Ten years ago, the greatest of Greek heroes were sent with an army of one hundred thousand men and one thousand one hundred and eighty-six ships to fight against the Trojans in Troy. Before the armies gathered in the harbour of Aulis, sacrifices were made to the Gods to secure their good will. These sacrifices however were fruitless as the omen, Calchas, saw “a snake dart out from under the altar, rise to the top of a tree and murder eight young sparrows and their mother before being turned into stone” which he interpreted as Zeus, the God of the sky and the Thunder God, rejecting their sacrifices. Calchas warned the armies of this and predicted that the war would last nine years and end on the tenth with the destruction of Troy.
The armies
In The Battle on the Plain (pg. 41), Zeus calls a meeting, telling all of the gods that they are not to help the Greeks or the Trojans, but Athena, who is Zeus favorite daughter, says that her and the other gods pity the Greeks, feeling that they will be destroyed by the Trojans. So Zeus allows the gods and
Human sacrifice was a very common ritual in that time and area. But this is not enough to prove to the world that the answer to the mystery of the bog bodies is human sacrifice. However, I hope that the evidence I am about to show you is enough to convince you that human sacrifice is what killed the bog bodies.
The brutal killing of Priam, king of Troy, is both at the beginning of the story of the Aeneid and an end to the story of the Trojan war contained in the Iliad. In war, some of the most damaging things that can be accomplished are the demoralizing of the other soldiers and the desecration of their gods. The Trojans held their gods in great esteem and are portrayed as a very reverent people. This can be seen by Aeneas refusal to touch the statues of his household gods until he can clean himself of the battle from which he has just come.
The decision of Achilleus is a crucial moment in understanding how fate works in epic (Homerian) literature. Thetis tells Achilleus of his opportunity to win renown as the greatest warrior of all time, earning glory through his fearless acts in battle against a foe who is sure to overcome the Achaians. The fate of ten years of attack on Troy hinge upon the decision of Achilleus, who is given the choice to win glory for the Achaians and, more importantly, himself.
As a slave to the gods and their plans, Aneas assimilates his mind and sacrifices his life to the establishment of Latium. As the greatest of all warriors, Aneas displays his superb strength and his leadership capabilities, by guiding the Trojans to victory over the latins and establishing Latium. The selflessness of Aneas and his devotion to the Gods, enables him to leap over and break through any obstacles that obstruct his destiny.
“Xerxes turned his mind to the unfinished business of punishing the Greeks” (Brown 106). As Xerxes closed in on the Greeks, during the Persian war, the Greeks needed to buy more time to strengthen their army. The Greeks decided to slow down Xerxes army by intercepting them at Thermopylae, a small pass where Xerxes’ massive army would not be a major factor. For all those concerned it was a suicide mission, but one in which they were honored to take part. Vastly outnumbered the Greek’s only hope was to fight to the death and hope they would buy enough time for their country. Although the three hundred Spartans receive the glory for their sacrifice at the battle of Thermopylae, they do not deserve all of the credit because they did not fight alone. Along with the three hundred Spartans, fought seven hundred Thespians and four hundred Phocians. The battle of Thermopylae is one of the most legendary battles of all time. The sacrifice of the fourteen hundred men for their country, gives us a peek into the harsh but honorable world of ancient Greece and their love for their country. The Spartans, through Hollywood dramatization and historic retellings have become known as the sole heroes of Thermopylae, but contained within this battle is a story not of three hundred Spartans but of fourteen hundred men united under Greece who made the ultimate sacrifice for love of country.
Throughout the Ancient Greek world, there have been many wars and standoffs. However, there has been only one which changed the course of Greek history forever; the Peloponnesian War. Caused by the growing tension between Athens and Sparta, it came and left, leaving only destruction in its wake. The defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War caused the downfall of Greece, and the end of the Classical Age.
