Epeius | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology THIS IS A DIRECTORY PAGE. Britannica does not currently have an article on this topic. Learn about this topic in these articles: in Trojan horse huge hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War. The horse was built by Epeius, a master carpenter and pugilist. The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to the nearby island of Tenedos, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena (goddess of war) that would make Troy impregnable. Despite... THE WOODEN HORSE - Greek Mythology Link About • Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. The Wooden Horse advanced Epeius 2 (holding hammer and chisel), between Athena and Agamemnon (sitting under a tree), presents the WOODEN HORSE. An army representative approaches from the left. RI.1-1279:: Epeius, Athena and Agamemnon. Epeios zwischen Athena und Agamemnon (Vasenbild nach Overbeck, Gall. Taf.

25, 3). Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Göttingen, 1845- Dresden, 1923), Ausfürliches Lexikon der griechisches und römisches Mythologie, 1884. "If doomed it be indeed that Priam 's burg, by guile must fall before the war-worn Achaeans, a great horse let us fashion, in the which our mightiest shall take ambush ... Then shall war's signal unto us be givento them at sea, by sudden flash of torch, to the ambush, by the cry, 'Come forth the Horse!' when unsuspecting sleep the sons of Troy." ( Odysseus to the Achaeans. Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy 12.25). The WOODEN HORSE is the stratagem by means of which Troy was taken. It is usually called "The Trojan Horse," but there is nothing Trojan about it: the horse was built by the Achaeans.

Insight After ten years of fruitless military efforts, the Achaeans realized that Troy perhaps could be taken by cunning instead of by force, and this insight invited them to construct a WOODEN HORSE, which was to become the instrument of their victory. They let an armed force hide itself inside the horse, and in order to induce the Trojans to bring it within the walls, they left it abandoned in the plain, feigning retreat after engraving on the horse a treacherous inscription: "For their return home, the Achaeans dedicate this thank-offering to Athena ." (Apollodorus, Library "Epitome" 5.15). Idea of Helenus 1 This came about, some say, after the capture or desertion of the Trojan seer Helenus 1 , who, after telling the Achaeans that there was no hope left for Troy once the Palladium had been stolen from the city, declared that they should offer a WOODEN HORSE to Athena , making it so large that the Trojans would have to breach the city walls in order to take it in.

Having thus been instructed by the seer, the Achaeans brought a great deal of wood, and appointed the architect Epeius 2 and Ajax 2 to supervise the work. Idea of Odysseus Others say that it was Odysseus who conceived the construction of the WOODEN HORSE, telling the assembled Achaeans: "If doomed it be indeed that Priam's burg, by guile must fall before the war-worn Achaeans, a great horse let us fashion, in the which our mightiest shall take ambush." ( Odysseus to the Achaeans. Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy 12.25). That horse, Odysseus advised, was to be left abandoned in the plain, and the Achaean army should burn the tents and sail away to Tenedos (the island off the Troad), so that the Trojans, believing that the invaders were gone, should come to the deserted Achaean camp and find the horse.

Crouching beneath its shadow, as Odysseus said, a man should be left to tell the Trojans a single deceiving line: that the Achaeans had sailed home, and that the horse was their offering to Athena , to appease her wrath because of the theft of the Palladium , so that she should grant a safe return. Epeius 2 builds the horse The man they soon appointed to stay behind while the army feigned retreat was Sinon , now remembered for the great lies he told the Trojans when they met him. But meanwhile, the architect Epeius 2 fell timber on Mount Ida, fashioning the horse with a hollow belly, an opening in the side, and complete in all its details, as they say, in three days. Epeius 2 made it big like a ship.

He bespangled the purple-fringed mane with gold; ringed the blood-read amethyst eyes with green beryl gems; set white rows of teeth in the jaws; opened paths in the mouth to let the air come in; fixed pricked up ears; let the flowing tail trail unto the heels; made the hooves of bronze; set a ladder inside and adorned the outside with purple-flowered straps, and the bridle with ivory and bronze. And when the horse had been wrought, Epeius 2 set a wheel under each of its feet. The serpent has killed Laocoon 2 and his children. The Trojans celebrate triumph and bring the WOODEN HORSE into the city. print015: Laocoon and the Horse of Troy. From the painting by W. Friedrich. The Achaeans feign retreat When the horse was ready, the Achaeans let the best among them hide inside it, burned their tents, and leaving only Sinon behind, sailed away either to Tenedos or to cape Sigeum where they were to wait for a signal from the same Sinon .

