The Legend of the Trojan Horse. The Legend of the Trojan Horse Drawing for the myth wooden horse

About the great and bloody war and how thirty fighters decided the outcome of the battle that happened in 1193 BC. we learned thanks to Homer's poem "Iliad". This is a story about the naivety of defenders and the cunning of attackers.

Myth of Troy

The Trojan prince Paris fell in love with the beautiful Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. He managed to persuade the beauty to escape and, taking advantage of the absence of Menelaus, the loving couple sailed to Troy. The insulted Menelaus, together with his brother Agamemnon, having gathered a huge army, hurried after the fugitives.

The bloody war between the Spartans and Trojans lasted for ten years. Great warriors met in battle, their names went down in history forever - Achilles, Hector, Patroclus, etc.

The strong walls of the city were impregnable to the Greeks. Then Odysseus, king of Ithaca, came up with one trick - to build a huge statue of a horse, hollow inside, into which the soldiers would climb. But how to force the Trojans to drag the statue through the impregnable walls of the city? And the cunning Greek foresaw this.

Fall of Troy

In the morning, the Trojans discovered a huge statue of a horse near the city walls with an inscription that said that this horse was built in honor of the goddess Athena and as long as it stood, the Greeks would not attack the Trojans. The Greeks themselves removed their camp and sent the ships home. The Trojans were able to convince the Trojans of this by Odysseus’s cousin Sinon, who allegedly went over to their side. However, the controversy surrounding the horse did not subside; Cassandra stated that there were warriors in the statue of the horse, but they did not believe her. The priest Laoocon threw a spear at the statue, exclaiming “Fear the Danaans who bring gifts.” However, later, according to legend, he and his two sons were strangled by sea serpents, which became a sign for the Trojans to drag the statue into the city.

Residents of the city threw a feast in honor of the end of the war, and numerous guards also succumbed to the celebration. Therefore, the Greeks who got out of the statue were freely able to open the city gates and let in the army of their compatriots. Helen was returned to her husband, and the city was burned to the ground.

Was there a horse?

Historians still argue about the existence of the Trojan Horse and the location of Troy.

In his book “Description of Greece,” the Roman scientist and traveler Pausanias, who lived around the 2nd century AD, writes that the Horse existed, but it was not a statue, but a battering ram, captured from the Greeks by the Trojans. The Trojans took him to the city so that the Greeks would not destroy the city walls, but the townspeople, in the confusion, did not notice the hidden soldiers.

There is also another version. At that distant time, it was said about the rowers in the hold of a ship that it was hard for them, like in the belly of a horse. It is possible that Homer called the ship in which Odysseus’s soldiers were hiding “horse”.

According to Homer's descriptions, the Trojan Horse was about 3 meters wide and 7.6 meters high. Built as described today, the model weighed approximately two tons and could accommodate no more than twenty men of average build.

In order to drag this structure, forty people would have been needed and the preparatory work would have taken several days, so the warriors hiding in the horse would have had a hard time at all.

In 2011, the National Geographic TV channel made a film about the guesses of scientists, new research in the field of studying the Trojan War, in which historians and archaeologists will try to figure out where Troy was? Did the Trojan Horse exist? And finally, did the Beautiful Helen exist?

National Geographic Channel's Troy Movie

Troy in the cinema

There are many productions about the Trojan War. The most recent film adaptation is the film "Troy", shot in 2004 by American director Wolfang Petersen. The heroes of the Iliad will once again meet in mortal combat, and ancient events will sparkle with new colors. But the fact that this film adaptation is the last does not mean that the others are significantly worse. For example, in the film “Helen of Troy” the scene with the horse is also very impressive.

Scene from the film “Helen of Troy” (video)

Regardless of whether Homer's Iliad is fact or fiction, the poem is beautiful and instructive. It gave food to filmmakers around the world and food for thought to many military strategists. Thus, during the Second World War, Soviet soldiers repeatedly used similar tactics.

