Trojan war by malliaris

With the series «GREEK MYTHOLOGY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN», our Publishing House is attempting something new for children of pre-school and early school age. This series handles Greek my thology using simple but interesting language and illustrations suited for children of this age group. The work consists of eight self-contained volumes, whith the following titles:

• THESEUS AND HIS DEEDS • THE TROJAN WAR • THE LABOURS OF HERCULES • THE GODS OF OLYMPUS • THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TALES OF MYTHOLOGY • THE WANDERINGS OF ODYSSEUS • THE LESSER GODS • JASON AND THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGONAUTS

ISBN 978-960-457-085-0

www.malliaris.gr

085.1776

rth n u Fo ditio e

Also available in this series:

Греческая мифология для детей

Лучшие мифологические истории

Text: Aristides Kesopoulos Illustrations: Fotis Pechlivanides

Text: Aristides Kesopoulos, Georgios Skiades, Polixeni Mpantouvaki Translation: Stelios Vasilakopoulos Illustration: Fotis Pechlivanides Photos: Archive of Malliaris-Paedeia fourth Edition 2012-2013 ISBN 978-960-457-085-0 Â© MALLIARIS-PAEDIA PUBLICATIONS S.A. Ermou 53, 546 23 Thessaloniki, Greece Tel. +30 2310 252888, +30 2310 252889, Fax +30 2310 238364 Central Distribution: - 51, 25th Martiou Str., 546 29 N. Eukarpia, Thessaloniki Tel. +30 2310 640755-6, Fax +30 2310 640757

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A FEW WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER With the series “GREEK MYTHOLOGY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN”, our publishing house is attempting something new for children of pre-school and early school age children. This series handles Greek Mythology using simple but interesting language and illustrations suited for children of this age group. The work consists of the following titles: • THE GODS OF OLYMPUS • THE LESSER GODS • THE LABOURS OF HERCULES • THESEUS • JASON AND THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGONAUTS • THE TROJAN WAR • THE WANDERINGS OF ODYSSEUS • THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TALES OF MYTHOLOGY Antonis Malliaris

INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES GREEK MYTHOLOGY The ancient Greeks before they developed the sciences, tried to explain the various natural phenomenon around them as the actions of imaginary beings. For example, they believed that lightning was one of the weapons Zeus used to punish evil men, whereas today we know that it is caused by electricity in the clouds. These explanations, which children today still give for things they do not understand, are called myths. Thus the ancient Greeks personified all natural phenomenon and objects, and created a host of myths about gods and devils, demigods and heroes, monsters and nymphs, witches and muses. Further, as time went on, they tried to give meaning to the important moments in life, and important historical events, by weaving myths around them. Examples are the myths of Jason and the Argonauts, The Labours of Hercules and the achievements of Theseus, The Trojan War and the Wanderings of Odysseus. All these myths together made up the great and wonderful Greek mythology, drawn from the imagination of simple men and the inspiration of poets. Generation after generation grew up with these gripping myths, altering them sometimes, according to their needs and passing them on by word of mouth or the writings of wise men. Of course other peoples have their mythologies too, and perhaps some are more extensive than Greek Mythology but none of them can be compared to Greek mythology in terms of images and form, in plot in the depths of the lessons it teaches us. These myths are drawn from life and nature, adorned with rich fanÂŹtasy, and expressed in the rich Greek language, which is why mythology is taught today in many countries.

INTRODUCTION THE TROJAN WAR

The Trojan War was one of the greatest military expeditions the Greeks undertook to capture lands beyond Greece. Here fact is mixed with fiction, because archeologists have discovered that there really was such an expedition. Paris, a prince of Troy, had earned off beautiful Helen, wife of King Menelaus, and all the Greeks joined together to avenge this insult to Greece. The real reason, though, for the war was to conquer Troy, because of its strategic position on the Hellespont. Starting with this real event, the Greek poet Homer, created the myth of the Trojans Waradding many imaginary details to make a thrilling story that grips the reader to the end. The sacrifice of Iphigenia, the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles, the feats of Achilles, the death of Hector, the Trojan Horse, and the sack of Troy are just a few of the dramatic events of the Trojan War, so wonderfully told by Homer in his great poem â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Illiadâ&#x20AC;?.