At dawn the Trojans beheld, not without surprise, the camp of the Achaeans deserted, and believed that they had fled. So they ran in joy to the shore where they found the marvellous horse standing. It was then that they also found Sinon , who told the Trojans (some say under cruel torture) the same single line over and over again: "The Achaeans in their ships flee overseas, weary of tribulation of endless war. This horse by Calchas ' counsel fashioned they for wise Athena , to propitiate." ( Sinon to the Trojans. Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy 12.375). He later also told them: "If you allow it to abide her in its place, it is decreed that the spear of the Achaeans shall capture Troy ; but if Athena receive it a holy offering in her shrine, then they shall flee away with their task unaccomplished." ( Sinon to Priam 1 . Tryphiodorus, The Taking of Ilios 296).

Cassandra and Laocoon 2 Sinon 's account was defined by Laocoon 2 as "a fraud", and also Cassandra warned the Trojans, declaring that there was an armed force inside the WOODEN HORSE. But no one listened to Cassandra ; for the same god who gave her the gift of prophecy in exchange for a promise she never fulfilled, caused her prophecies not to be believed. Laocoon 2 also warned them with well remembered words: Trojans, trust not the horse. Whatever it be, I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts." ( Laocoon 2 to the Trojans. Virgil, Aeneid 2.48). ... and he even cast his spear against the horse. But since Laocoon 2 was overwhelmed by adverse circumstances (among which the snakes that attacked his sons), many argued that the man could not be right, and that he had got what he deserved. So the horse was brought either to the shrine of Athena , in the heart of the city, or stationed beside the palace of Priam 1 .

Helen and the horse It is told that when the WOODEN HORSE was in the city, Helen went round it and called the names of different Achaean commanders, imitating the voices of each of their beloved wives. Such artistry is best performed by a child of Zeus : she did it with such a skill that Anticlus would have answered from the horse's belly, but Odysseus held fast his mouth so hard that Anticlus lost his breath and died. Some may think that Helen was thus inducing the Achaeans to reveal themselves before the time was ripe. Others may think that this was not her intention, since she is also reported to have displayed a torch from her chamber for the Achaean fleet to see and know that they should make the final assault. Still others may think that she found pleasure in helping both Trojans and Achaeans on the same day. The force come forth In any case, when night fell and the Trojans, after having celebrated victory, were asleep, Sinon showed his message with a shining brand to the Achaeans.

At the same time the horse was unlocked, and the armed force came forth, lighted the walls, and opened the gates of the city for the rest of the army, which, on arriving, slaughtered whomever they found, in homes, streets, temples, or any other place, sacred or not. Those inside the Wooden Horse The Achaeans coming out the WOODEN HORSE. RIV-0941b: The Wooden Horse. Das hölzerne Pferd (nach Baumeister, Denkm. d. klass. Altert. Bd. 1 S. 742 Abb. 794). Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Göttingen, 1845- Dresden, 1923), Ausfürliches Lexikon der griechisches und römisches Mythologie, 1884. Acamas 1 fled when the DIOSCURI attacked Athens . Later he went to Troy together with Diomedes 2 to ask for the restoration of Helen . After the war he brought back his grandmother Aethra 2 who was captive in Troy .

Acamas 1 was son of Theseus and Phaedra , daughter of Minos 2 . He married Laodice 3, daughter of Priam 1 , and had by her a son Munitus, who was killed by the bite of a snake while hunting at Olynthus in Thrace (Apd.Ep.1.18, 1.23, 5.22; Dio.4.62.1; Eur.Hcl.115ff.; Hyg.Fab.108; Parth.16.1; Pau.10.10.1, 10.26.2; QS.4.332, 12.314ff., 13.497ff.; SI.4; Try.177, 662; Vir.Aen.2.62). Agapenor. King of the Arcadians. Agapenor was one of the SUITORS OF HELEN . After the war he founded Paphos in Cyprus. Agapenor was son of Ancaeus 1 and Iotis.

