The Trojan War

　　At a wedding party Eris， the goddess of discord， threw a golden apple bearing the words“For the fairest！” Hera，Athena and Aphrodite，each wanting to get it for herself，were sent to Paris for judgement． A shepherd on Mt Ida，Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite because she had promised to obtain for him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world．

　　Paris was the son of Priam，the king of Troy．At his birth his mother Queen Hecuba dreamed of holding a piece of burning wood．So he was regarded as likely to bring destruction on the city，and was by chance exposed to the sun，wind and rain on MtIda． He was finally saved and brought up by the herdsmen there．Now acting on the instruction of Aphrodite，he went down the mountain to take part in the game held in Troy，and there so famous did he become that King Priam and Queen Hecuba received him joyfully back into the royal palace．

　　Soon he was sent to Greece at the head of a great team of boats．he went to Sparta，where，as Aphrodite had told him，the most beautiful woman of the time，Helen，lived．King Menelaus，Helen's husband，generously received him but Paris returned his host's kindness with no thanks．In the king's absence he persuaded Helen to elope with him to Troy．To payback，Greek took up arms．The Trojan war broke out．

　　As the Greek ships gathered at the port of Aulis，no favouring wind blew up ． A prophet told the comander of the expedition， Agamemnon，that he had to offer his daughter Iphigenia as a sacrifice to Artemis．Iphigenia was placed before the goddess' altar but Artemis took her away at the last minute，putting a red deer（赤鹿） in her place．Agamemnon' s wife Clytemnestra was greatly enraged at her husband' s cruelty．

　　The war lasted ten years，during which both sides suffered the misfortunes of war． Agamemnon fought with Achilles over a captive princess， and in anger，Achilles refused to fight．His friend， Patroclus，borrowed his armour and went out to change the situation of war，but was killed by Hector，the eldest son of Priam．Bent on revenge ， Achilles no longer fought with Agamemnon，and putting on his new armour made by Hephaestus，went out to avenge his friend．He killed Hector and dragged his dead body three times around the walls of Troy． But soon after，Achilles was wounded in the heel by Paris and died in battle． Paris had not long to live either，for he was killed by a friend of Achilles' ． As Achilles left his armour to the bravest of the Greeks，a bitter struggle happened between its two worthy contestants；and when the weapons were given to Odysseus by judge， Ajax took his own life for grief and shame．

　　At the end of nine years a prophet predicted that Troy would not fall as long as the Palladium stayed within its walls．Odysseus and Diomedes went into the city in disguise and stole it out of the temple of the city． Then the Greeks designed a great wooden horse，in which some Greek soldiers hid themselves，and made believe to withdraw． Taken in by rumour that the horse had been sent by Athena， the overjoyed Trojans hauled it into their capital． At night the hidden Greeks crawled out and threwthe whole city into confusion ． Tory was robbed． King Priam was killed．Queen Hecuba，her daughter Cassandra and her daughter in law Andromache were all carried into slavery． Helen and Menelaus were on good terms again and disappeared in the west． Agamemnon went back to Mycenae， only to be murdered by his own wife． His son Orestes killed his mother and was pursued by the Furies． Odysseus went through untold hardships，struggling with wind and wave，before he reached his home island Ithaca to reunite with  his faithful wife Penelope．Aeneas，one of the Trojan princes，after narrowly escaping death at Troy，wandered from land to land for a long time and became，in the end，the founder of the Roman race．

　　在新婚宴會上，不和女神厄里斯拋出一只寫有“獻給最美麗的人”字樣的金蘋果。赫拉、阿芙羅狄蒂和雅典娜都希望得到這只金蘋果。她們被送到帕里斯那里以做出裁決。帕里斯是愛達山上的一個牧羊人，他把金蘋果判給了阿芙羅狄蒂，因為她答應幫他得到世上最美麗女子的愛。

