and Paris by Jacques-Louis David (oil on canvas, 1788, Louvre, Paris)
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  Antique fresco from Pompeii, showing Trojan prince Paris with Helen of Troy (1st century CE)