The Procession Of The Trojan Horse In Troy Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

After the death of Achilles and Ajax, the Greeks could not break the resistance of the Trojans, even though they defended the city with all their might. Odysseus learned from a soothsayer that the Greeks would not have victory without Achilles' young son Neoptolemus and Philoctetes, whom the Greeks abandoned on the island of Chryse to die from terrible wounds from a snake bite. Showing extraordinary ingenuity and cunning, Odysseus got Neoptolemus and Philoctetes. Arriving at the Greek camp, Philoctetes killed Paris, the culprit of the war between Sparta and Troy, with a poisoned arrow. Paris died where he once grazed sheep like a simple shepherd. Odysseus, together with Diomedes, managed to penetrate Troy, and they managed to steal a wooden image of the goddess from the sanctuary of Pallas Athena. Now Athena could not protect Troy.

Odysseus came up with a trick that helped the Greeks take Troy. He proposed to build a huge wooden horse in which the strongest Greek warriors could hide, and to present this horse “as a gift” to the Trojans as a sign of reconciliation. And the Greek fleet should be taken behind the island of Tenedos to create the appearance that the Greeks had left the shores of Troy.
The Greeks built such a horse in which many warriors and leaders hid: Neoptolemus, Philoctetes, Menelaus, Diomedes, Idomenes, Odysseus and others. Then the Greeks burned all the buildings in their camp, boarded ships and sailed away. When the Trojans saw the “flight” of the Greeks from the city walls, they rejoiced and rushed into the camp of the fleeing enemy. Then the Trojans saw a wooden horse - it was huge and beautiful. The Trojans argued for a long time about what to do with the horse. Some suggested burning it, others - throwing it into the sea, and still others insisted on taking the horse to the city and placing it on the acropolis as a symbol of victory over the Greeks. After much debate, the horse was rolled into the city.
In the dead of night, the Greek warriors carefully climbed out of their horses. At the gates of Troy, a Greek spy lit a signal fire, and the Greek ships rushed to the shore of Troy. The Greeks burst into the peacefully sleeping city and committed a terrible massacre. The Greeks spared no one: neither the elderly, nor women, nor children. They only captured young girls.
The defeated Troy, which had been the most powerful city in Asia for so long, burned all night. This is how the Trojan War, which lasted ten years, ended. Do you remember why this war started? The war began because of the stupid, frivolous and immoral act of the beautiful Helen, who ran away from her husband Menelaus with the shepherd Paris, taking all the treasures of Menelaus. And what do you think? Menelaus forgave Helen and returned to Sparta with her.
Unfaithful wives, I appeal to you: do not follow the example of Elena. It was the weak-willed Menelaus who forgave his lascivious wife, through whose fault countless people died. A stronger man would not have done this. ..
The story of the fall of Troy is associated with a saying: “Fear the Danaans who bring gifts.”
Danaans - (Greek Danaoi) is the oldest name of the Greek tribes. The Greeks who besieged Troy are called Danaans in the Homeric epic. Having failed to take Troy by storm, the Danaans resorted to a trick: they lifted the siege, leaving a wooden horse near the walls of the city, inside which the soldiers were stationed.

Http://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/thumb_352c222e69.jpg
The Procession Of The Trojan Horse In Troy Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
Procession of the Trojan Horse to Troy 1773 Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo canvas

The Legend of the Trojan Horse. To take possession of Troy, the Greeks, on the advice of Odysseus, resorted to a trick: they made a huge wooden horse, hollow inside. Some of the Greek soldiers took refuge in it, and the rest sailed to one of the nearest islands. The Trojans, deciding that the Greeks had given them a horse, dragged it into the city. At night, Greek warriors attacked the Trojans. So in the tenth year of the war the mighty Troy fell.

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Culture of Ancient Greece

"Greeks religion" - Athena and Hades (marble). Apollo Belvedere. Poseidon. Mother Earth. Hermes. Kron and Rhea. Clio. Poseidon from Artemision (bronze, 470-450 BC). Hephaestus. Pompeii fresco. What natural phenomena were reflected in the religious beliefs of the Greeks? Terpsichore. The battle of the Olympian gods with the titans. Gay with children. Thalia is the muse of Comedy.

