Troy 3: Helen's Suitors

Word of Helen’s imminent betrothal spread rapidly across ancient Greece. King Tyndareus’ house was besieged by suitors eager to marry Helen. Among the suitors were many famous Greek leaders. Among them were Odysseus, Ajax, and Menelaus. This was a perilous situation for King Tyndareus. There were so many important and powerful suitors, but the king could choose only one to be Helen’s husband. He was fearful of insulting all the others. His decision would make all of them losers, maybe even vengeful losers.

So, King Tyndareus accepted an arrangement proposed by Odysseus (image) who, although officially among Helen’s suitors, really wanted to marry the King’s niece, Penelope. In exchange for Penelope’s hand in marriage, Odysseus conceived a diplomatic strategy that would preclude retaliation from the suitors not chosen to marry Helen. The suitors were gathered together and, per Odysseus’ strategy, each swore an oath to respect the king’s choice of husband for Helen and to protect the marriage against harm.

After the suitors swore not to retaliate, Menelaus was chosen to be Helen’s husband. The newly-weds settled in Sparta. Soon, Helen gave birth to a daughter, Hermione. But, the routine of married life was to be short lived for Helen. Fate had woven a larger tapestry of life for her. As she suckled her newborn child, other forces, both mortal and divine, were in motion. Ultimately, these forces prevented Helen from settling into domesticity and triggered a series of events that led to a torrid affair, murder, mayhem, bigamy, and the founding of Rome.

The Gods choose sides

Zeus’ desire was to remain uninvolved in the conflict between the Greeks and the Trojan. He preferred to allow fate to take its course uninterrupted and undiverted. Nevertheless, the gods became deeply involved in the actions and outcome of the Trojan War in Homer’s Iliad. Zeus’ opposition to divine intervention did not prevent the Greek gods and goddesses from aiding and abetting one side or the other. For example, Hera and Athena, still smarting over Paris’ choice of Aphrodite as the fairest, sided with the Greeks against the Trojans.

Artist's rendering of Athena's head on a coin

Poseidon also sided with the Greeks. He held a grudge against Troy. Poseidon helped build the walls around the city of Troy, but the Trojans refused to pay him for this service. Poseidon took his revenge by aiding the Greeks against the Trojans.

Aphrodite sided with the Trojans, not only because of her devotion to Paris but also because her mortal son, Aeneas, was one of the Trojans’ strongest warriors.

Apollo and Ares also help the Trojans in battle. Artemis, too, was a Trojan ally, but did not provide much help to them.