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Paris, a figure from Greek mythology, is often remembered for his role in the Trojan War. However, before he became a famous warrior and lover, Paris committed a terrible act against his own family. Here’s what he did to his sister and how it affected their lives.
The Background
Paris was born as the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. When he was a baby, the royal couple consulted an oracle who predicted that Paris would cause the downfall of Troy.
To prevent this fate, Priam ordered one of his servants to kill Paris by abandoning him on a mountain. However, the servant took pity on the infant and left him to be raised by shepherds.
Years later, Paris grew up to be a handsome and charming young man. He caught the attention of three goddesses: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena.
They asked him to judge which of them was the most beautiful and promised him different rewards for his choice. Despite knowing that this task could anger two powerful goddesses, Paris accepted it.
The Betrayal
When the three goddesses presented themselves before Paris on Mount Ida in Phrygia, they stripped naked to show off their divine forms. Each tried to bribe or persuade Paris with her own qualities:
- Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, offered him Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful mortal woman in Greece as his wife.
- Hera, queen of gods and wife of Zeus, offered him power over all Asia if he chose her as the winner.
- Athena, goddess of wisdom and war strategy, offered him victory over all enemies if he chose her as the winner.
Paris was torn between the three offers, but eventually he chose Aphrodite as the winner. This decision had a fatal consequence for his family and city.
You see, Helen of Sparta was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta, who was a powerful ally of King Agamemnon of Mycenae. When Menelaus discovered that Helen had eloped with Paris to Troy, he called for a Greek expedition to retrieve her and punish the Trojans for their treachery. Thus began the Trojan War, which lasted for ten years and ended with the destruction of Troy.
The Aftermath
Paris’s betrayal of his family did not go unpunished. According to some versions of the myth, Paris’s sister Cassandra witnessed his judgment on Mount Ida and warned him about the consequences. However, Paris ignored her warnings and insulted her by dragging her from Athena’s temple where she had sought refuge and taking her as his captive mistress.
Cassandra was a gifted prophetess who had been cursed by Apollo to never be believed by anyone after she refused his advances. She foresaw many of the tragic events that would happen during the Trojan War but could do nothing to prevent them due to her curse. When Paris brought her back to Troy as his spoils of war after he won a duel against Menelaus during the war, Cassandra was treated as a slave and an outcast by her own people.
Some accounts say that Cassandra tried to warn her family about the Trojan Horse, which was a giant wooden horse secretly filled with Greek soldiers that infiltrated Troy’s walls and led to its downfall. However, nobody listened to her because they thought she was mad or deluded. In some versions of the myth, Cassandra was killed by Ajax or Agamemnon after she took refuge in Athena’s temple again and they violated her sanctuary.
The Lessons
The story of Paris and his sister Cassandra is a tragic reminder of the consequences of greed, arrogance, and betrayal. Paris’s selfish decision to choose love over wisdom or power led to the deaths of countless warriors and civilians on both sides of the Trojan War. His disrespect for his sister’s warnings and dignity showed his lack of empathy and respect for women, which was a common trait among many male characters in Greek mythology.
However, Cassandra’s fate also highlights the injustice that some women faced in ancient Greece, where their voices were often silenced or ignored by men who considered themselves superior. Her curse symbolizes the struggle of women to be heard and believed in a world that often dismisses their experiences as irrelevant or hysterical.
Therefore, the story of Paris and his sister should not only be read as a cautionary tale about war and infidelity but also as a call for justice and empathy towards all who suffer from discrimination or oppression.