“History of Ancient Greece” - Description of the project. Annotation. Stages and timing: Project goal: To expand and deepen students’ knowledge on the topic. Project. Methodological materials: project plan, project presentation, business card. The author of the project is history teacher Bocharova Svetlana Gennadievna. 2006 Bocharova Svetlana Gennadievna.

“History of Ancient Sparta” - Ancient Greece. The death of the Cretan culture. Dragon. The most ancient legislators are Solon. The most ancient city-states. Ancient Greece. All residents were invited to participate in the legislation. Main battles. The rise of Athens and the flourishing of democracy in the 5th century. BC. Pericles' reforms. Athenian occupations. Greco-Persian Wars.

“History of Greece” - Themistocles. Name historical events by dates related to the history of Ancient Greece. Questions for 1 team Where is Greece? Equipment: computer; projector; additional demonstration material. 3(14). Poseidon. What is the name of the square in the ancient Greek city where trade is carried out? Odysseus.

There are 19 presentations in total

Wooden horse of the Greeks. - Cassandra's prediction about the Trojan horse. - Laocoon hits the Trojan horse with a spear. - Sinon convinces to bring the Trojan horse to Ilion. - Death of Priam. - Death of Astyanax, son of Hector and Andromache. - Menelaus forgives Helen. - Trojan captives Hecuba and Cassandra. - Sacrifice of Polyxena at the grave of Achilles.

Wooden horse of the Greeks

The Greeks fulfilled all the predictions about Troy that the soothsayers demanded of them, but in order to enter Troy and take possession of it, they, and mainly Odysseus, came up with the following trick. The sculptor Epeus built a huge wooden horse with help; the armed Odysseus was hidden in it with the bravest of the Greek warriors.

In ancient mythology and the subsequent history of European culture, this wooden horse of the sculptor Epeus received the name Trojan horse. The expression itself Trojan horse has become a common noun in European languages ​​and means something that contains a hidden threat under its attractive appearance.

Rationalizing interpreters of the myths of ancient Greece believed that under the image wooden horses The wooden sea ships that took Troy were reinterpreted allegorically, and later mythology made them into one horse.

The Greeks leave this horse in the middle of the camp, and for show they board ships and sail away. The delighted Trojans leave their city. Seeing a huge wooden horse, some of the Trojans begin to demand that it be brought to Troy and dedicated to the gods in gratitude for deliverance from the Greeks, while others oppose this, especially Cassandra, the daughter of Priam.

Cassandra's prediction about the Trojan horse

Cassandra was the most beautiful of the daughters of the last king of Troy. God Apollo, who sought an alliance with Cassandra, gave her the gift of prediction, but Cassandra did not agree to be his wife. The gods cannot take back their gifts, and the angry Apollo decided that although Cassandra would foretell the truth in her predictions, no one would believe Cassandra’s predictions.

In vain does Cassandra persuade the Trojans, in vain does she predict to them the following in tears: “You fools, what blindness has taken possession of you if you want to introduce this work of cunning and deception into the walls of your city! Don’t you see that your enemies are hidden in it!” (Homer).

Laocoon hits the Trojan horse with a spear

The Trojans do not believe Cassandra, despite the fact that Laocoon, Trojan priest of Apollo, shared the same opinion with Cassandra about the wooden horse of the Greeks.

Laocoon even plunges his spear into the side of the Trojan horse: inside the wooden belly the weapons of the enemies hidden there ring out, but the blindness of the Trojans is so great that they do not pay attention to it.

According to the Roman poet Virgil, Laocoon, hearing the sound of Greek weapons behind the horse's wooden flanks, said:

Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes -
“Whatever it is, I am afraid of the Danaans [i.e. Greeks], even when they bring gifts.”

These sayings of Laocoon in the transmission of Virgil became Latin winged words.

When Laocoon then sacrificed to the god Poseidon on the seashore with his two sons, two snakes emerge from the depths of the sea. They wrap themselves around the sons of Laocoon; the unfortunate people call their father for help in fear. Laocoön hurries to his sons, but snakes also wrap themselves around him, as if in iron rings. Beside himself with pain and horror, Laocoon calls out to the gods; they remain deaf to his pleas. Having strangled Laocoon and his sons, the snakes hide in the temple of Pallas Athena under her altar.

