Childhood Paris was a child of
Priam and
Hecuba (see the
List of children of Priam). Just before his birth, his mother dreamed that she gave birth to a flaming torch. This dream was interpreted by the
seer Aesacus as a foretelling of the downfall of Troy, and he declared that the child would be the ruin of his homeland. On the day of Paris's birth, it was further announced by Aesacus that the child born of a royal Trojan that day would have to be killed to spare the kingdom, being the child that would bring about the prophecy. Though Paris was indeed born before nightfall, he was spared by Priam. Hecuba was also unable to kill the child, despite the urging of the
priestess of
Apollo, one
Herophile. Instead, Paris's father prevailed upon his chief herdsman,
Agelaus, to remove the child and kill him. The herdsman, unable to use a weapon against the infant, left him exposed on
Mount Ida, hoping he would perish there (cf.
Oedipus). He was, however, suckled by a she-bear. Returning after nine days, Agelaus was astonished to find the child still alive and brought him home in a backpack (
Greek pḗra, hence by
folk etymology Paris's name) to rear as his own. He returned to Priam bearing a dog's tongue as evidence of the deed's completion. Paris's noble birth was betrayed by his outstanding beauty and intelligence. While still a child, he routed a gang of cattle-thieves and restored the animals they had stolen to the herd, thereby earning the surname Alexander ("protector of men"). It was at this time that
Oenone became Paris's first lover. She was a
nymph from Mount Ida in
Phrygia. Her father was
Cebren, a
river-god or, according to other sources, she was the daughter of
Oeneus. She was skilled in the arts of
prophecy and
medicine, which she had been taught by
Rhea and
Apollo, respectively. Through her ability to see the future, she foresaw Paris leaving her but loved him deeply even so. When Paris later left her for Helen, she told him that if he ever was wounded, he should come to her, for she could heal any injury, even the most serious wounds. Paris's chief distraction at this time was to pit Agelaus's
bulls against one another. One bull began to win these bouts consistently. Paris began to set it against rival herdsmen's own prize bulls and it defeated them all. Finally, Paris offered a golden crown to any bull that could defeat his champion.
Ares responded to this challenge by transforming himself into a bull and easily winning the contest. Paris gave the crown to Ares without hesitation. It was this apparent honesty in judgement that prompted the gods of
Olympus to have Paris arbitrate the divine contest among
Hera,
Aphrodite, and
Athena.
Recognition Priam and
Hecuba established annual
funeral games in honour of their presumed-dead son. When Paris reached young manhood, men from the palace took his favourite bull as prize for the competition. He followed them to Troy, deciding to compete for the animal. Paris won every challenge, defeating even the nobles. Prince
Deiphobus, embarrassed from losing to a slave, attempted to kill his long lost brother. Paris took refuge at an altar and was there saved by the
prophet Cassandra revealing his true heritage. He was welcomed back as a prince. Soon after, he left for
Sparta.
Alternative stories Byzantine authors offer different versions of Paris's childhood story. According to
John Malalas, when Paris was born, Priam consulted the oracle of Apollo. The oracle warned that the child would destroy the Phrygian kingdoms when he reached the age of thirty. Fearing the prophecy, Priam renamed the boy Alexander and secretly sent him to the countryside to be raised by a farmer. To keep him hidden, Priam also built a strong fortified settlement in the countryside, naming it Parion. Paris grew up there and received his education. After thirty-two years had passed, Priam believed the prophecy had expired. He brought Paris back to Troy with great honor and later sent him on a religious mission to Greece to offer sacrifices to Apollo.
John Tzetzes offers a similar account. He writes that Hecuba, early in her pregnancy, dreamed she was giving birth to a fiery beast that would destroy Troy. Prophets interpreted her dreams and warned that her unborn child, Paris, would bring disaster to the city. Despite this, Hecuba gave birth, and Priam, fearing for the kingdom, consulted the oracle of Apollo. The oracle confirmed that Paris would cause Troy's destruction upon reaching the age of thirty. Priam then sent Paris to grow up in the countryside, in a city he built called Parion. There, Paris received his education and training. After thirty years, Priam brought Paris back to Troy and later sent him to Argos to offer sacrifices to Apollo to avert disaster. The
Suda provides a slightly different detail, stating that the place was called Amandros, where Paris spent thirty years growing up and receiving his education. Later, the city was renamed Parion after him.
