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Book Three
As the armies verge, the dust is so thick that you can't see the distance of a stone's throw. Suddenly Paris breaks out from the front of the Trojan ranks. Resplendant in a leopardskin cloak, armed with bow and arrows, two spears, and a sword, he challenges the Greeks to single combat. Menelaus (meh-neh-LAY-us) cannot believe his luck. Revenge is his at last. But as soon as Paris sees what mighty warrior has answered his challenge, he jumps back as if he had stepped on a snake. His own brother, Hector, calls him a beautiful coward. Paris calmly accepts the insult, although he cautions that good looks are a gift of the gods and as such not to be spurned. But he's willing to fight Menelaus once and for all. The winner takes Helen, the loser dies, and everyone else swears a binding pact of friendship.
Hector steps between the armies, braving volleys of slingshot stones and arrows to call a truce. Though he is the one who has been most injured, Menelaus accepts the proposal. He calls for a sacrifice to seal the truce and asks that King Priam (PRY-am) of Troy appear in person to guarantee it.
Zeus's messenger Iris summons Helen to the ramparts of Troy, where she finds Priam and his aged counselors already surveying the battlefield. These men are so civilized that they admire Helen's beauty even while acknowledging the disaster that it has brought upon their city. Priam calls her to his side and asks about the Greek champions below. She points out Agamemnon, glorious in his armor, and towering Ajax. The counselors know Odysseus because he and Menelaus came as emissaries to the Trojan court before the war began, seeking to arrange Helen's return peaceably. Not only was their overture rebuffed, but they were themselves threatened with death until Antenor (an-TEE-nor), aged counselor to Priam, reminded the Trojans of their sacred obligation as hosts. Antenor recalls how Odysseus rose to speak and stood so still, staring at the ground, that they thought he was an idiot, until the words broke forth in compelling torrents from his chest and they listened in awe. Priam marvels at the sheer numbers of Agamemnon's host, remembering a time from his youth when he joined a Phrygian (FRIH-jun) horde to fight the warrior women known as Amazons.
Priam mounts his chariot and goes down to the battle lines. He brings a sacrificial offering, a white lamb for the Sun and a black ewe for Earth, and Agamemnon invokes the Furies to punish whosoever breaks the truce. Lots are drawn from a helmet to determine who gets the first spear cast. Both men don their shinguards, their metal breastplates, helmets, and swords and take up their spears and heavy shields.
Striding into the no man's land between the armies where the battle is to be fought, Paris throws first and scores a direct hit on the shield of Menelaus, but the bronze tip of his spear bends back. Menelaus's cast passes straight through Paris's shield and tears his shirt, but Paris dodges the point. Menelaus follows up with his sword, but the blade shatters on Paris's helmet. With an oath of frustrated rage, Menelaus now seizes Paris by the horsehair plume of his helmet and starts to drag him toward the Greek lines. Paris is starting to strangle as the chin strap digs into his throat when the Goddess of Love intervenes. She breaks the chin strap and the helmet comes loose in Menelaus's hands. He flings it away as Aphrodite (a-fro-DY-tee) cloaks Paris in a mist and spirits him off to his own bedroom in Troy.
Disguising herself as an elderly servant, Aphrodite now goes to Helen and tells her that her lover awaits. Helen recognizes the goddess instantly and asks if she is being led once more to ruin. Why don't you go to him yourself, she teases Aphrodite. Helen has gone too far, and she shrinks back before the immortal's sudden rage. Aphrodite cautions that her love for Helen could easily turn to hatred. Thwart my wishes, she warns, and I'll cause you to be despised by Greeks and Trojans alike. Without another word, Helen follows to the bedroom and her lover's arms. Meanwhile, back at the battlefront, Agamemnon declares that the victory clearly belongs to Menelaus.
Note:
chariot — Chariots — comprised of a car and team of horses — were generally used to take fighters to and from single combat. The warrior dismounted and fought while his charioteer remained nearby.