Horror seized the Trojans. They see the death of Laocoon. It seems to the Trojans that Laocoon is being punished for daring to pierce the sacred horse with a spear, and the people demand that the wooden horse be immediately taken to the temple of Pallas Athena in Troy.

The tragic death of Laocoon and his sons served as the subject for one of the greatest works of ancient sculpture. The famous sculptural group “Laocoon and his sons strangled by the snakes of the goddess Athena” was found in Rome in 1506 and is now in the Vatican.

The Roman writer Pliny the Elder says that it was sculpted by three Rhodian sculptors - Agesander, Polydorus and Athenodorus; the time of their life is unknown, but there is reason to assume that this work dates back to the era of prosperity of the Rhodes school, that is, to 250-200 BC.

Sinon convinces to bring the Trojan horse to Ilion

The next trick of the Greeks further confirmed the Trojans’ decision to introduce a wooden horse into the city.

A Greek named Sinon from Argos wounded himself and covered his entire face with scratches. Drenched in blood, Sinon threw himself at the feet of King Priam, complaining about the cruelty of the Greeks and asking for protection.

Priam received him joyfully, rewarded him with gifts and asked him about the Trojan horse. Sinon replied that the Greeks would die as soon as the wooden horse entered the city of Troy.

Then the Trojans, no longer doubting and hoping for the patronage of Pallas Athena, harness themselves and bring the Trojan horse into the city, preceded by singers and musicians.

At night, a detachment of Greeks, introduced into the city in this way, dismounts from the Trojan horse and opens the gates of Troy to their comrades.

The Greeks surround the palace of the elderly Priam on all sides, who, seeing that crowds of Greeks are breaking into the palace, seeks refuge with his whole family at the foot of the altar of Zeus.

Death of Priam

Achilles' son Neoptolemus, or Pyrrhus, pursues the children of Priam, and the last son dies at the feet of his father.

Priam grabs the dart and with a trembling hand throws it at his son’s killer, but Neoptolemus rushes at Priam and kills him with his sword.

“This is how Priam ended his life, this is how this powerful ruler of Asia, the king of so many nations, perished among the burning Troy. Priam is now nothing more than a bloody torso, a body without a name” (Virgil).

There are many ancient images of the death of Priam and his children.

Death of Astyanax, son of Hector and Andromache

While Priam, struck by the cruel Neoptolemus, dies, Andromache, Hector’s widow, foreseeing the fate of her son Astyanax, tries to hide him. Astyanax clings to his mother Andromache in fear, but she tells him: “You are crying, my son! Do you really understand what awaits you? Why are your little arms wrapped around my neck so tightly, why do you grab my clothes so tightly? Hector will not appear from the ground, armed with his formidable spear, to save you; neither his family, nor the former Phrygian power - nothing will save you. Now you will be thrown from a high cliff by an inexorable enemy, and I will hear your last breath” (Euripides).

The bloodthirsty Neoptolemus is already looking for Hector’s son everywhere. Andromache, washing the feet of Neoptolemus with her tears, begs him to give life to her son, but the stern warrior does not listen to her. Neoptolemus grabs Hector and Andromache's child and throws Astyanax off the cliff.

The group of sculptor Bartolini perfectly conveys the horror of this mythological scene.

Paris dies, pierced by the arrow of Hercules fired by Philoctetes.

Menelaus forgives Helen

Elena, the culprit of all these troubles, seeks salvation at the foot of the altar. Menelaus overtakes her there. Menelaus finally wants to take revenge for the insult inflicted on him, but, struck again by the beauty of Helen, he drops the sword with which he was going to punish the culprit. Menelaus forgets and forgives everything and takes Helen with him.

Trojan captives Hecuba and Cassandra

Many works of art have survived depicting the fall of Troy and the sad fate of Priam.

In the Naples Museum there is a beautiful antique vase on which the most important episodes of the destruction of Troy are presented.

