EP 66: Aphrodite & The Golden Apple

This episode looks at the infamous Judgment of Paris, which sounds like a French court decision, but was actually a beauty contest between Greek goddesses! Join Hera, Athene and Aphrodite for the lead-up to the Trojan War and all the chaos that followed.

And we re-introduce the goddess Eris, a nasty purveyor of war and destruction.

Transcript

PODCAST #66 — APHRODITE & THE GOLDEN APPLE

Welcome to episode 66 of GARNER'S GREEK Mythology. We have listeners in more than 190 countries ... So welcome to everyone, wherever you are.

I'm your host, mythologist PATRICK GARNER … 

This episode is about beauty, jealousy and rivalry of the highest order — that between ancient goddesses. 

It led to one of the most legendary wars known to man, a war so manipulated by the Olympian puppet masters and so far reaching in its destruction that Homer turned it into The Iliad and The Odyssey. 

To this day it’s hard to imagine how vanity could have wrecked such havoc.

“What was the trigger?“ you ask, “How can we avoid it next time?” 

The trigger was … 

an apple.

But before we look at this timeless story … 

… 

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For more information, visit PATRICK GARNER BOOKS DOT COM. The website is packed with background about the Greek gods, my books and these podcasts. 

Now, to the episode.

…

Apples … The ancient Greeks called them mēlon. Beautiful apples were described as mēlea kala. 

Both Homer and Hesiod mention apples. They appear as objects of desire in their tales of valiant struggles and heroes. 

For instance, one of the Twelve Labors of Heracles involved retrieving golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides.

To do so he tricked Atlas, the Titan holding up the sky, into fetching them. How did he persuade him? Heracles offered to give Atlas a break. 

He said he would hold up the sky while Atlas snuck into the garden. Eager to get out from under the weight, Atlas agreed.

When Atlas returned from the garden with apples in his sack, Heracles asked him to briefly hold up the sky again. When he did, Hercules took the sack and walked off with the prize.

In another Greek saga about apples, Atalanta, a lovely, swift-footed huntress who vowed to remain chaste, is pestered by her father to marry and produce grandchildren.

She finally agreed to marry anyone who could outrun her. In turn, her father agreed with her demand that that the losers be killed. The ploy worked until a new suitor, Hippomenes, sought Aphrodite’s help in the challenge..

The goddess gave him three golden apples, instructing him how to use them during the race. Before Atalanta could speed ahead, he was to drop the apples one by one.

Captivated by their beauty as she ran, Atalanta paused to pick them up, marveling at their color. That allowed Hippomenes to run past her and win.

This wasn’t Aphrodite’s only apple trick, as we’ll see in a moment,

All this talk about apples … You may wonder if they were plentiful in ancient Greece.

Archeologists tell us that apple seeds and charred fruit have been found at Neolithic sites in the region dating to 6000 to 4000 BC.  

These finds suggest apples were definitely a part of the Greek diet alongside fish, grains, olives, and grapes.

In the Bronze Age — that is, the Minoan and Mycenaean periods, circa 3000 to 1200 BC — apple remains have been found at sites like Knossos on Crete and Mycenae on the mainland.

So apples were not uncommon, although from the tales surrounding them, beautiful apples — particularly golden apples — were especially prized.

One of the most gorgeous golden apples appears in today’s story. The tale is known as the Judgment of Paris. Oh, and by Paris, I don’t mean Paris, France. 

Instead, I speak of a young prince named Paris. And yes, he was the same Paris who later seduced the beautiful Helen …

Which led to the Trojan War and all its ramifications …

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before war was even contemplated, the gods and goddesses were — as usual — conspiring and embarrassing each other with endless schemes.

Some of the key players in the Judgment of Paris were Aphrodite, Athene, Eris, Hera, and Zeus. At some point almost every one of the Olympians got involved.

I just referred to Eris. Who was she? I’ve mentioned her in passing in other episodes. The Greeks knew her as the goddess of discord and strife.

Hesiod wrote that she was the daughter of the dark, primordial Nyx. Homer differed, writing in the Iliad that Eris sprung from the union of Zeus and Hera.

Whoever her parents, she was the daimona of war, a demon of bad blood, haunting battlefields and delighting in terror and human bloodshed … But let’s go on.

The other key character in the Judgment of Paris was Paris himself. He was a prince from Troy.

As we’ll see, the story is one of beauty, rivalry, and fateful decisions. It exposes divine intrigue which led to terrible consequences.

In the end the victims were both humans and gods. No one really won. Here’s why:

… 

The Judgment of Paris is a pivotal tale that’s often seen as the catalyst for the Trojan War. 

The story begins with the wedding of the mortal hero Peleus to the sea nymph Thetis, a union destined to produce Achilles, the great warrior of the Trojan War. 

Their wedding was a grand affair attended by most of the Olympian gods and goddesses — except one. Who was not invited?

