1. By: Homer Information by: Hilary Johannas Illustrations by: Kat McIntosh

3. M ore than 1000 years B.C. near the East end of the Mediterranean Sea there was a great city of gold. The city was second to none on earth. This city was called Troy …

4. Troy is located in modern day Turkey. Charge **Troy

5. The cause of the war goes back to a dispute between three jealous goddesses.

6. ErisEris apple There was an evil goddess named Eris. Eris was not liked by many and did not receive and invitation to a party. To create chaos, she conjured up a golden apple and addressed it to the “fairest goddess.”

7. Hera- Zeus’s Wife Athena- The goddess of battle and wisdom Aphrodite- The goddess of beauty and love Zeus didn’t want to make this decision, but he narrowed it Down to three goddesses.

8. Zeus choose Paris-the prince of Troy to make the decision. After all, he didn’t have anything to lose!

9. The three goddesses wanted that apple, sooooo…They tried to bribe Paris with a gift so that he would choose them.

10. Hera Hera promised Paris he would be ruler of a large territory.

11. Athena, the goddess of war, promised Paris a great victory.

12. Aphrodite, goddess of love, promised Paris that the fairest woman in the world would be his.

13. This is known as the judgment of Paris, and it is known as the real reason why the Trojan war was fought.

14. So, who do you think Paris chose? LAND = Power!! BATTLE VICTORY= Power and Wealth LOVE = Well, Love Tell me?? Why do you think that?

15. DUH!!!! He’s a guy! He chose LOVE and BEAUTY! The problem was that the woman he chose was a Greek and she was already married!!!

16. The fairest woman in the world was named Helen. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. Every prince in Greece wanted to marry her. The man she called father was named King Tyndareus.

17. Her father made all of the suitors swear an oath saying they would punish anyone who tried to harm Helen.

18. King Tyndareus, chose for her Menelaus and made him King of Sparta.

19. But…a promise is a promise, so…Aphrodite led Paris to Helen and he took her away with him. (This is one story anyway…another story is that Helen fell in love with Paris (love at first sight) and she willingly left with him.)

20. King Menelaus wasn’t going to stand for that…especially since Paris was a Trojan…so he called all the men of Greece for help. They readied to sail to Troy and burn it to ashes.

21. This is where our hero, Odysseus This is where our hero, Odysseus-the greatest of all Greek warriors- comes in…When the King came to him…Odysseus didn’t want to leave his family. Gone Crazy…be back soon! So, he acted Like he was Crazy!!!

22. However, to prove his was faking his condition Odysseus was put to the test. His son’s life was purposefully endangered and Odysseus came to his rescue, proving he was NOT crazy.

23. For one year they sailed from Ithaca to Troy. Once they discovered that he wasn’t crazy…Odysseus was made to join the army. A great fleet was made ready. Bye-Bye Good Luck We’ll miss you!

24. For nine years the battle waged, but there was never a solid victory.

25. Soon, even the gods and goddesses heard about it and took sides. For Troy Aphrodite Ares Apollo Artemis For the Greeks Hera Athena Poseidon

26. Athena, goddess of wisdom, cared for Odysseus, so she put a plan in his mind. They would create a large wooden horse and hide inside. The horse would be presented as a gift and accepted inside the city walls. At night, after the celebration of victory. Odysseus and his men would sneak out of the horse and seize the city.

27. The plan worked!!! In his excitement, Odysseus proclaimed he had won the victory with out the help of the gods. For this lack of humility, Poseidon, god of the Ocean, decided Odysseus must be punished.

28. Poseidon vowed that Odysseus would never return to his home or his family.

29. Odysseus's journey home and our story …thus the Odyssey, begins….