Having taken Troy, the Greeks divided the spoils among themselves and took captives with them to sell them in a foreign country. Apparently, the fate of these unfortunate Trojans, who so bravely defended their hometown and were doomed to live in hard and shameful slavery in their old age, greatly occupied the imagination of ancient artists, because there are beautiful statues in almost all museums, known as “Prisoners.” They are all dressed in Trojan clothes, the expression on their faces is sad and submissive, they all seem to be dreaming and sad about their lost fatherland.

The fate of the Trojan women was the saddest.

The elderly Hecuba, the widow of Priam, went to Odysseus. Mourning the death of her children, Hecuba thinks with horror about her lonely old age and about the terrible hardships and labors that await her, the former queen, in slavery. Hecuba says: “Mortals, let my fate serve you as a lesson: do not call even the happiest mortal happy until his death” (Euripides).

The prophetess Cassandra, daughter of Priam, predicts her union with Agamemnon. Cassandra triumphs in advance, knowing that she will descend into the kingdom of shadows only when she sees the death of the house of Atrides, the descendants of Atreus, who destroyed her family (Euripides). But no one believes Cassandra’s predictions, and Agamemnon takes her away as his captive.

Sacrifice of Polyxena on the tomb of Achilles

Having finally quenched their thirst for revenge, the Greeks set off on their way back. They barely had time to weigh anchor when a storm broke out and the shadow of the formidable Achilles appeared; she began to reproach her comrades for leaving the hero’s grave without making any sacrifice to Achilles.

Achilles was supposed, in the event of peace with Troy, to marry Polyxena, one of the daughters of Priam. The soothsayers, asked what kind of sacrifice Achilles required for himself, answered that he wanted Polyxena to follow him into the kingdom of shadows and become his wife there.

Despite Hecuba's pleas and pleas, Polyxena was sacrificed at Achilles' grave.

Many ancient engraved stones depict Neoptolemus stabbing Polyxena to death with a sword on the tomb of Achilles.

The ancient Greek sculptor Polykleitos sculpted a beautiful statue of Polyxena, which enjoyed great fame in antiquity.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from ancient Greek and Latin; all rights reserved.

Even after long battles, the Greeks could not take possession of the city. Then Odysseus decided to act by cunning. He advised the Greeks to build such a huge wooden horse that the most powerful warriors could hide in it. And when the Trojans bring the horse into the city, the heroes will come out at night and open the gates of the city. Odysseus assured that this was the only way to take Troy. The prophetic Kalkhant, to whom Zeus sent a sign, also convinced the Greeks to resort to cunning.

The famous artist Epeus and his student, with the help of the goddess Athena, built a huge wooden horse. It included armed warriors. Aeneas closed the hole through which the heroes entered so tightly that it was impossible to even think that there was someone on the horse. Then the Greeks burned all the buildings in their camp, boarded a ship and sailed to the open sea.

From the high walls of Troy, the besieged saw extraordinary movement in the Greek camp. Suddenly they noticed that thick clouds of smoke were rising from the Greek camp. Rejoicing, the Trojans left the city and went to the camp, which was really abandoned, with buildings still burning out in some places. They were sure that the siege had finally ended, all troubles had passed, and they could now indulge in peaceful labor.

Suddenly the Trojans stopped in amazement when they saw a wooden horse. They looked at it and were at a loss as to what this amazing structure was. Some of them advised throwing the horse into the sea, others - taking it to the city and placing it on the acropolis. An argument began. Then the priest of the god Apollo, Laocoon, appeared before the disputants. He passionately began to convince his fellow citizens to destroy the horse.

Laocoon was sure that the horse was some kind of military trick invented by Odysseus. Laocoon did not believe that the Greeks had abandoned Troy forever. He begged the Trojans to beware of the horse. Laocoon grabbed a huge spear and threw it at his horse. The statue shuddered from the blow, and the weapon inside it rattled dully. But the gods darkened the minds of the Trojans - they still decided to take the horse to the city.