Paris Seizes Helen The Trojan War was a great military adventure of ancient times, by the Greeks kings against the city of Troy. It lasted for ten years and cost many lives, but also produced many heroes. The last battles of the war were beautifully described by the great poet Homer in his epic poem “The Illiad”. It was called the Illiad because the ancient name of Troy was Ilion. The cause of the war was the seizure of the beautiful Helen by Paris. Paris, a prince of Troy, was once a guest of King Menelaus of Sparta but in spite of the hospitality he received, he deceived Menelaus’s wife and carried her off to Troy. The ancient Greeks believed that in reality the Trojan War took place because it was arranged by Zeus. He believed that there were too many people on the earth and that the earth couldn’t support so much weight. Thus many had to be killed and that would lessen the burden.

The Greeks Army Sets off for Troy Menelaus was furious at Paris for what he had done, and called on all the Greek kings to help him punish the Trojan. Melelaus’s brother, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, considered Paris’s act an insult to all Greece, and also called on the Greeks to join in a great expedition against Troy. Thus, in a few months a great army was gathered in Aulis in Boetis, with hundreds of ships and thousands of men. The leader of the expedition was Agamemnon, because he was the most powerful king. Other important kings were Achilles, the young king of Phthia, with his faithful friend Patroclus, the crafty and resourceful king of Ithaca, Odysseus and Nestor the wise old king of Pylos and many others. The cunning Odysseus didn’t want to take part in the war and pretended to be very ill. Then Nestor, Menelaus, Palamidi, the king of Evia went to Ithica and appealed to Odysseus,s sense of honour thus persuading him to take part in the expedition.

The Fleet cannot Embark Everything was ready for the army to set sail. But no wind came to fill the sails of the ships. The days passed, and the fleet stayed motionless in the harbour. Then Agamemnon asked the prophet Calchas what the matter was. Calchas replied that the goddess Artemis was angry with him because he had killed her sacred deer and because of this she had stopped the winds from blowing, and she would not let them blow until Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia. When Agamemnon heard this he was in despair. How could he sacrifice his darling daughter? But the ships had to set sail, and the men were becoming impatient. Finally, Agamemnon hardened his heart and agreed to sacrifice his daughter. In order for his wife and Iphigenia herself not to realize what he had in mind, he invited his whole family to Aulis. He sent a message to them stating that he missed his wife and family so that they would be moved and come to him.

The Sacrifice of Iphigenia Full of sorrow, Agamemnon sent for his wife, Clytemnestra and his daughter Iphigenia to come to Aulis, and there he told them of the will of Artemis. His wife refused to allow such a thing, but Iphigenia, after crying a little, accepted her fate so that the Greeks could sail for Troy and avenge the insult of Paris. Calchas prepared to sacrifice her, but as the sword came slicing down towards her neck, Artemis snatched her up into a cloud and left a ram in her place. The goddess carried Iphigenia away to distant Pontus, to serve as the priestess of her temple there. The temple was situated on an isolated shore on top of boulders on which the angry waves broke. In this country, a wild, barbarous race lived which was extremely inhospitable.

The First Greek Death of the Trojan War Calchas was the first great prophet in ancient Greece and when the Greeks were ready to depart for Troy he said that the first warrior who set foot on Asia Minor would die moments later. This got around by word of mouth and when the Greek fleet reached the shores of Troy, no one wanted to be the first to disembark from their ship. In the meantime, the Trojans had prepared and were set for battle. The cunning Odysseus saw the brave and impetuous Protesilaos eager to do battle and gave the order to jump. Then, Odysseus secretly threw his shield on the beach and jumped on it without touching land. Assured by this act, Prostesilaos jumped onshore and threw himself into the battle. Hector, the prince of Troy saw him and with a powerful thrust of his sword killed Prostestilaos, thus fulfilling the prophecy. The death of Protesilaos filled the Greek ranks with sorrow because he was considered a hero.

The weapons of the young Hector, who is being approached by his parents, Priam and Ekavi

The Greeks Besiege Troy When the Greeks reached Troy, they saw that it was a strongly fortified city with high walls and that it would not be easily taken. Thus, they pulled their ships up to the beach and started to besiege it. They believed that sooner or later the Trojans would have to give in from hunger because they would run out of food. The Trojans, however, resisted bravely, and often came out of the city to fight the Greeks. Their leader was Hector, the brother of Paris, a wise and brave man, who organized the defense of the city very well. The Greeks attacked again and again, but they were always thrown back. The months turned into years and Troy still did not fall. The provisions of the Greeks finished too and went on raids in the surrounding areas. The restless and war-like Achilles preferred these raids to the siege and brought back much, food, wine, slaves and treasures which were shared by all the leaders.

A war scene from the first battles of the Trojan War.

Achilles Kills Hetiona When the Greeks began their siege of Troy, Achilles regularly took brave warriors on his raids to assure food and treasure for the Greek army. On one such raid Achilles personally killed the 7 children of King Hetiona of Thebes, who saw his children be killed one by one by the terrible Achilles. The king then drew his sword and fell upon Achilles with power and rage causing great difficulties for Achilles, however Achilles killed him too in the end. Achilles so admired the courage and strength of the old king that he ordered that he be buried with his armour and sword even if at that time it was the custom to take the armour of the dead man. In this way Achilles proved he was a real man who knew how to honour his opponent.

The handsome and brave Achilles, the greatest hero of the Trojan War (Batican Museum). 21

Achilles Sows Terror Among the Trojans Nine years had passed and the Greeks had not yet taken Troy. In the tenth year the attacks became more and more frequent, but the Trojans fought back fiercely. In these battles many heroes stood out, but above all Achilles. He was without fear, and in every attack he spread panic among the Trojans. It was said that he was invulnerable, and that no arrow could pierce him. This was because his mother, the nymph Thetis, had dipped him in imperishable steam when he was a baby so that he would never be hurt. But she held him by his heels so these had not been touched by the water, and they were the only vulnerable parts of him. It is said that Achilles had the protection of the goddess Athena and of his mother, who was also a goddess. The truth is that these deities and others were involved in the war, some supporting the Greeks and some the besieged Trojans. Apollo, for example, supported the Trojans since he helped build it during its construction.

How Paris was Ridiculed As long as the Trojan war drew on, the two opposing armies held great battles in the open plain located between the Greek camp and the walls of Troy. Before one such battle Paris stood in front of all the Trojan soldiers and asked if any Greek soldier would dare do battle with him. At that moment, Menelaus, the husband of beautiful Helen, came forward full of rage. As soon as Paris saw Melelaus coming towards him, he turned yellow with fear. He turned his back and ran to hide between his soldiers, out of breath and trembling. The Greeks and Trojans who were not fighting burst out laughing. What Paris didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know was that he was later to die at the hands of Menelaus when the Greeks took the city.

Paris challenges the Achaeans to a duel

Menelaus dueling with Paris.

The 12 awesome Horses of Risos Risos was the king of Thrace and a very strong and fearless warrior. He had a brave army and had twelve pure white horses that could run faster than the wind and made the man behind their reins invincible. Risos came to Troy to help his friend, Hector, against the Greeks. Since he arrived at Troy at night and knew it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t right to open the city gates then, he and his troops camped outside the city walls. This was big mistake which they paid dearly. After midnight Odysseus and Diomedes went through the tents of Risos and his troops like snakes and with their sharp knives slaughtered them all in their sleep including Risos himself. They then returned to the Greek camp triumphantly leading Risosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horses with them.

Odysseus and Diomedes stealing the wonderful horses of Risos.

How Diomedes Wounded Aphrodite In the great battles which took place in the Trojan War, it chanced that many times the gods fought with men some supporting the Greeks, some supporting the Trojans. In one such battle the renowned archer,Pandaros, aimed at and struck the Greek hero, Diomedes. Enraged when he saw his own blood flowing and staining his tunic, Diomedes ran towards him clearing the way with his spear. When he reached the archer, he speared him with such force that it went right through and out his back. Aineas, the Trojan hero came to help, however Diomedes seeing that he no longer had his spear picked up and threw a great rock, which smashed Aineasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hip. Seeing this, Aphrodite, who was the mother of Aineas, took him in her arms to protect him. Then Diomedes drew his sword and slashed the goddessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arm, the first time a mortal managed to wound an immortal.