Ancaeus 1, one of the ARGONAUTS , was son of King Lycurgus 2 of Arcadia , son of Aleus, son of Aphidas 1, son of Arcas 1, son of Zeus and Callisto (Apd.3.10.8; Hom.Il.2.609; Pau.8.5.2; QS.12.314ff.). Amphimachus 7 (QS.12.325). Anticlus (see main text above). Antimachus 6. A Cretan warrior who came with King Idomeneus 1 of Crete to fight against Troy . Antimachus 6 was killed by Aeneas (QS.6.622, 12.314ff.). Antiphates 5 (Try.180). Calchas . Cyanippus. King of Argos , son either of Adrastus 1 , the leader of the SEVEN AGAINST THEBES , and Amphithea 1, or of Aegialeus 1 and Comaetho 4.

Cyanippus died childless (Apd.1.9.13; Pau.2.18.4-5; Try.159). Demophon 1, who later became King of Athens was brother of Acamas 1 (see above). He asked Agamemnon for the freedom of his grandmother Aethra 2 and Agamemnon granted his request after receiving Helen 's consent. After the war he asked Agamemnon for the freedom of his grandmother Aethra 2, who after the misadventure of Theseus with Helen and the destruction of Aphidnae by the DIOSCURI , had become Helen 's maid. Agamemnon granted his request after receiving Helen 's consent. On his return from Troy Demophon 1 came with a few ships to the land of the Thracian Bisaltians. There he became the lover of the king's daughter Phyllis 1, and her father gave her to him with the kingdom for her dowry. However, the wedding could not take place immediately because Demophon 1 wished to return to Athens , but he swore to return.

When he departed Phyllis 1, who was desperately in love with this man, made with him part of the road and when they parted company she gave him an enchanted casket containing a sacrament of the Mother of the Gods, which he was not to open until he knew for certain that he would not return to Thrace. Some say that he should had returned on an appointed day, and that on that day Phyllis 1 ran down to the shore nine times to see whether his sail showed up. When it became clear that Demophon 1 would not return, she hanged herself after cursing her lover. It is also said, however, that she died out of longing for him, and that round the tomb that her parents made for her, trees sprang that, at a certain season, grieve for her, their leaves growing dry and blowing away. And then again some say she prepared her own epitaph: "Demophon sent Phyllis to her doom. Her guest he was, she loved him well. He was the cause that brought her death to pass. Her own the hand by which she fell." (Ovid, Heroides 2.145).

In any case it is said that she thought that this would be a good inscription to be written under the image of Demophon 1 in Athens : "This is he whose wiles betrayed the hostess that loved him." (Ovid, Heroides 2.75). By the time Phyllis 1 died Demophon 1 was in Cyprus, and so soon he opened the casket she had given him he felt invaded by panic. So, out of control, he mounted his horse, and when the animal stumbled he was thrown, fell on his sword and died. Diomedes 2 . Echion 4 died when he jumped from the WOODEN HORSE (Apd.Ep.5.20). Epeius 2 is the architect who constructed the WOODEN HORSE, with the help of which the Achaeans could take Troy ; he was himself among those warriors who hid inside it. He was victorious in boxing at the games celebrated in honour of Patroclus 1 .

Epeius 2 was son of Panopeus 1, son of Phocus 3, son of Aeacus (Apd.Ep.4.7, 5.14; Eur.Tro.10; Pau.2.29.4; Pla.Rep.620c; QS.12.81, 12.138ff., 12.314ff.; Try.57; Vir.Aen.2.264). Eumelus 1. Leader of Pherae, a city in Thessaly, and son of Admetus 1 and Alcestis . Eumelus 1, who had been one of the SUITORS OF HELEN , married Iphthime 1, sister of Penelope (Apd.3.10.8; Hom.Il.2.715ff.; Hom.Od.4.797; QS.12.314ff.; Try.172). Euryalus 1. Leader from Argos , son of Mecisteus 1.

