ABSTRACT
I will begin by telling an old story about Paris. Paris, the son of Priam, King of Troy, was called upon to award the prize for a remarkable contest. A golden apple had been offered by the goddess Eris (strife). It was inscribed with the single word kalliste, ‘for the most beautiful’. Three other goddesses-Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena-all claimed it as theirs. Paris was chosen to choose between them, as the most beautiful of mortal men (it is not said who selected him for this title or why this was the qualification for judging the goddesses’ beauty). Hera offered him greatness, Athena offered him military success, Aphrodite offered him the loveliest woman for his own, if he chose them. Whether or not these promises influenced his choice we do not know. At any rate, he opted for Aphrodite and also took her bribe, since she then helped him to run off with Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman. Thus began the Trojan War, and the rest is prehistory.