Judgement of Paris In celebration of the marriage of
Peleus and
Thetis, Lord
Zeus, ruler and a chief deity of the
Greek pantheon, hosted a banquet on
Mount Olympus. Every deity and demi-god had been invited, except
Eris, the goddess of strife (no one wanted a troublemaker at a wedding). For revenge, Eris threw the golden
Apple of Discord inscribed with "For the most beautiful" () into the party, provoking a squabble among the attendant goddesses over for whom it had been meant. The goddesses thought to be the most beautiful were
Hera,
Athena, and
Aphrodite, and each one claimed the apple. They started a quarrel so they asked Zeus to choose one of them. Knowing that choosing any of them would bring him the hatred of the other two, Zeus did not want to take part in the decision. He thus appointed Paris to select the most beautiful. Escorted by
Hermes, the three goddesses bathed in the spring of Mount Ida and approached Paris as he herded his cattle. Paris was frightened at the appearance of the deities, but Hermes assured him it was the will of Zeus. Some artistic depictions have the goddesses appear unclad before the mortal. Still, Paris could not decide, as all three were ideally beautiful, so the goddesses attempted to bribe him to choose among them. Hera offered ownership of all of Europe and Asia. Athena offered skill in battle, wisdom and the abilities of the greatest warriors. Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman on Earth: Helen of Sparta. Paris chose Helen and thereby Aphrodite. However, Helen was already married to King
Menelaus of Sparta. When Menelaus was away from home, Paris seduced Helen into running away with him. In the Iliad, Helen notes how she had followed Paris to Troy, and Apollodorus describes the pair taking valuables together. Late sources claim Paris had to raid Menelaus's house to steal Helen from him, but most say he was first welcomed in. The Spartans' expedition to retrieve Helen from Paris in Troy is the mythological basis of the Trojan War. This triggered the war because Helen was famous for her beauty throughout
Achaea (ancient Greece), and had many suitors of extraordinary ability. Therefore, following
Odysseus's advice, her father
Tyndareus made all suitors promise to defend Helen's marriage to the man he chose for her. When Paris took her to Troy, Menelaus invoked this oath. Helen's other suitors, who between them represented most of Achaea's strength, wealth, and military prowess, were obliged to help bring her back. Thus, the whole of Greece moved against Troy in force and the
Trojan War began. File:Large amphora, Melian style, Paros, 7th c BC, AM Paros A 2652, 075954.jpg|7th-century BC
Melian pithamphora depicting the Judgement of Paris,
Archaeological Museum of Paros. File:Painting on terracotta panels of the judgement of Paris from Cerveteri (Boccanera tomb) - London BM 1889-0410-1 - 02.jpg|Paris receives
Hermes who leads
Athena,
Hera and
Aphrodite. Painting on terracotta panels, 560–550 BC File:Enrique Simonet - El Juicio de Paris - 1904.jpg|
El Juicio de Paris by
Enrique Simonet, . Paris is studying Aphrodite, who is standing before him naked. The other two goddesses watch nearby. Image:Julgamento-de-páris.jpg|
Judgement of Paris, ,
Capodimonte porcelain (
Capitoline Museums,
Rome)
Trojan War Homer's
Iliad casts Paris as a cowardly warrior. Although Paris readily admits his shortcomings in battle, his brother
Hector scolds him after he abandons a duel with Menelaus that was to determine the end of the war. His preference for bow and arrow emphasizes this, since he does not follow the code of honor shared by the other heroes. However, Paris also kills several named Greeks without divine help. His wounding of
Machaon turns the tide of the battle in the Trojans' favour. In a private moment, Hector praises Paris' skill in battle, only wishing he would be more forthcoming. He hopes one day they will be able to make amends. Early in the epic, Paris and Menelaus duel in an attempt to end the war without further bloodshed. Menelaus easily defeats Paris, though
Aphrodite spirits him away before Menelaus can finish the duel. Paris is returned to his bedchambers, where Aphrodite brings Helen to sleep with him. He declares: "Come, let us take our joy, couched together in love; for never yet hath desire so encompassed my soul." In Book 11, Paris wounds Diomedes from afar, with an arrow through the foot. In response to his unseemly crowing, Diomedes disparages him in multiple ways: "Archer, you who without your bow are nothing, slanderer and seducer!" In Book 13, Paris is found in battle heartening his comrades. In the
Aethiopis, after slaying Hector and other heroes,
Achilles dies by an arrow of Paris with Apollo's help. According to Hyginus (Fabulae, 107) Apollo disguised himself as Paris. Later in the war, Paris duels
Philoctetes and dies. His corpse is fought over and eventually recovered by the Trojans. In later accounts, after Philoctetes mortally wounds him, Helen makes her way to
Mount Ida where she begs Paris's first wife, the nymph
Oenone, to heal him. Still bitter that Paris had spurned her for his birthright in the city and then forgotten her for Helen, Oenone refuses. Helen returns alone to Troy, where Paris dies later the same day. In another version, Paris himself, in great pain, visits
Oenone to plead for healing but is refused and dies on the mountainside. When Oenone hears of his death, she runs to his funeral pyre and throws herself in its fire. After Paris's death, his brother
Deiphobus married Helen and was then killed by
Menelaus in the sack of Troy. File:Helen and Paris, Pompeii.jpg|
Seduction of Helen by Paris, antique fresco in
Pompeii, 1st century File:The face that launched 1,000 ships.jpg|
Abduction of Helen, ceiling fresco, Venetian, mid-18th century File:Les Amours de Pâris et d'Hélène (painting by Jacques-Louis David).jpg|
The Love of Helen and Paris by
Jacques-Louis David (oil on canvas, 1788, Louvre, Paris) File:Fresco depicting the meeting of Helen and Alexandros (Paris), Black Room, Pompeii.jpg|Antique fresco from Pompeii, showing Trojan prince Paris with Helen of Troy (1st century CE) ==Later treatments==