Euryalus 1 is counted among the ARGONAUTS , and the EPIGONI (Apd.1.9.16, 3.7.2; Hom.Il.2.565; QS.12.314ff.). Eurydamas 6. Son of Pelias 4 (Try.181). Eurymachus 5 (QS.12.321). Eurypylus 1. Leader of the Ormenians, who got a cursed chest after the war and on seeing it went mad. He was one of the SUITORS OF HELEN , and among those who hid inside the WOODEN HORSE . Eurypylus 1 was son of Evaemon 1, son of Ormenus 3, son of Cercaphus 2, son of Aeolus 1 , and of Opis 2 (Apd.3.10.8; Hyg.Fab.97; Pau.7.19.6, 10.27.2; QS.12.314ff.; Try.176).

Ialmenus 1 led the troops of Aspledon and Minyan Orchomenus . Ialmenus 1 is counted among the ARGONAUTS , and the SUITORS OF HELEN (Apd.1.9.16, 3.10.8; Hom.Il.2.494ff.; Hyg.Fab.97; QS.12.314ff.). Idomeneus 1 was Leader of the Cretans. At his return from the war he was driven out of Crete by the usurper Leucus 1 who besides had become the lover of Idomeneus 1's wife Meda 2, whom Leucus 1 later killed, along with Idomeneus 1's daughter Clisithyra. Nothing is told about Idomeneus 1's son Orsilochus 4.

Idomeneus 1, who is counted among the SUITORS OF HELEN and those who hid inside the WOODEN HORSE , was son of Deucalion 2, son of Minos 2 (Apd.3.3.1; Apd.Ep.3.11ff., 6.10; Hom.Od.13.260; Hyg.Fab.81; QS.12.314ff.; Try.168). Iphidamas 3. Brother of Eurydamas 6 (see above) (Try.181). Leonteus 1 is a Lapith Leader against Troy , who buried Calchas at Colophon (Asia Minor) after the war.

Leonteus 1 was son of Coronus 1, son of Caeneus 1, he who once was a woman called Caenis, but was turned into an invulnerable man by Poseidon , and for being invulnerable was buried alive in the earth by the CENTAURS (Apd.3.10.8; Apd.Ep.6.3; Hom.Il.2.726ff., 2.746, 12.128; QS.7.484, 12.314ff.; Try.176). Machaon. This son of Asclepius , who came from Tricca, a city in western Thessaly Tricca, was, as his father, a healer, and he took care of the wound that the arrow of Pandarus 1 inflicted on Menelaus when the truce was broken during the Trojan War . He practised surgery while his brother treated sicknesses. He also healed the wound of Philoctetes . Machaon married Anticlia 3, daughter of Diocles 1, son of Orsilochus 1, son of the river god Alpheus.

Some say that Machaon was killed at Troy by Eurypylus 6 from Mysia, but others say he was killed by the Amazon Penthesilia (Apd.3.10.8; Apd.Ep.5.1; Dio.4.71.4; Hom.Il.2.732, 4.215ff.; Hyg.Fab.97, 108; Pau.2.11.5, 2.23.4, 2.29.1, 2.38.6, 3.26.9, 4.30.3; Prop.2.1.59; QS.6.408; SI.5; Vir.Aen.2.63). Meges 1 was a leader against Troy from Dulichium, and commander of the Epeans. He was son of Phyleus 1, son of King Augeas of Elis .

Meges 1 is counted among the SUITORS OF HELEN (Apd.3.10.8; Eur.IA.285; Hom.Il.13.692; Hyg.Fab.97; QS.12.314ff.; Try.180). Menelaus . Menestheus 1 was given the sovereignty of Athens by the DIOSCURI and became Leader of the Athenians against Troy . After the sack of Troy , Menestheus 1 went to Melos and reigned as king, because the king there, Polyanax, had died. He was son of Peteos, an Egyptian, who later obtained Athenian citizenship, but who had to migrate from Athens to Phocis when pursued by Aegeus 1 . However it is also said that Peteos' father, Orneus 1, was a son of King Erechtheus of Athens .

