Introduction
Mythology, the belief of mythological ideologies,
realms and beings, is something that basically
came about as a result of mankind’s historically
inherent urge to provide an explanatory theme
for the various incomprehensibilities of the world;
the universe; the atmosphere. That is to say that,
even since the very beginning of the eras when
man began to exist in civilized and systematically
defined sociological infrastructures, humans have
strived to delve deeper into areas beyond their
physical control. Contemplate, for instance, the
various theories and ideologies pertaining to
the creation of the universe, the triggering mechanisms
behind dramatic weather conditions and the particular
features and characteristics of the various stellar
constellations. All reflect areas that science
and technology are contemporaneously focused on
in order to bring about a modicum of control only
evidenced in various religious and mythological
texts. And these are areas that science and technology
are only presently beginning to tackle; mythology
has long since provided theories that are ostensibly
fictional and/or metaphorical in concern to these
issues.
Thesis
Take into consideration, for instance, that while
science seeks to unveil the question about the
emergence of human beings as being synonymous
with the development of intelligence in the world,
mythological preconceptions such as those found
in Greek mythology ascribe relevance to the belief
that the world as well as the universe have long
been inhabited by mythological beings with preternatural
characteristics.
Foreword
And while mythology is similar to religion and
mythology in as much as the fact that it provides
an ideological platform that addresses areas of
divinity, spirituality and morality, the similarity
stretches only so far. This is since mythology
typically tends to take an overtly colorful and
idealistic, even fantastical approach to things.
This is something that is clarified when considering
it in light of the fact that mythology basically
started off as a religion, fundamentally as a
result of the fact that no one really knew why
some things happened, or why there were certain
aspects in life. Subsequently, mythology resulted
in the ideological emergence of such themes as
Gods that put the sun in the sky; those that made
the wind blow; and those that caused pain and
suffering. It would, moreover, be relevant to
acknowledge, before carrying on, that the most
well known culture of mythology is Greek mythology.
Subsequently, this is the form of mythology that
will be addressed within the entirety of this
paper. It would, moreover, be relevant to introductorily
to consider that the prevalence of this paper
would be in the form of a first person narrative
espousing the relevance of the influence that
the city of Troy holds towards [Greek] mythology.
On Greek mythology & its relativity to the
city of Troy
One of the most central and crucial characteristics
of virtually the entirety of Greek mythology is
its proximity to the city of Troy, a place that
has been used as the scenic setting for a prevalence
of Greek myths and legends. This, moreover, is
something that is better understood when considering
it in light of the details regarding the Trojan
War. This was a war waged, according to legend,
against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the
armies of Greece, following the elopement of Helen
of Sparta by Paris of Troy. The war, which represents
an occurrence of crucial centrality to Greek mythology,
was narrated in a cycle of epic poems of which
only two exist intact; the Iliad and the Odyssey,
both Homer. While the Iliad describes an episode
late in this war, the Odyssey describes the experiential
characteristics of the journey home of one of
the Greek leaders.
Other parts of the story, and different versions,
were elaborated by later Greek poets, and by the
Roman poet Virgil in his Aeneid (Wikipedia, 2004).
Moreover, while a prevalence of historians now
believe that these accounts are fusions of various
stories of sieges and expeditions by the Greeks
of the Bronze Age or Mycenaean period, and that
they do not describe actual events. There is,
however, an ideological body that ascribes relevance
to the belief that Homer and Iliad described places
and events that actually existed at a particular
point of time in history, typically ascribed to
be ‘between 1200 and 1300 BCE’ (Wikipedia,
2004). It would, moreover, be relevant to here
consider that one of the prime reasons due to
which Troy has come to yield an exceptional degree
of influence over the collectivity of Greek mythology
is that the city was supposed to have been host
to most of the characters and phenomenon associated
with Greek mythology.
Various features and characteristics of the mythical
relevance of the Trojan War in Troy
It would be relevant to here acknowledge that
one of the more significant characters or entities
from Greek mythology was Achilles, the son of
Peleus, king of the Myrmidones and Thetis a sea
nymph renowned widely for her exceptional beauty.
Two gods of greatness, Zeus, the arch god, and
Poseidon, god of the sea, had obsessively vied
for her hand until an oracle revealed she would
bear a son greater than his father. Upon hearing
this, both of the gods wisely chose to give her
to someone else, as a result of which she ended
up being wedded to Peleus. It would also be noteworthy
to consider that one of the prime reasons due
to which Zeus was repelled by the warning of the
oracle was that he had come to being king in as
much as overthrowing his father Kronos, who had,
in turn had overthrown his father Ouranos. It
is barely surprising that Zeus disentangled himself
from the relationship with Thetis when considering
that the implications of the prophecy held that
the son of Thesis would be far greater than his
father (Sutcliff, 1993). When Thetis bore her
son Achilles, however, she learnt of another prophecy,
this one claiming that her son would die at a
relatively young age in Troy (Sutcliff, 1993).
Consequently, she tried to make Achilles invincible
in as much as dipping him into the river Styx,
which was supposed to have mystical powers. In
her haste and determination, however, she forgot
to wet one of his heels, subsequently rendering
him entirely invincible with the exception of
the heel. It was this flaw in the entirety of
his invincibility that led to the death of Achilles,
brought about by an arrow to the heel. That, however,
is an occurrence of little consequence to our
paper as it is an event that is supposed to have
transpired after an exceptional stretch of time
following the Trojan War. Of more relevance, however,
are the characteristics of the timeline before
the birth of Achilles, specifically, the wedding
of Thetis and Peleus. Take into consideration,
for instance, the fact that all of the gods were
invited to this wedding with the exception the
goddess Eris, who is also referred to Discord,
for reasons that are made quite apparent when
considering her role in bringing about the Trojan
War (s). As a result of feeling insulted due her
being uninvited, she attended the wedding invisibly
in order to cast a golden apple down upon the
main dining table. The apple, which was inscribed
the words Kallisti, (To the fairest one), was
simultaneously claimed by Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite;
a quarrel resultantly erupted between the three
of them.