The wounded Aeneas.

Agamemnon and Achilles Quarrel In one raid, Achilles captured two girls and gave one to Agamemnon, while keeping the other girl for himself to serve him. But when Agamemnon lost his girl, he took Achilles’s girl, which made Achilles furious. He stayed in his tent and vowed not to fight again unless Agamemnon gave him back his girl. Without Achilles though, the Greeks were very much weaker because he was their greatest fighter. The Trojans picked up courage and now started to attack. The war started to go badly for the Greeks, but Achilles would not change his mind, however much the other kings begged him. It seems that Agamemnon was very troubled by this act because it can’t be explained how the man who moved all the leaders and warriors to do battle and always said it was the Greek’s holy duty to conquer Troy and undo the shame of Menelaus, now sat idle in his tent.

Hector and Ajax Duel Many Greeks and Trojans were killed in each battle and to end this needless slaughter, Athena and Apollo sent a mental message to the brave prince of Troy, Hector, to call and do battle with a Greek warrior and he who would win the duel would claim victory for his side. The Greek leaders drew lots amongst the heroes and the lot fell to Ajax of Salamina who was to duel with Hector the following morning. The next day, the opponents fought madly crying out savagely until their spears broke and their shields were battered to bits. They then fought with their swords until nightfall when the duel was declared over, without a winner.

Ajax duels with Hector and Teuktros Kneeling draws his bow against his opponent.

Zeus Punishes the Greeks for Disrespect During the Trojan War, the Greeks dug a great ditch around the Greek camp and then let the sea fill it so as make it difficult for the Trojans to attack. Poseidon, the god of the sea, however was angered because the Greeks had not even offered him the smallest sacrifice and complained to his brother Zeus, who agreed that that it was a great dishonour. Zeus then arranged for a great battle to begin and after a few hours lightning began to fall upon the Greek warriors. The Trojans took courage from this event and drove the Greeks back to their camp. Poseidon created a great storm which raised huge waves which flooded the Greek camp. He then destroyed the ditch and allowed all the water inside to flow back into the sea. Many times that day Poseidon and Zeus took part in the battle on the Trojan side, still holding a grudge against the Greeks.

Poseidon descends from Samothraki and speeds to help the Acheans (Drawing from Fr. Preller the younger, 1877/1878). 35

Patroclus is Killed in Battle When Achilles declared that he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to take part in the war again, his close friend Patroclus decided to play a trick. He knew that the Trojans were terrified at the sight of Achilles when they saw him amongst the Greeks, so he decided to ask the great warrior to lend him his armour. He believed that when the Trojans would see him in Achillesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s armour, they would take him for Achilles and would take to their heels. Achilles agreed to let him try, giving him the armour and also his soldiers. The trick worked and the Trojans panicked when they thought that it was Achilles coming after them. But Patroclus made the mistake of chasing them to the walls of Troy. There he met Hector, who fought and finally killed him. The young and inexperienced Parroclus, showed that he had great courage since he did not hesitate to do battle with the best Trojan warrior, Hector. Also, before he was killed, Patroclus did battle with and killed with his spear the king of Lukias, Sarpidona, who was an ally of Hector.

Achilles Kills Hector The death of his beloved friend finally stirred Achilles into action. The first thing he did after he recovered from his great pain was to have new armour made which his mother asked Heshaistos himself to make. He made the armour of bronze and silver. He also made him a shining shield with a beautiful design which depicted the gods, a helmet with a beautiful tuft, a long metal tipped spear and a short, sharp double edged sword. Full of rage for Hector, he charged with his new armour and chariot towards the Trojans, who, at the sight of the enraged Achilles, ran back to the fortifications of Troy. Only Hector stood outside the walls to face Achilles. Achilles chased Hector three times around the walls of Troy, and then finally caught and killed him. Then Achilles tied Hector to the back of his chariot and dragged him around the walls of Troy for all to see. Only when King Priam, the father of Hector, asked for the body back, did Achilles relent and hand over the body. Then, all of Troy wept for the loss of their bravest warrior.