After he says this, the Trojans give him their full trust and decide to take the horse into Troy. This quote also displays the deception of the Greeks, because what happens turns out to be the total opposite of what Sinon says. When Laocoon objects about allowing the giant wooden horse into the city, a serpent devours him; consequently, this causes the Trojans to believe that the Gods want the horse to be accepted into Troy. After all of the Trojans fall asleep, the Greek army exits the hollow stomach of the horse and destroy the city of Troy.The Aeneid depiction of the Greeks shows them as untrustworthy people who use trickery and lies to win a battle rather than using sheer intelligence. The Trojans are seen in a much better lighting than the Greeks in the Aeneid. While Sinon uses his lies to deceive the Trojans, the Trojans listen and believe what he
Throughout the Iliad, Homer portraits the extent to which honor plays a role in the lives of Greeks and the manner in which they are willing to sacrifice in order to reach their goals. The Iliad is set during the Trojan War, a particularly long and bloody war, fought not over boundary disagreements, and not over political conflicts, and not to protect the nation. Rather, it was a war fought to defend the personal honor. The possession of women was important to a man’s standing and honor. Paris’ theft of Helen struck a huge blow to the honor of Menelaus and becomes the initial cause of the Trojan War. Consequently, Menelaus, the Spartan ruler, called upon his brother Agamemnon to gather the Greek forces to launch the war against Paris demanding the return of Helen and reinstating the honor for the king. The war lasted for ten years and cost innumerable Greeks’ lives and brought incurable pain upon their families. To Greek heroes, honor is more important than their life as much as that life would be meaningless without it, and they even willingly sacrifice their lives in order...
Kirke violates and then fulfills her duty of xenia in her initial and subsequent treatment of Odysseus and his men in many ways. When Odysseus’ men find their way up to Kirkes’ house they were quite puzzled as to why her wolves and mountain lions continue to lay there with only a flickering of the tail. But the men proceeded to walk up to the house anyway, where they stood at the door and listened to her sing, not knowing if she was a goddess or a lady they went on the greet her. When she lets the men into her house she prepared the men a meal of cheese, barley and wine which she had poisoned hoping they would lose all thought of their home land. But when her posion
The characters' religious dedication is evident through their sacrifice, prayer, and rituals: "King Agamemnon sacrificed. . . a fat bull of five years" and prayed to Zeus for success in battle against the Trojans. Meanwhile, the Achian soldiers "pray[ed] to be spared [from] death in the maul of war." Later, when Patroclos', an Achian soldier, body is recovered, twelve noble sons of Troy are sacrificed in his funeral pyre. Sacrifices are performed to honor the gods or obtain their favor.
Now inside the city of Troy the Greeks wait for the perfect time to strike, upon night fall the Greeks silently climb out of their vessel of trickery and began slaying every citizen of Troy, setting fire to their homes and shops, tossing babies and children from the once great walls that now confined them to death. Paris seeing his city and its entire people in peril grabs his tightly strung bow tightens his royal grieves and armor and races to put a stop to Achilles whom he believes is responsible. However, Achilles wants no part of the war having avenged his cousins death and begins
In today’s context, war seems to be a time where normally unethical principles are deemed acceptable. “Thou shall not kill” is a fundamental belief in every major religion, yet during times of war, breaking this commandment is not considered a sin. Instead it is a necessary action to properly serve and protect the country. However, when modern-day soldiers return from battle they generally do not discuss the details of the war to the public. Conversely, in the Iliad, as more people know of a hero’s war story, the more glory he attains. The Iliad’s depiction of war is multifaceted; during this time period war is a means of achieving fame and glory, war is a form of entertainment for the gods, and yet it is inaccurate to say that the Iliad is
As the reader goes through the many books in the Iliad, he or she may notice the battle of immortal versus immortal on Mount Olympus. The gods are introduced in this book as major characters that have taken a side on either Team Trojans or Team Achaeans. Aphrodite, Apollo, and Ares are the main gods on Team Trojans, while Hera and Athena fight for Team Achaeans. Zeus is supposedly neutral, but in book one Thetis approaches Zeus saying, “honor my son Achilles!-doomed to live the shortest life of any man on earth […] grant the Trojans victory […] till the Achaean armies pay my dea...
The Trojan War is now seen by some as a war that never truly took place, but those sitting and watching the play unfold would have seen the chaos and imagery of the battles told by Aeschylus as brutally truthful and real. The bloody war was fought over Helen who was taken by Paris to his homeland of Troy to be his bride; however, she was already married to Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother. The war ends as Troy falls and that is where Agamemnon begins as news breaks of the victory and all seems to be well as there is now peace. The triumph only allows for devotion to the gods to be shown as Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife and future murderer, immediately kindles alters for worship and proclaims that the gods themselves have sent the sign of good news starting ...