Since no one came forward to support any of the
three, the arch god Zeus eventually ordered the
matter to be settled by the judgment of Paris,
a prince of Troy, who was being raised as a shepherd
because of a prophecy that he would be the downfall
of Troy. Being tempted by offerings of wisdom,
skill in battle and the love of the most beautiful
maiden, respectively by Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite,
Paris eventually decided on awarding the apple
to Aphrodite before returning to Troy. This event,
as it turns out in light of the events to follow,
was one of the most crucial occurrences in concern
to the emergence of the Trojan wars. Contemplate,
for instance, the fact that it was a result of
Aphrodite's fateful promise to him that Paris
eventually found himself on a diplomatic mission
in Sparta, where he fell madly in love with Helen,
the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta (Sutcliff,
1993). It turned out that Helen, being the fairest
women, was the one that Aphrodite had, perhaps
involuntarily, destined for Paris when she had
promised him the love of the most beautiful woman.
It is not surprising, thus speaking, that he eventually
ended up seducing her and taking her back with
him to Troy. It is, moreover, as a result of this
particular occurrence that Helen, who was actually
the queen of Sparta as a result of her wedding
to Menelaus, eventually turned out to become Helen
of Troy rather than Sparta (Sutcliff, 1993).
The mythical relevance of Troy as reflected within
the transpiration of the Trojan Wars
Before carrying on, however, it would be important
to acknowledge that when she was a spinster, Helen
had had scores of suitors. Her father, however,
had been unwilling to choose one for fear the
others would retaliate violently. Seeing that
this was a paradox that was indefinite, however,
Odysseus of Ithaca, one of the suitors, proposed
a plan that had all of the suitors vouching to
accept and even defend Helen’s marriage
to the particular suitor that she happened to
choose.
Subsequently, there was practically no
discord or instability following her choice of
Menelaus, whom she eventually married. Consequently,
however, this vouching for the support of the
Helen’s marriage turned out to be the core
reason for the eruption of the extensive wars
that came to be known as the Trojan Wars. This,
moreover, is something that is emphasized quite
strongly when considering it in light of the fact
that, following the seduction and taking away
of Helen by Paris, all of the kings and princes
of Greece who had vouched to no retaliation regarding
Helen’s marriage, were now called upon to
make good their oaths and retrieve her from Troy.
This is the portion of Greek mythology where Achilles
is perhaps the most glorified, as it was stated
by an oracle that the Greeks would stand no chance
of winning the war without Achilles. His mother
Thetis, however, immediately became mindful of
the warning given to her by an oracle at the time
of Achilles’ birth; the warning that suggested
that he would die in battle at Troy. She thus
tries her best to ensure that he has no part in
the war, but this is something that she is unsuccessful
at doing. It would be relevant to acknowledge
that her incapability of preventing the trail
of consequences leading to Achilles’ participation
in the war and death in Troy can be interpreted
as a sign of the inevitability of fate as it is
reflected uniformly throughout the various levels
of mythological doctrines.
Blown back to the battle involving the Trojan
horse
Perhaps the most crucial mythological element
of the Trojan War, however, is the account of
the Trojan horse, giant hollow wooden horse that
was of key importance to the Greek victory over
troy. A story that has practically become synonymous
with the term ‘Greek Mythology’ over
the eras that have elapsed since the tales were
relatively fresh, the account of the Trojan horse
reflects the mythical deviousness of the Greeks.
The Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse that
was hollow on the inside, allowing a substantial
number of Greek warriors to be concealed within
the aperture within. They then made a great show
of leaving their war posts that they had stationed
in around Troy, indicating that their intent for
leaving the horse at the gates of Troy was naught
more than an illustration of peace. Playing to
their game, the Trojans brought the horse into
the city, after which they indulged in a great
many celebrations in honor of the ostensible end
of the war.
As a consequence of these celebrations, the Trojans
were in a prevalently drunken stupor when the
Greeks climbed out of the [Trojan] horse to open
to gates of the city to their accomplices who
had crept back once they were sure they would
not be detected. The ensuring battle (s) left
Troy ruthlessly pillaged. This, moreover, is something
that I have had to pleasure of being a first hand
witness to. This is since I entered into a time
warp that teleported me back to the exact day
when Greeks decided on leaving the wooden horse
immediately on the outside of the gates of Troy.
I happened to witness the Greek battalions pulling
out of their posts and hiding away in the hills
and mountains surrounding Troy. Once they were
sure that their comrades had entered the city
undiscovered inside the horse, however, they covertly
crept back to their positions, awaiting the opening
of the Trojan gates. It would be noteworthy to
consider that the Greeks had insured their plan
in as much as planting a spy by the name of Sinon
within the Trojans. The instrumentality of this
strategy, moreover, is highlighted when considering
that I observed Laocoon and Cassandra, two Trojans
of exceptional position, trying to convince the
Trojans of the Greek ruse, but to no avail. And
although Sinon affirmativeness and reassurances
appeared even to me to be a bit overdone, the
Trojans appeared to be to eager about accepting
the end of the war rather than idealizing the
possibility of continuation.
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