“Τhe triumph of Achilles”, a wall painting from the great hall “Achilleion” (Corfu). The victor, Achilles, drags the dead body of Hector behind his chariot for a round of victory around the walls of Troy.

A Ridiculous Quarrel Amongst the Gods The gods often took part in the battles between the Greeks and Trojans and this sometimes led to quarrels amongst the gods. Thus one day Ares wanted to help the Trojans so he put on his armor and stormed against the Greeks. Athena was enraged because she always was on the side of the Greeks so she threw a great boulder upon Ares who uttered a great cry of pain. Aphrodite rushed to his side to save her beloved Ares and struck Athena on her chest. At the same time, Artemis sent an arrow towards Athena but Hera grabbed the arrow and spanked both Artemis and Aphrodite. These two ran to Olympus and hid, red and ashamed. In this way the quarrel ended.

Odysseusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Evil Plan Against Palamidis When the Greeks were ready to go to war with Troy, the clever Odysseus didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to go and pretended to be ill. It was Palamidis who uncovered him and forced Odysseus to go and since then Odysseus held a grudge against him. When the siege of Troy began, Odysseus devised an evil plan of revenge. He secretly buried a sack of gold under the tent of the good Palamidis and then wrote a letter that supposedly came from King Priam, in that way implying that Priam sent the gold to Palamidis to convince the other Greek kings to abandon the war. Afterwards Odysseus managed to have the letter fall into the hands of Agamemnon and suggested that they search the tent of Paslamidis. When they did so and found the gold, Palamidis was stoned to death for treason.

Spying at Night One day the Greeks decided to send two brave warriors to penetrate the walls of Troy to spy on their defenses. They decided to send Odysseus and Diomedes on this night mission but the Trojans had the same idea in mind and sent Dolona who was brave and fast as a jackal. On his way to the Greek camp, Dolona had the misfortune to fall upon the two Greeks. They held him down, put a knife to his throat and forced him to tell them all he knew. Then, Odysseus slaughtered him and the two Greeks returned to the Greek camp with the information they needed without having to penetrate the walls of Troy. They found out that a king friendly to Troy was on his way to support the besieged city and knowing this, the Greeks ambushed him killing him and his troops.

Î&#x;dysseus and Diomedes meet and surprise Dolona, the Trojan spy, in the forest.

The Goddess Hera Punishes the River Skamandro It was often that the Gods of Olympus took part in the Trojan War and in one great battle, Achilles and invincible Murmidones drove the Trojans towards the River Skamandro, which was near the walls of Troy. To save the Trojans, the river god made the river rage and raised its level so that Achilles could not chase the Trojans into the river. The level of the river was so high however, that both sides were in danger of drowning. At this point both Poseidon and Athena ran to help the Greeks and Hera ordered Hephaistos to start fire everywhere to dry the waters. Then the small river begged the gods to stop the fires because the river was in danger of drying up altogether. Hephaistos stopped the fires but told the little god that this was the last time he would go unpunished if he interfered with the affairs of the gods.

Hephaistos, under order from Hera, puts fire to the Skamandro River (from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ambrosian Iliadâ&#x20AC;?, 5th-6th A.D.)

Paris Kills Achilles Achilles cruel treatment of Hector’s body made the Trojans more determined than ever, but Achilles fought like a lion and spread panic everywhere. Then Apollo, who had taken the Trojans’ side in the war, told Paris to aim for Achilles in his heel. Paris, coward that he was, hid behind a half open city gate and shot a poisoned arrow which hit Achilles in his heel, and Achilles crashed to the ground, dead. There was then a fierce fight over the body of Achilles because the Trojans wanted the armour of the great Achilles. In the end, the giant Ajax carried the fallen hero on his back to the Greek camp, which was in despair. They burned Achilles’ body and buried his ashes with great honour on the seashore near Troy, beside the grave of his friend Patroclus.