Book Three
As the armies verge, the dust is so thick that you can't see the distance of a stone's throw. Suddenly Paris breaks out from the front of the Trojan ranks. Resplendant in a leopardskin cloak, armed with bow and arrows, two spears, and a sword, he challenges the Greeks to single combat. Menelaus (meh-neh-LAY-us) cannot believe his luck. Revenge is his at last. But as soon as Paris sees what mighty warrior has answered his challenge, he jumps back as if he had stepped on a snake. His own brother, Hector, calls him a beautiful coward. Paris calmly accepts the insult, although he cautions that good looks are a gift of the gods and as such not to be spurned. But he's willing to fight Menelaus once and for all. The winner takes Helen, the loser dies, and everyone else swears a binding pact of friendship.
Hector steps between the armies, braving volleys of slingshot stones and arrows to call a truce. Though he is the one who has been most injured, Menelaus accepts the proposal. He calls for a sacrifice to seal the truce and asks that King Priam (PRY-am) of Troy appear in person to guarantee it.
Zeus's messenger Iris summons Helen to the ramparts of Troy, where she finds Priam and his aged counselors already surveying the battlefield. These men are so civilized that they admire Helen's beauty even while acknowledging the disaster that it has brought upon their city. Priam calls her to his side and asks about the Greek champions below. She points out Agamemnon, glorious in his armor, and towering Ajax. The counselors know Odysseus because he and Menelaus came as emissaries to the Trojan court before the war began, seeking to arrange Helen's return peaceably. Not only was their overture rebuffed, but they were themselves threatened with death until Antenor (an-TEE-nor), aged counselor to Priam, reminded the Trojans of their sacred obligation as hosts. Antenor recalls how Odysseus rose to speak and stood so still, staring at the ground, that they thought he was an idiot, until the words broke forth in compelling torrents from his chest and they listened in awe. Priam marvels at the sheer numbers of Agamemnon's host, remembering a time from his youth when he joined a Phrygian (FRIH-jun) horde to fight the warrior women known as Amazons.
Priam mounts his chariot and goes down to the battle lines. He brings a sacrificial offering, a white lamb for the Sun and a black ewe for Earth, and Agamemnon invokes the Furies to punish whosoever breaks the truce. Lots are drawn from a helmet to determine who gets the first spear cast. Both men don their shinguards, their metal breastplates, helmets, and swords and take up their spears and heavy shields.
Striding into the no man's land between the armies where the battle is to be fought, Paris throws first and scores a direct hit on the shield of Menelaus, but the bronze tip of his spear bends back. Menelaus's cast passes straight through Paris's shield and tears his shirt, but Paris dodges the point. Menelaus follows up with his sword, but the blade shatters on Paris's helmet. With an oath of frustrated rage, Menelaus now seizes Paris by the horsehair plume of his helmet and starts to drag him toward the Greek lines. Paris is starting to strangle as the chin strap digs into his throat when the Goddess of Love intervenes. She breaks the chin strap and the helmet comes loose in Menelaus's hands. He flings it away as Aphrodite (a-fro-DY-tee) cloaks Paris in a mist and spirits him off to his own bedroom in Troy.
Disguising herself as an elderly servant, Aphrodite now goes to Helen and tells her that her lover awaits. Helen recognizes the goddess instantly and asks if she is being led once more to ruin. Why don't you go to him yourself, she teases Aphrodite. Helen has gone too far, and she shrinks back before the immortal's sudden rage. Aphrodite cautions that her love for Helen could easily turn to hatred. Thwart my wishes, she warns, and I'll cause you to be despised by Greeks and Trojans alike. Without another word, Helen follows to the bedroom and her lover's arms. Meanwhile, back at the battlefront, Agamemnon declares that the victory clearly belongs to Menelaus.
Note:
chariot — Chariots — comprised of a car and team of horses — were generally used to take fighters to and from single combat. The warrior dismounted and fought while his charioteer remained nearby.