The menacing Eris, and she was deliberately excluded from the guest list due to her reputation for causing conflict. Who, after all, would want her as a bridesmaid?

Infuriated by the snub, she devised a plan to sow chaos among the gods. And here we return to the golden apple. 

Inflamed by revenge, Eris crafted a beautiful one, described as shimmering like a small planet. She inscribed it with the words "For the Fairest."

In Greek, fairest is Kallisti. Eris made sure this particular apple was especially irresistible. It was so beautiful Eris considered keeping it for herself. 

But she knew she would take far greater pleasure in seeing her devious plans executed. Smiling to herself, she polished the apple, held it to her cheek in pride, then hid it under her cloak. 

Disguising herself as an old slave, she entered the wedding festivities. She placed the glistening apple on the table in front of Hera, Athene and Aphrodite.

The apple immediately sparked a quarrel among the three. Hera was Zeus’ wife and queen of the Olympians, Athene was goddess of wisdom and war, and Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty. 

Each claimed the apple as rightfully hers. After all, it was inscribed in flowing letters, “For the Fairest.”

Their squabbling threatened the marriage ceremony. Their loud arguments drew everyone’s attention, and all who saw the apple exclaimed at its perfection.

Zeus was pressed to settle the dispute but wisely declined to choose between his wife, Hera, his daughter Athena, and the alluring Aphrodite.

Instead, he delegated the decision to a mortal, hoping to avoid divine fallout. And here fate — or the Fates — intervened. Even Zeus could not have anticipated the calamity that would follow.

… 

To everyone’s surprise, Zeus appointed Paris, a prince of Troy, as the judge. Paris was the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. 

“Prince” sounds as if he was living a life of luxury in Priam’s castle. But that was hardly the case. In fact it was just the opposite.

Paris was living as a shepherd on Mount Ida, having been abandoned at birth due to a prophecy that he would cause Troy’s destruction.

I say prophesy. The oracle who predicted Troy's destruction was not the Pythia, but was Cassandra. Making matters worse, Cassandra was Paris’ sister. 

She had been granted the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was also cursed by him after she rejected his advances. 

Angered that she had turned him down, Apollo deemed that, no matter what she predicted, no one would believe a word she said. 

Consequently, despite her warnings upon her brother’s birth that he would bring them all to doom, her prophecies were dismissed.

Still — cautiously — King Priam secretly abandoned Paris to the wolves and wilds of a distant countryside where the king hoped that his son would expire.

But the gods watched and knew everything. Paris was protected, grew to be a young man, and Hermes, the messenger god, guided the three goddesses to him.

Finding him in a meadow tending his flock of sheep, they appeared in a flash of light where, to his shock, they announced Zeus’ contest. 

Paris, they said, was to decide who was fairest of them all and present her with an apple as the prize. Then, with great drama, the apple was drawn from a gold-threaded bag.

Hera whispered to him, “Whoever you pick will be known to the world as the most beautiful of women.” 

With that she gave Athene a shove and made a face at Aphrodite. Looking Paris in the eyes, she said seductively, “You’ll pick me of course!”

Paris, standing in the sun with his shepherd’s crook, was stunned. But he was also overwhelmed at the beauty of each of them.

How could he say no? And he couldn’t believe his luck. 

When after minutes he agreed to act as judge, each goddess — determined to win the apple — offered Paris a bribe to sway his judgment.

Hera promised him power and dominion, proposing to make him a mighty king ruling over vast lands and peoples.

Athene pledged wisdom and martial prowess, assuring him victory in all battles and glory as a warrior. On top of that she’d grant him strategic brilliance.

And Aphrodite? She tempted him with love. Not her love, rather promising him the affection of the world’s most beautiful woman, Helen, who was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. 

Aphrodite’s offer was shrewd. It was less about conquest and more about personal desire. She understood men like Paris and appealed to the prince’s ego. 

She could read his thoughts, and saw him imagining himself as the lovely Helen’s lover. He would make King Menelaus look like a fool, he thought to himself, like an old man who could not keep his wife.

…

When each goddess had made her declaration, Paris hemmed and hawed. He circled Athene, muttering to himself, then rubbed his eyes in apparent admiration. 

After a moment he turned to Hera, raising his thumb as if measuring her assets, tilting his head from side to side and whistling in approval.

Aphrodite, feeling neglected by his lengthy attention to the other two, exclaimed loudly, “You’ve ignored me! Have you forgotten me? I’m obviously the prettiest of us all!”

Paris smiled, saying, “I have hardly forgotten you, my goddess. Each in due time.” With that, he strolled around her languidly, kicking up a little dust and finally shaking his head in amazement.

Waiting with impatience, the three almost gave up when he casually walked over to one of his sheep and scratched its ears. How could Paris be so bored?

Finally, turning to face them, he said, “Never have I had such a dilemma. Each of you is simply stunning. What shall I do?!”