The Suicide of Ajax After the funeral of Achilles, most of the leaders of the Greek forces wanted to have armour of Achilles. As a consequence, Menelaus, Odysseus, Agamemnon, Ajax and others argued bitterly about who would get the armour. To avoid further discord, the wise Nestor suggested that they draw lots and they all agreed. Athena however, arranged the lots so that Odysseus would win. Ajax was most upset that he had lost believing that he most deserved to have the armour because only he and Achilles managed to do battle with Hector and not be killed. Ajax could not be consoled so one night he went to the Trojan shore and fell upon his sword, killing himself.

Neoptolemos Kills Euripilos After the death of Achilles, the son of the great hero, Neoptolemos came to fight alongside the Greeks. In Trojan camp there was Euripilos, who came to save the city and was the grandson of Herucles from a son who had been born in Asia Minor. In one of the daily battles outside the walls of Troy, Neoptolemos and Euripolos met and the son of Achilles challenged Euripolos to a duel saying that it was a shame that the offspring of a Greek hero would be fighting for the enemy camp. Euripolos responded to the challenged and a long , hard battle followed in which Neoptolemos lay his opponent dead making Greek victories easier.

Odysseus Brings Back Filoktiti When the Greek fleet sailed for Troy they stopped at an uninhabited island to get water. It was there that the hero Filoktiti went hunting but was bitten by a snake and his wound was infected. Thinking that he would die, the other leaders left him there so that he would not have to suffer the journey. What the leaders didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take into consideration was that Filoftiti had the bow of Hercules and the poisonous arrows which had been dipped in the blood of Hydra. When the war with Troy continued for many, the Greeks found useful a prophesy which said that Troy would only fall if they had the bow of Hercules. They then sent Odysseus and the son Achilles to find and bring back the bow. When they reached the island fortunately for the Greeks Filoktitis was still alive and after a great effort Odysseus convinced him to come to Troy and use his bow against them.

Filoktitis with the weapons of Hercules in Limnos, while around him a plan for his abduction is being set.

The Trojan Horse Without their hero Achilles, the Greeks were in a very difficult position. Months had passed and still Troy did not fall. Then the cunning Odysseus hit upon a clever trick. He asked the Greeks to build an enormous wooden horse. The horse would be hollow and Odysseus with ten other men would hide inside. The Greeks would leave the horse outside the walls of Troy, with a plaque saying that they had dedicated it to the goddess Athena. The other Greeks would hide nearby. The Trojans would bring the horse into the city, and at night the Greeks inside the horse would slip silently out and throw open the city gates. In the meantime the other Greeks would return and sweep through the open gates. In reality Odysseus did not think of the plan himself but was planted there by Athena. Odysseus however presented it as his own plan to win the admiration of the other leaders.

Laocoonda Warns the Trojans When the Trojans saw the Greeks getting into their ships and setting sail, they went wild with joy that their dreaded enemies were leaving after so many years. Then they saw the wooden horse, and decided at once to bring it into the city. But a priest of Apollos, Laocoonda warned them not to be in such a hurry because it might be a trick on the part of the Greeks. At that moment, two great snakes slithered out of the sea and made for Laocoonda and his two sons. They coiled themselves around the three and suddenly squeezed them to death. Then, the Trojans were sure that the gods had punished Laocoonda for his words and that it was their will that the horse be brought to the city. It seems that this was the will of the gods that the Greeks take Troy because when Lacoonda failed to convince the Trojans with his words, he grabbed a spear and struck the belly of the wooden horse and shook the horse which caused the soldiers inside to fall upon each other and fall down. This caused some noise but no one in the crowd heard a thing.

The Greeks Take Troy The horse was so big that to get it into the city the Trojans had to tear down part of the wall that they rebuilt afterwards. That night when everyone was asleep, tired from many hours of signing and dancing and feasting. This was the Trojansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; great mistake. In the silent darkness the secret door of the wooden horse opened and out jumped Odysseus and his men. They quickly lit fires to signal the other Greeks hiding behind a small island to return and opened wide the gates of Troy. The Greek soldiers fell upon the sleeping Trojans with all the fury of their ten years of hatred, killing all they met. The city was put to the torch and went up in flames since the Trojans could nor fight back. Not a man was spared, as they, the Greeks at last got their revenge for the insult done to them by Paris.