Menestheus 1 was one of the SUITORS OF HELEN (see Athens ) (Apd.3.10.8; Apd.Ep.1.23, 6.15b; Hes.CWE.68.42; Hom.Il.2.536ff., 2.552; Pau.1.23.8; QS.12.314ff.). Meriones was a Leader from Crete against Troy and the squire of King Idomeneus 1 of Crete . Some call him son of Minos 2 , and others a bastard son of Deucalion 2 (Hom.Il.7.166; Hyg.Fab.81, 97; QS.12.314ff.). Odysseus . Peneleus. A Boeotian leader during the Trojan War , also counted among the ARGONAUTS and the SUITORS OF HELEN . Peneleus was son of Hippalcimus 2, son of Itonus 2, son of Boeotus, after whom the Boeotians are called.

Peneleus was killed at Troy by Eurypylus 6. His grandson Damasichthon 2 was chosen to be king at Thebes on the departure of Autesion 1 (Apd.1.9.16, 3.10.8; Hom.Il.2.494; Hyg.Fab.97; Pau.9.5.15-16; QS.7.104; Try.180). Philoctetes . Podalirius. This son of Asclepius healed Philoctetes , when this one returned from Lemnos , and after the Trojan War settled in the Carian Chersonese (Apd.3.10.8; Apd.Ep.3.11ff., 5.8, 6.18; Dio.4.71.4; Hom.Il.2.732; Pau.2.29.1, 3.26.10; QS.12.314ff.; SI.5). Polypoetes 1. Leader of the Gyrtonians against Troy .

He buried Calchas at Colophon after the war. Polypoetes 1 is son Pirithous , he who had the brilliant idea of marrying Persephone and for her sake descended to the Underworld where he is still sitting on the Chair of Forgetfulness. Polypoetes 1 is one of the SUITORS OF HELEN (Apd.3.10.8; Apd.Ep.6.3; Dio.4.63.1; Hom.Il.2.670ff., 12.182; Pau.10.26.2; QS.12.314ff.). Sthenelus 2. Once one of the EPIGONI and one of the SUITORS OF HELEN Sthenelus 2, from Argos , became one of the ACHAEAN LEADERS .

His father was Capaneus, one of the SEVEN AGAINST THEBES (Apd.3.7.2, 3.10.8; Apd.Ep.6.10; Eur.IA.246; Hom.Il.2.564; Hyg.Fab.97, 108; Pau.2.18.5; QS.12.314ff.; Vir.Aen.2.61). Teucer 1. This is Telamon's bastard son, Leader of the Salaminians against Troy and later King of Cyprian Salamis. His mother was Hesione 2 , daughter of the Trojan king Laomedon 1. Teucer 1 had been one of the SUITORS OF HELEN (Apd.3.10.8; Eur.Hel.87 and passim; Hom.Il.8.285ff.; Hyg.Fab.97; Pau.1.23.8, 2.29.4; Pin.Nem.4.46; QS.12.314ff.; Soph.Aj.

passim; Try.170). Thalpius was Leader of the Eleans against Troy , son of Eurytus 1, one of the MOLIONIDES (Apd.3.10.8; Hom.Il.2.536ff., 2.620; Pau.5.3.4; QS.12.314ff.). Thersander 1, son of Polynices, became King of Thebes after the war of the EPIGONI . Some say he was killed by Telephus when the Achaean fleet against Troy arrived by mistake in Mysia. But if that were true he could not be inside the WOODEN HORSE (Apd.3.7.2; Apd.Ep.3.17; CYP.1; Hdt.4.147, 6.52; Hyg.Fab.71, 108; Pau.9.5.14-15; Pin.Oly.2.43; Vir.Aen.2.61). Thoas 2. Leader of the Aetolians against Troy .

Odysseus in exile after having killed the SUITORS OF PENELOPE came to him and married his daughter. Thoas 2 was King of Pleuron and Calydon and grandson of Oeneus 2, the negligent king who forgot Artemis in his sacrifices, causing the wrath of the goddess who sent the Calydonian Boar (see Calydon ) to ravage the country (Apd.Ep.3.11ff., 7.40; Hom.Il.13.216; Hyg.Fab.81, 108; Pau.5.3.6; QS.12.314ff.; Vir.Aen.2.62). Thrasymedes 1. This son of Nestor is known for having been commander of a group of sentinels during the Trojan War (Hyg.Fab.97). Related sections Odysseus | Greek Mythology Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Mythology Before the Trojan War When Helen was abducted, Menelaus called upon the other suitors to honor their oaths and help him to retrieve her, thus forging the Trojan War.

