Mythology

The Judgment of Paris

Why did the Romans create Myths?

Part I: The Wedding

Wedding of Peleus (mortal) and Thetis (nymph)

Goddess of Discord (Discordia/Eris) NOT invited!

Part II: The Evil Plot

Angered by the non invite, Discordia plucked a golden apple and threw it into the part with the Greek word –Kallisti (to the most beautiful)

This will show them to not invite

me!

Part III: The Fight

Three goddess – Juno, Minerva and Venus – got into a fight over who should get the apple

Part IV: Pick a Judge

None of the gods wanted to choose (too scared!)Jupiter chose the mortal Paris to be the judge You be the judge!

Part V: The Bribes - Juno

Juno promised Paris that if she were chosen he would rule the entire world – including Asia!

Part V: The Bribes - Minerva

Minerva promised Paris that if she were chosen he would be the wisest person in the world

Part V: The Bribes - Venus

Venus promised Paris the love and marriage of the most beautiful woman in the world

Whose gift do you think he accepted?

What would you choose?

Part VI: The JudgmentParis of course chooses Venus’ gift –to the dismay of the other goddesses

I choose the girl, of course!

PROBLEM:

The most beautiful woman in the world is Helen of SpartaUnfortunately, she is already married to Menelaus

So, what happens?

Paris pretends to go on a goodwill trip to Sparta – but steals Helen!

How do you think Menelaus feels?Let’s run away together…back

to Troy!

WAR!!!!

Menelaus and brother Agamemnon declare war upon Troy

What does this story explain?

The beginning of the Trojan War

Why do you think the Greeks came up with this story?

What does this story tell you about the gods and their relationships with humans?

Echo and Narcissus

DIRECTIONS:1. Read the story individually2. Get into groups and discuss the questions on the worksheet.

As you read consider the following:

How the gods punish other gods or humans

How the myth explains the existence of something in the world

What lessons do we learn from these stories?