The Greeks Head for Home After a few days the Greeks loaded their ships with the rich booty from Troy. And one by one set sail for their far off homes. But the gods were angry with them because on that terrible night when they destroyed Troy, the Greeks did not spare their temples. Thus, only a few of the Greeks were able to return to their homes safely and quickly. Most suffered many hardships and took a long time to reach home. Menelaus and Helen took 8 years to reach home because great storms swept them to far off lands in the east. Most of the Spartan fleet sunk and only two ships reached Sparta with only half the crew still alive. Also, after Menelaus died, Helen was hanged by the people because they believed that she had been responsible for so many deaths. Agamemnon was also murdered as soon as he arrived home, murdered by his wife, who hated him for the sacrifice of Iphigenia. Finally, Odysseus wandered and wandered for ten years before finally coming home to Ithaca.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A FEW WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER ................................5 INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES ............................................6 INTRODUCTION “THE TROJAN WAR” ...................................7 1. Paris Seizes Helen ......................................................................8 2. The Greeks Army Sets off for Troy .........................................10 3. The Fleet cannot Embark .........................................................12 4. The Sacrifice of Iphigenia ........................................................14 5. The First Greek Death of the Trojan War .................................16 6. The Greeks Besiege Troy .........................................................18 7. Achilles Kills Hetiona ..............................................................20 8. Achilles Sows Terror Among the Trojans ................................22 9. How Paris was Ridiculed .........................................................24 10. The 12 awesome Horses of Risos ..........................................26 11. How Diomedes Wounded Aphrodite.......................................28 12. Agamemnon and Achilles Quarrel .........................................30 13. Hector and Ajax Duel .............................................................32 14. Zeus Punishes the Greeks for Disrespect ..............................34 15. Patroclus is Killed in Battle ....................................................36 16. Achilles Kills Hector ..............................................................38 17. A Ridiculous Quarrel Amongst the Gods ...............................42 18. Odysseus’s Evil Plan Against Palamidis ................................43 19. Spying at Night ......................................................................44 20. The Goddess Hera Punishes the River Skamandro ................46 21. Paris Kills Achilles .................................................................48 22. The Suicide of Ajax ................................................................50 23. Neoptolemos Kills Euripilos ..................................................51 24. Odysseus Brings Back Filoktiti .............................................52 25. The Trojan Horse ...................................................................54 26. Laocoonda Warns the Trojans ................................................56 27. The Greeks Take Troy ............................................................58 28. The Greeks Head for Home ...................................................60

NAME INDEX

Achilleus 10, 18, 20, 22, 30, 38, 50 Agamemnon 10, 30, 43, 50, 60 Aias aus Lokrida 32 Aias aus Salamina 50 Aineias 28 Aphrodite 28, 42 Apollon 22, 32 Ares 42 Artemis 12, 14, 42 Athene22, 32, 42, 54 Aulis 10, 14 Bogen des Herakles 52 Diomedes 26, 48, 44 Dolon 44 Eurypylus 51 Götter 42 Griechen 56 Hektor 16, 18, 32, 36, 38 Helene 8, 60 Hephestos 38, 46 Hera 42 hölzernes Pferd 54, 56 Homer 8 letion 20 Ilias 8 Ilion 8 Iphigenie 12,14 Kalchas 12, 16 Laokoon 56 Lernäische Hydra 52

Menelaos 8,10, 24, 50, 60 Mykene 10 Myrmidonen 46 Neoptolemus 51 Nestor 10, 50 Odysseus 10, 16, 26, 43, 44, 50, 54, 58, 60 Palamedes 10, 43 Pandaros 28 Paris 8, 14, 24 Patroklos 10, 36 Philoktetes 52 Phthia 10 Poseidon 34 Priamos 38, 43 Protesilaos 16 Resus 26 Sarpidon 36 Skamandros 46 Sparta 8, 60 Tauris 14 Thebien 20 Thetis 22 Troja 8, 16, 18, 24, 26 Trojaner 56, 58 Trojanischer Krieg 8 Zeus 8, 34