Odysseus tried to avoid it by feigning lunacy, as an oracle had prophesied a long-delayed return home for him if he went. He hooked a donkey and an ox to his plough (as they have different stride lengths, hindering the efficiency of the plough) and sowing his fields with salt. Palamedes, at the behest of Menelaus's brother Agamemnon , sought to disprove Odysseus's madness, and placed Telemachus, Odysseus's infant son, in front of the plough. Odysseus veered the plough away from his son, thus destroying his ruse. Odysseus held a grudge against Palamedes during the war for dragging him away from his home. Odysseus and other envoys of Agamemnon traveled to Scyros to recruit Achilles because of a prophecy that Troy could not be taken without him. By most accounts, Thetis , Akhilles's mother, disguised the youth as a woman to hide him from the recruiters because an oracle had predicted that Achilles would either live a long, uneventful life or achieve everlasting glory while dying young.

Odysseus cleverly discovered which of the men before him was Akhilles when the youth stepped forward to examine an array of weapons. Some accounts say that Odysseus arranged for the sounding of a battle horn, which prompted Akhilles to clutch a weapon. Just before the war began, Odysseus accompanied Menelaus and Palamedes in an attempt to negotiate Helen's peaceful return. Menelaus made unpersuasive emotional arguments, but Odysseus's arguments very nearly persuaded the Trojan court to hand Helen over. During the Trojan War Odysseus was one of the main Akhaean leaders in the Trojan War. The others were "godlike" Achilles, Agamemnon "lord of men", Menelaus, Idomeneus, Nestor , Telamonian Ajax and Ajax the Lesser, Diomedes and Teucer the master archer. The Iliad Main article: Iliad Odysseus was one of the most influential Greek champions during the Trojan War. Along with Nestor and Idomeneus he was one of the most trusted counsellors and advisers.

He always championed the Achaean cause, especially when the king was in question, as in one instance when Thersites spoke against him. When Agamemnon, to test the morale of the Akhaeans, announced his intentions to depart Troy, Odysseus restored order to the Greek camp. Later on, after many of the heroes had left the battlefield due to injuries (including Odysseus and Agamemnon), Odysseus once again persuaded Agamemnon not to withdraw. Along with two other envoys, he was chosen in the failed embassy to try to persuade Achilles to return to combat. When Hector proposed a single combat duel, Odysseus was one of the Danaans who volunteered to battle him. Telamonian Ajax, however, was the volunteer who eventually did fight Hector. Odysseus aided Diomedes during the successful night operations in order to kill Rhesus, because it had been foretold that if his horses drank from the Scamander river Troy could not be taken.

After Patroclus had been slain, it was Odysseus who counselled Akhilles to let the Akhaean men eat and rest rather than follow his rage-driven desire to go back on the offensive—and kill Trojans—immediately. Eventually (and reluctantly), he consented. During the funeral games for Patroclus, Odysseus became involved in a wrestling match with Telamonian Ajax, as well as a foot race. With the help of the goddess Athena , who favoured him, and despite Apollo helping another of the competitors, he won the race and managed to draw the wrestling match, to the surprise of all. Other stories When the Achaean ships reached the beach of Troy, no one would jump ashore, since there was an oracle that the first Achaean to jump on Trojan soil would die. Odysseus tossed his shield on the shore and jumped on his shield. He was followed by Protesilaus, who jumped on Trojan soil and later became the first to die. Odysseus never forgave Palamedes for unmasking his madness ruse, leading him to frame him as a traitor.

At one point, Odysseus convinced a Trojan captive to write a letter pretending to be from Palamedes. A sum of gold was mentioned to have been sent as a reward for Palamedes's treachery. Odysseus then killed the prisoner and hid the gold in Palamedes's tent. He ensured that the letter was found and acquired by Agamemnon, and also gave hints directing the Argives to the gold. This was evidence enough for the Greeks and they had Palamedes stoned to death. Other sources say that Odysseus and Diomedes goaded Palamedes into descending a wall with the prospect of treasure being at the bottom. When Palamedes reached the bottom, the two proceeded to bury him with stones, killing him. When Achilles was slain in battle, it was Odysseus and Telamonian Ajax who successfully retrieved the fallen warrior's body and armour in the thick of heavy fighting. During the funeral games for Achilles, Odysseus competed once again with Telamonian Ajax. Thetis said that the arms of Achilles would go to the bravest of the Greeks, but only these two warriors dared lay claim to that title.

