When Menelus, the king of Sparta, heard that Paris had arrived, he went down to the seashore to welcome him. He told him to anchor the ships on the beach and come with him as his guest.Paris went with Menelaus to his palace, and there he met Helen, Menelaus’s wife. As soon as he saw her, he knew that it must be she whom Aphrodite had promised him for his wife, because Helen was the most beautiful women on earth. Before long, Menelaus set off on a journey to Crete, and in his absence Paris made love to Helen. He persuaded her to bring all the treasure of Menelaus on board the Trojan ships, and to said with him across the sea to Troy.
Paris almost gave the apple to Hera, but he decided to wait until Athene spoke. She said: ' I will teach you to become the wisest and the most famous of all men. You shall be great and good, loved and admired by all.' Then Paris felt that it would be best for him to give the apple to Athene, but at that moment Aphrodite stood smiling before him and said: 'I will give you the most beautiful woman on earth to be your wife.' And without any hesitation, Paris gave Aphrodite the apple. After this, Paris found that he was no longer content to live the peaceful life of a shepherd. Hera had told him who his parents were, and he went to Troy. Here he made himself known to his father, Priam, and his mother, Hecuba. Had thought that he was dead, and they welcomed him to his home and there were great rejoicings in the city. He and his brothers cut down trees on Mount Ida and ships were built for them, so that they could sail the seas to other lands in search of the beautiful wife whom Aphrodite had promised Paris. His sister Cassandra begged Paris not to go, warning him that it would bring trouble and sorrow to all the Trojans; but Paris only laughed at her fears, and sailed across the blue sea until he came to Sparta.
When Paris had grown into a tall and beautiful young man, a marriage took place between Peleus, the King of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, a sea-goddess. All the gods of Olympus came to their marriage, including Zeus, the father of the gods, and Hera his wife, Athene, the goddess of Wisdom, and Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty. But Eris, the goddess of War, had not been invited, and she was so angry that she came and threw a golden apple on the table where the guests were sitting at the marriage feast. On the apple was written ' for the most beautiful woman.' Hera, Athene and Aphrodite all claimed the apple and began to quarrel over it, and at last Father Zeus, wishing to put an end to the argument told Iris, the messenger of the gods, to take the apple to Paris, the shepherd of Mount Ida. 'Tell Paris to give the apple to the goddess whom he thinks the most beautiful,' Zeus said. And so, while Paris was watching his sheep on the hillside that afternoon, the three goddesses appeared before him. Hera, the queen of the gods, spoke first. 'Give me the apple, Paris,' she said. You are already a king's son, although you do not know it, and I will make you the richest and most powerful king in the entire world.'
Far away across the Aegean Sea was the city of Troy, whose king was rich and powerful. His name was Priam, and his eldest son was called Hector. Just before their second son was born, Priam's wife, Hecuba, dreamed that she had brought into the world a flaming torch which would set fire to the city of Troy. When the baby was born, they were afraid that he would bring misfortune to them all, but they had not the heart to kill him. Priam took the baby out of the city and left him on Mount Ida. A shepherd found him there and brought him up as his own child, giving him the name of Paris. And so the boy lived a simple shepherd's life, not knowing that he was a prince, and the son of King Priam of Troy.
Thousands of years ago there lived in Sparta, a town of Greece, a king called Tyndareus. He and his wife, Leda, had four children: two sons called Castor and Polydeuces, and two daughters, Clytem¬nestra and Helen. Clytemnestra had married Agamemnon, the son of the king of Mycenae, but Helen, the younger daughter, was not yet married, She was the most beautiful woman who had ever lived, and every prince who saw her wanted to marry her; but they all loved her so jealously that each man swore to kill her and her husband and all her family, if she married anyone but him. Finally, King Tyndareus told all the princes that Helen must be allowed to choose her own husband, and lie made them promise that they would all support her choice, and help her husband to win back Helen if any man robbed him of be. Helen chose Menelaus, the brother of Agamemnon; and hen they were married, Tyndareus, who was now old man, gave up his kingdom to his son-in¬ law and Menelaus and his wife reigned in Sparta.
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