Suddenly a loud scream was heard. It was the shepherds who were leading a bound prisoner who surrendered voluntarily. This captive was the Greek Sinon. The Trojans surrounded him and began to mock him. Sinon stood silently, fearfully looking at the enemies surrounding him. Finally, he spoke. He complained bitterly, shedding tears, about his evil fate. Sinon Priam and all the Trojans were touched by the tears. They began to ask the detainee who he was and why he stayed. Then Sinon told a fictitious story that Odysseus had invented for him in order to deceive the Trojans.

The Trojans believed the cunning Greek. Priam ordered his release and asked what the meaning of this wooden horse, left by the Greeks in the camp, meant. This was the only question Sinon was waiting for. Calling the gods to witness that he was telling the truth, Sinon said that the horse was left to appease the formidable Athena. The Trojans believed Sinon. He deftly played the role that Odysseus assigned him.

The Trojans were further convinced that Sinon was telling the truth by the terrible snakes sent by Athena. They quickly swam to the shore, twisting in the waves. The creatures crawled ashore and all the Trojans fled in horror. The snakes rushed at the two sons of Laocoon and wrapped themselves around them. Laocoon hastened to help his sons, but snakes also entwined him. With their sharp teeth they tormented the bodies of the priest and his two sons. The unfortunate man tried to tear the snake off himself and free his children, but in vain. The poison penetrated deeper into the body.

The suffering of Laocoon and his sons was terrible. Laocoon died, seeing the terrible death of his innocent children, he died because he wanted, contrary to the will of God, to save his homeland. The snakes, having completed their vile deed, crawled away and hid under the shield of the statue of Athena.

The death of Laocoon finally convinced the Trojans that they should bring the wooden horse to Troy. They dismantled part of the city wall, since the huge statue could not be transported through the gate. The horse stopped four times, hitting the wall when they dragged him through the gap, and the Greek weapons rattled menacingly from the shocks, but the townspeople did not hear this. Finally, they dragged the horse to the acropolis.

Prophetic Cassandra was horrified when she saw the horse. She foreshadowed the death of Troy, but the Trojans responded with laughter - they never believed her predictions.

The warriors sat on their horses in deep silence, sensitively listening to every sound coming from outside. They heard beautiful-haired Elena calling them by name, imitating the voice of their wives. Odysseus forcibly restrained one of the heroes, covering his mouth so that he would not answer.

Night has come. Troy fell into a deep sleep. Sinon's voice was heard near the wooden statue - he let the heroes know that they could now leave. Sinon also managed to build a large fire at the gates of Troy. This was a sign to the Greeks who had taken refuge behind Tenedos to hurry to the city. Carefully, trying not to make any noise with their weapons, the heroes dismounted; the first were Odysseus and Aeneas. The heroes scattered along the sleepy streets of Troy. Houses burst into flames, illuminating the dying city with a bloody glow. The rest of the Greeks also came to the aid of the heroes. A terrible battle began. The Trojans defended themselves with whatever they could.

In anger, Menelaus would have killed the beautiful Helen, but Agamemnon held him back. The goddess Aphrodite again awakened Menelaus's love for Helen, and he solemnly led her to his ship.

Of all the heroes of Troy, only Aeneas escaped, carrying his old father Anchises and his little son Ascanius out of the city in his arms. The Greeks also spared the Trojan hero Antenor. He repeatedly advised the Trojans to hand over the beautiful-haired Helen and the treasures of Menelaus stolen by Paris.

Troy was still burning for a long time. Clouds of smoke rose high into the sky. The gods mourned the death of the great city. This huge funeral pyre was visible in the distance. Pala Troy is the most powerful city in Asia. The Achaeans won, but at what a high cost!

The formidable hordes of the commander, Agamemnon, king of kings

I looked around at the crowds of people who had survived the prey -

And he bowed his head,

Obsessed with a sad thought -

Many of them came to Troy,

Few of them will return with him...

Homer, "Iliad".

The Trojan War did not bring success to either side. It turned into a tragedy, but generated not by chance, but by the inscrutable ways of fate. The fate of Troy, the Trojans, and the Achaean heroes was predicted and inexorable. For most of its participants, the Trojan War brought death or shame, exile.

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