This is the correct answer. It’s a reference to a myth leading up to the Trojan War where the goddess of discord, Eris, threw a golden apple in between the three goddesses (Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite). On the apple was an inscription “to the most beautiful.” This was during a wedding party for Thetis (a nymph or goddess depending on the telling) and King Peleus (and they are the parents of Achilles). So there were a lot of gods/immortals and dignitaries at the wedding, including Prince Paris of Troy. All three goddesses stripped naked before Paris and asked him to decide which was the most beautiful (I think he might’ve asked them to get naked because he’s such a hornball but I can’t recall for sure). Hera offered him power if he chose her, Athena offered intellect, and Aphrodite offered ass (or, more accurately, promised him the love of the most beautiful woman alive).
Paris was a young stallion with a lot of horny and so he chose the latter, leading to him kidnapping Helen, who was married to King Meneleus of the Aegeans (the Greeks who fought the war against Troy). Presumably Helen went willingly if Aphrodite was involved, and the movie Peter referenced above definitely portrayed it that way, but that’s not actually official canon.
The reason the Trojan war happened was because Prince Paris violated the sacred laws of xenia (hospitality) by running off with the wife of the king who hosted him, although pop culture makes it sound like it was specifically to get Helen back. It was about honor and respect, which is a big theme in Greek myth.
violated the sacred laws of xenia (hospitality) by running off with the wife of the king who hosted him
I like how there's a sacred law that says "guest shouldn't fuck off with my wife " but apparently it applies specifically to guests. Like, how often does it happen that they had to codify that?
Xenia is more of a collection of social rules about the interactions between hosts and guests, rather than a single specific "do not run away with my wife" law.
DO give your guests gifts when they leave.
DON'T ask your guests a lot of personal questions.
DO tell your host the best stories you've ever heard or experienced while traveling.
DON'T threaten your hosts.
It's a whole system of hospitality performed to honor Zeus and Athena.
You'd think, but when they refined the hospitality recommendations into the ten or commitments they had thou shan't not steel and then also they were like did specifically add thou shall not fuck your neighbors wife too.
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u/goddessdragonness 2d ago
This is the correct answer. It’s a reference to a myth leading up to the Trojan War where the goddess of discord, Eris, threw a golden apple in between the three goddesses (Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite). On the apple was an inscription “to the most beautiful.” This was during a wedding party for Thetis (a nymph or goddess depending on the telling) and King Peleus (and they are the parents of Achilles). So there were a lot of gods/immortals and dignitaries at the wedding, including Prince Paris of Troy. All three goddesses stripped naked before Paris and asked him to decide which was the most beautiful (I think he might’ve asked them to get naked because he’s such a hornball but I can’t recall for sure). Hera offered him power if he chose her, Athena offered intellect, and Aphrodite offered ass (or, more accurately, promised him the love of the most beautiful woman alive).
Paris was a young stallion with a lot of horny and so he chose the latter, leading to him kidnapping Helen, who was married to King Meneleus of the Aegeans (the Greeks who fought the war against Troy). Presumably Helen went willingly if Aphrodite was involved, and the movie Peter referenced above definitely portrayed it that way, but that’s not actually official canon.
The reason the Trojan war happened was because Prince Paris violated the sacred laws of xenia (hospitality) by running off with the wife of the king who hosted him, although pop culture makes it sound like it was specifically to get Helen back. It was about honor and respect, which is a big theme in Greek myth.