Hera stamped her foot in anger. Athene hissed and spun her sword overhead. And the lovely Aphrodite pursed her lips, saying, 

“Whatever you have heard of Helen, she is far more beautiful than anything you might have heard. And she could be yours.”

Hera spit out, “Shut up, Aphrodite! We’ve each had our say, now let him deliberate!”

Playing them along, already knowing his decision, Paris announced that he would go over that hilltop — he pointed to a distant hill — and return after thinking it over. 

The three goddesses sighed in aggravation, annoyed at his behavior. But what could they do? 

The golden apple awaited, sparkling in the sun. It was almost alive. They could read the words incised in its glowing skin, “For the Fairest.” Of course they would wait.

Soon enough one of them would own it, and forever after be known as the most beautiful of the goddesses.

Paris made them stay put a half hour. The sun was hot. They tried to find shade, but olive trees were scarce and none of them wanted to miss his announcement. 

So they lingered in the sun, pacing restlessly, rolling their eyes, occasionally pushing each other away.

Finally Paris reappeared, smiling and gracious. He stood before them, half-bowing before saying, “Yes, yes. Beautiful goddesses, each of you.”

He looked from one to another, then bent to pick up the apple. Holding it at eye level, he whispered, “For the fairest. Who shall it be? Hera offers to make me a mighty king. Athene to make me a mighty warrior. But Aphrodite promises me love. I’ve made my decision.”

With that, he took a deep breath, smiled and presented the golden apple to Aphrodite.

Hera and Athena were humiliated and enraged. From that moment on, the two harbored a grudge against Paris and, by extension, the grand city of Troy.

Unbeknownst to the young man, their resentment would destroy him and his father’s city in the war that Paris himself would ignite when he collected his reward.

…

What happened next? Hera and Athene left Mount Ida, returning to the comfort of Mount Olympus where, perhaps, they consoled themselves with ambrosia and wine. 

But Aphrodite stayed behind, clutching her golden apple. She had a promise to keep. She knew King Menelaus was in Crete, and that lonely Helen would be easy picking.

With her aid, Paris traveled to Sparta, where he either seduced or abducted Helen (accounts vary—some say she went willingly, enchanted by Aphrodite’s influence, while others say her departure was a kidnapping). 

Regardless, Helen’s abandonment of her husband and departure with Paris violated the sacred guest-friendship called xenia. 

You’ll remember we did a complete episode on xenia, a Greek custom that assumed every stranger might be a god, and therefore, should be offered food and rest.

Paris was indeed welcomed when he appeared at Helen’s doorstep, but as a guest, his ensuing misbehavior was unforgivable. When he left, Helen left with him to Troy.

Months later, Menelaus, upon discovering Paris’ betrayal and backed by his brother Agamemnon, rallied the Greek kings to reclaim his wife. This launched the decade-long Trojan War, pitting the Greeks against Troy.

Predictably, Hera and Athena sided with the Greeks, while Aphrodite supported the Trojans, remaining loyal to Paris.

The terrible war ended with the Greeks’ victory via the Trojan Horse, the deaths of Paris and many others, and Helen’s reluctant return to Sparta.

…

So how do we sum up this sordid, woebegone tale?

It all began with Eris, snubbed by other goddesses. She created an apple, which became an object of unfathomable desire.

The contest over who would be known as the fairest led to chaos, destruction and bloodshed. Eris personified these qualities. The outcome should have been predictable.

Perhaps we can conclude that, in the end, Eris, not Aphrodite, was the winner. Her revenge was wildly out of proportion to her slight.

But Eris would never have regretted a thing. After all, she was the goddess who reveled in mayhem and madness.

Still, we might ask, all of this over an insult? Eris would have replied, “Why not? I’m as great a goddess as any other.”

She would have gone on to exclaim, “Besides, those would would squabble over beauty are petty. Hera, Athene and that stupid Aphrodite deserve their fate.”

The war’s apparent victors — the Greeks in this case — could hardly celebrate. They faced endless tragedies upon returning home. Many died at sea. 

Worse, the gods continued playing favorites. Cassandra’s warnings went unheeded. Agamemnon, the Greek’s leader, ignored her cautions and was murdered by his wife on his first day back home.

There were also the travails of the hero Odysseus, who faced a 10-year odyssey on his way home from Troy before escaping sea monsters, witches and man-eating cyclops.

In the last year of the war, Paris died from an arrow as he stood on the parapets of his father’s castle. 

His father King Priam died on the last day of the war. The king’s children and his queen were enslaved. His vast fortune was divided among the Greeks.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention other famous apples. We all know about Eve in the garden of Eden. In the Biblical story a snake was substituted for Eris.

Then there’s Snow White, from the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. An evil queen replaces Eris — and the story itself?

Like all of these stories, it’s one of retribution. Once again, the apple plays the starring role.

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