Context

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__**Paris and Helen of Troy**__: The cause of the Trojan War was when Paris abducted Menelaus’ wife Helen. She was the fairest beauty in all the land. Paris captured her and took her to Troy, so Menelaus sent a fleet of a thousand ships after her. There were a lot of men chasing after her, and so her step-father made all of the men trying to court her swear to protect her and not fight with the man she chose. When she was abducted, all of her former suitors joined up to go to Troy and get her back. They were led by Menelaus’ brother, Agamemnon. The Greeks, on their quest to Troy, were sailing East, when a wind came and swept them West. Agamemnon consulted an oracle, who told him he needed to sacrifice his daughter and the winds would obey. After Agamemnon sacraficed his daughter, they sailed East toward Troy.

Different gods chose sides in the epic battle. Paris chose Aphrodite, the god of beauty, as "The Fairest" so she allied with Troy, while Athena and Hera sided with the Greeks because they were jealous of Aphrodite. Whenever Paris was in trouble, Aphrodite would cover him in a mist so he could escape the enemy. Poseidon, due to a long feud with the Trojan king, took the side of the Greeks. Hephaestos helped the Greeks out of spite against Ares and Aphrodite, and to please Hera, his mother. Hades and Zeus stayed neutral throughout the war.
 * __Gods__**:

__**Achilles**__: Achilles was a fierce greek warrior. During the battle of Troy, a dear friend of his, Patroclus, asked to lead the Greek army, so Achilles lent him his armor. Unfortunately, a Trojan hero, Hector, mistook Patroclus for Achilles, and killed him. When Achilles was an infant, Thetis, his mother, tried to make him invulnerable by dipping him in Styx, a river in the Underworld. She held him by his heels, so they were unexposed to the river, and were the only part of him still "human." They were his tragic flaw, and when Paris shot his heel, he died. It is believed that the arrow that killed Achilles was guided by Apollo, the god of healing and prophecy.

Odysseus was the Greek warrior, credited with the end of the Trojan war and for the creation of the famous Trojan Horse. He had the idea to build a giant wooden horse with a trap door, so Greek soldiers could hide inside and sneak into Troy. Once it was finished, it was wheeled out in front of the city gates. The Trojans believed it was a peace offering and celebrated a little too heavily, and they all fell into a deep wine-induced sleep. When nighttime came, Odysseus and his men crept out of the horse, now inside the city walls, and torched the whole city. They brought Helen back to be with Menelaus, and they were reunited. This marked the end of the 10 year war.
 * __Odysseus and the Trojan Horse__**: