PARIS (Trojan prince)
Figure of myth · mythological son of Priam, king of Troy
- Parents
- Priam, Hecuba
- Siblings
- Hector, Cassandra, Deiphobus, Polyxena
- Consorts
- Helen of Troy, Oenone
- Children
- Idaeus, Corythus, Bunicus, Aganus, Helena
- Haunts and cult places
- Troy
- In the sources
- 444 ancient passages
Paris, son of Priam, lived as a shepherd on Mount Ida.1,2,3,4,5,6 Fair to see with comely locks and a beardless face, he excelled many in beauty and strength when he grew to be a young man, and was considered the handsomest young fellow in all Phrygia.7,8,9,10,11,5 Known also as Alexander for repelling robbers and defending flocks, he was a charming gallant and an admirable judge of beauty, though his brother Hector noted he lacked courage and wit.8,12,13,7 Raised in obscurity after being exposed and nursed by a bear, he was eventually brought up by the servant Agelaus before residing in the city of Troy.8,14,15
Hermes escorted three goddesses to Paris so he could judge their beauty, a decision Zeus commanded him to make without hesitation.16,17,18,19,20 Paris judged the claims of Hera, Pallas, and Cypris, accepting Aphrodite's offer to marry Helen, the woman from Lacedaemon.21,4,5,22,23,6,24 He travelled to Sparta, leaving his ox-stalls, and abducted Helen, sailing away with her across the seas.25,4,26,27 This act of carrying off the wife of Menelaus motivated the Greek expedition against Troy and filled all of Hellas with tears.7,28,22,29,30
Paris's actions led to war between Greece and Troy, causing the city's capture, destruction, and the slaughter of his brothers.31,32,33,14 During the conflict, he engaged in combat with Menelaus, a contest aided by Athena in which Paris was defeated.34,35,36 He shot an arrow that pierced Diomed's right foot, laughing heartily and taunting him while wishing the arrow had killed him.37,38
Philoctetes shot Paris with the bow of Heracles, wounding him with an arrow destined to kill him.26,39,40,41 Suffering from a torturing wound and fainting from pain, Paris reluctantly went to Oenone on Ida to beg her to heal his deadly injury.42,26,43 He admitted he had sinned by leaving his wife and invoking their past love, but Oenone refused to heal him because she was angry he had abandoned her for Helen.26,43,44,45,46 Paris died in Troy after Oenone refused to heal his wound.26,47,48,49
The shepherds who built his pyre considered Paris their former comrade and king, honoring the harmful shepherd of Ida.46,11,5,4 His marriage to Helen was described as a source of misery rather than a true union, a gift from Kypris that destroyed his friends.11,50,51,52 Paris preferred immediate death to being separated from Helen, a bond that caused great destruction among Greeks and Barbarians.53,28,30 He is remembered as a noble figure of royal blood, a relation of Ganymede, whose beauty and choices triggered the fall of Troy.15,18,54
The codex facts behind this entry
Paris is the son of Priam, one of the nine sons of the old king. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis 440-470 +6 Paris is described as a herdsman in this account. Colluthus, The Rape of Helen ¶1 +3 Paris is identified as the husband of Helen. Iliad 13 ¶51 +1
In the myths
Paris carried off Helen from Sparta, an act that motivated the Greek expedition against Troy. Apollodorus 3.12.6 +10 According to Homer, Paris killed Achilles with the help of Apollo. Aeneid 6.42 +7 Paris travelled to Sparta and abducted Helen, the woman from Lacedaemon, sailing away with her. Apollodorus, Epitome 3.3 +5 Paris's actions led to war between Greece and Troy, causing the city's capture, destruction, and the slaughter of his brothers. Aeschylus, Agamemnon 40-82 +4 Philoctetes shot Paris with the bow of Heracles during the Trojan War. Apollodorus 3.12.6 +3 Paris judged the beauty contest among three goddesses, including Hera and Pallas. Apollodorus, Epitome 3.2 +3 Paris judged the claims of three rival goddesses, Pallas, Cypris, and Hera, in a beauty contest that triggered his journey to Greece. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis 1276-1312 +2 Paris's actions brought Agamemnon to utter ruin. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis 440-470 +2 Hermes escorted the goddesses to Alexander so he could judge their beauty. Pausanias 3.18.12 +2 Paris was defeated by Menelaus in a contest aided by Athena. Apollodorus, Epitome 4.1 +2
Fate
Paris was killed in the battle. Quintus 10 ¶15 +2 Alexander died in Troy after Oenone refused to heal his wound. Apollodorus 3.12.6 +2 Hector wishes the earth would swallow Paris alive, that he had never been born or had died before marrying, and that he would feel relief if he saw Paris descend into Hades. Iliad 3 ¶6 +1 Paris was killed by the arrows of Philoctetes, who was destined to use the bow of Heracles to kill him. Quintus 14 ¶8 +1
