The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-08-16
THE lLIAb's WEAKNESS.
Homor's Version Of The Legend Of
Helen of Troy.

pSl@U OF Troy
Why did not the Trojans restore
Helen to Menelaus and by 80 doing
avoid all the fatal consequences of the
siege Of Troy2 This question has
probably been asked by every reader
Of HOmer's celebrated epic without
finding satisfactory answer. Why,
indeed, should the entire population Of
Priam have preferred the destruction
Of their city and their lives rather than
by restoring Helen to disturb the love
pleasures Of one Of the many Trojan
princes? Such stupidity or recklessness
on the part Of the Trojans seems In
credible, and 1t must be supposed that
for some good reason not mentioned by
Homer they could not help acting the
way they did.
In fact, Herodotus, a countryman
Of Homer's, in his version of the Helen
legend, which he claims to have recelv.
cd from the Egyptians, gives a plausi.
BILE explanation Of that obscure point.
According to this account, Paris, after
carrying OFF Helen from Sparta, sailed
with her hOmeward but on his way
across the Egean sea he was driven
by violent winds to the Canopic mouth
of the Nile On that shore stood a
temple dedicated to Hercules, which
had the right of sanctuary. Some of
the attendants fed to the temple, and,
with view to lnjure Paris, they ac-
cused him to the Egyptians, narrating
all the circumstances of the outrage of
Helen and the wrong done to Meme
laus.
AS soon as Thonls, the warden Of
that mouth Of the river, received the
intelligence he sent message to Pro.
teus, IN Memphis, to this effect: "a
stranger is arrived from Greece. He
h by race a Teucrian and has done a
wicked deed in the country from which
be Is come. Having beguiled the wife
of the man whose guest he was, he
carried her away with him and much
treasure also. Are we to let him de.
part as he came or shall we seize what
he has broughtT'
Proteus in answer ordered that the
man who dealt so wickedly with his
friend should be seized and brought
before him. His order was carried
out, and Proteus asked Paris who he
was, whence he came and how he got
possession OF Helen. In his reply
Paris became confused and diverged
from the truth; whereupon the slaves
interposed, confuted his statements
and told the whole history Of the crime.
At last Proteus pronounced this judg
| ment:
did not regard it as a matter OF
the utmost consequence that no stran.
ger driven to my country should ever
be put to death would have avenged
the Greek by staying thee, Thou bas.
est Of men. after accepting hospitality
to do so wicked a deedl Now, then, as
want to put no stranger to death, !
suffer thee to depart, but the woman
and the treasures must stay here till
the Greek stranger comes in person and
takes them back to him. For thyseIf
and thy companions I command thee
to be gone from my land within the
space of three days. and I warn thee
that otherwise at the end OF that time
you will be treated as enemies"
According to this account, therefore,
the TroJans could not restore Helen
TOR the simple reason that she was not
In their possession. for she was In
Egypt where Menelaus received her
back unframed. 1t seems that Homer,
too, was acquainted with this original
story, since he tells that Paris came
with Helen to Sidon, In Phoenlcia
(Iliad vi, 2a1), also that Menelaus be
fore returning to Troy stayed with
Helen in Egypt Odyssey iv. 22s-2sO;
Had Nv, S61. But Homer probably
thought the Herodotian version less
adapted for epic poetry than the one
be followed.-New York Tribune.