　　帕里斯是特洛伊國王皮安姆的兒子。他出生時，他的母親赫爾猶巴王后夢到自己手握一根燃木；因此，人們認為帕里斯很可能會給城市帶來毀滅。一個很偶然的機會，他被遺棄在愛達山上，在那經受了風吹、雨淋和日曬。后來，他被那里的牧民救了下來并撫養成人。這次，在阿芙羅狄蒂的授意下，他下山參加在特洛伊城舉辦的集會。在那里，他是如此的出眾，國王皮安姆和王后赫爾猶巴興高采烈地接納了他，他重新成為王室家族的一員。

　　不久，他被任命為船隊首領，并被派往希臘。他來到斯巴達，因為阿芙羅狄蒂曾經告訴他，當時最美的女子――海倫就住在那兒。海倫的丈夫，墨涅勞斯國王熱情地款待了帕里斯，但他卻恩將仇報。趁著國王不在，帕里斯說服海倫與他一起私奔到特洛伊城。為了報仇雪恨，希臘人民拿起了武器，特洛伊戰爭爆發了。

　　當希臘艦隊停駐在奧利斯海港時，風向一直不順。一位先知告訴遠征軍的統帥阿伽門農，讓他犧牲自己的女兒伊菲革涅亞，把她獻給阿耳特彌斯。伊菲革涅亞被擺到了女神祭壇上。但是阿耳特彌斯在最后關頭將她帶走了，并將一只鹿放到她的位置上。阿伽門農的妻子克呂泰涅斯特拉對丈夫的殘忍深感憤怒。

　　戰爭持續了十年。在這段時間里，雙方損失慘重。阿伽門農與阿基里斯爭奪一位俘獲的公主。暴怒之下，阿基里斯拒絕繼續參戰。阿基里斯的朋友，普特洛克勒斯借走了他的盔甲以扭轉戰局。很不幸，他死在了皮安姆的大兒子海克特的手下。阿基里斯一心一意要為朋友報仇，他不再與阿伽門農斗氣。披上赫斐斯塔司為他趕制的新盔甲，他出征了。他殺死了海克特，拖著尸體繞特洛伊城跑了三圈。但很快，阿基里斯又被帕里斯射中了腳跟，死在戰場上。帕里斯也沒活多久，他又被阿基里斯的朋友殺死了。由于阿基里斯遺言要把他的盔甲送給希臘最勇敢的戰士，在兩位得此稱號的勇士間展開了激烈的爭奪。當盔甲最后判定應獎給奧德修斯時，另一位勇士埃杰克斯郁郁寡歡，羞愧萬分地結束了他的生命。

　　當仗打到第九年年底的時候，一位先知預言，只要城里的雅典娜神像在，特洛伊城就永遠不會被攻陷。于是，奧德修斯就和狄俄墨得斯偽裝入城，偷偷地將神像盜了出來。隨后，希臘人精心制作了一匹龐大的木馬，一些希臘士兵藏進了馬腹。與此同時，希臘軍隊假裝撤兵，并散布謠言：這匹馬是雅典娜送來的。信以為真的特洛伊人歡天喜地地將馬拖進城里。夜幕降臨，隱藏的希臘士兵們躡手躡腳地從馬肚里鉆出來，使整個城市陷入一片混亂之中。特洛伊城被洗劫一空。國王皮安姆被殺，赫克猶巴王后，她的女兒卡珊德拉及兒媳安德洛瑪切都被充作了奴隸。海倫和墨涅勞斯重歸于好，到西方隱居了起來。阿伽門農返回錫尼，卻不幸遭到自己妻子的謀殺。他的兒子殺死了自己的母親，又被憤怒女神追捕。奧德修斯歷盡艱難險阻，與大風大浪搏擊著，直到他最終到達伊塞沙，與忠實的妻子珀涅羅珀團聚在一起。特洛伊城的一位王子埃厄安斯幸免于難。很長一段時間，他從一個國家流浪到另一個國家。最后，他創建了羅馬民族。

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