The two Argives became embroiled in a heavy dispute about one another's merits to receive the reward. The Greeks dithered out of fear in deciding a winner, because they did not want to insult one and have him abandon the war effort. Nestor suggested that they allow the captive Trojans decide the winner. Some accounts disagree, suggesting that the Greeks held a secret vote. In any case, Odysseus was the winner. Enraged and humiliated, Ajax was driven mad by Athena. When he returned to his senses, in shame at how he had slaughtered livestock in his madness, Ajax killed himself by the sword that Hector had given him Together with Diomedes, Odysseus went to fetch Achilles's son, Pyrrhus, to come to the aid of the Achaeans, because an oracle had stated that Troy could not be taken without him. A great warrior, Pyrrhus was named Neoptolemus (Greek: "new hero"). Upon the success of the mission, Odysseus gave him the armaments of his father. It was later learned that the war could not be won without the poison arrows of Heracles, which were owned by the abandoned Philoctetes.

Odysseus and Diomedes (or, according to some accounts, Odysseus and Neoptolemus) went out to retrieve them. Upon their arrival, Philoctetes (still suffering from the wound) was seen still to be enraged at the Danaans, especially Odysseus, for abandoning him. Although his first instinct was to shoot Odysseus, his anger was eventually diffused by Odysseus's persuasive powers and the influence of the gods. Odysseus returned to the Argive camp with Philoctetes and his arrows. Odysseus captured Priam 's son, Helenus the prophet, who told the Greeks that Troy could not be taken without the capture of the Palladium, which was located in the city itself. (Some accounts hold that Helenus was the one that told the Greeks to recruit Neoptolemus and Philoctetes.) Once again, Odysseus and Diomedes went on a mission together to fulfill a prophecy. Some say that Diomedes crawled up on Odysseus's shoulders into the city but would not help Odysseus up to do the same.

When Diomedes returned from stealing the Palladium and met up again with the infuriated Odysseus, the latter thought to kill him and take credit for himself. He stepped behind him so as to stab him with his sword, but Diomedes caught the glint in the moonlight and spun around and disarmed the Ithacan king. He then proceeded to drive Odysseus back to the Argive camp with the flat of his sword. Another account of the stealing of the Palladium states that Odysseus and Diomedes entered the city together. Some myths state that Odysseus, in the disguise of a beggar, covered in rags and blood, entered the Trojan city furtively and alone. He was recognized by no one except Helen and Hecuba . They questioned him but allowed him to return to the Greek camp unharmed. The famous Trojan Horse was devised by Odysseus. It was built by Epeius and filled with Greek warriors, led by Odysseus. Beforehand, he made Menelaus swear to give him whatever he wanted after they had taken Troy and was met with concord.

When the Horse was taken into Troy, Odysseus and Menelaus descended from it and went directly to Prince Deiphobos's house, where they engaged in a ferocious battle, although some accounts say that Odysseus fought him and that Menelaus came to find the dead body. Ultimately, however, Deiphobos, who was then the leading son of Priam and Helen's third husband, was killed. Menelaus was about to kill Helen for leaving him when Odysseus took advantage of the earlier promise and made him swear not to. The Odyssey The Cicones After Odysseus left Troy he came first to Ismarus, the land of the Cicones. His crew sacked the town, and divided up the booty fairly. Odysseus then (according to his account given to Alcinous) gave orders to leave, but his men were anxious to stay and feast. The Cicones rallied back up with troops who had chariots from inland and launched a surprise attack. In a large battle by the ships Odysseus and his men fought valiantly, but as the battle dragged on the Cicones broke their defensive line.

Odysseus lost six men from each of his ships before they fled. The Lotus-Eaters Ismarus is the last definite historical location Odysseus visited. As if to emphasise his passing into the land of myth and legend, he was driven for ten days When Odysseus and his men landed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters, Odysseus sent out a scouting party of three men who ate the lotus flowers with the natives. This caused them to stop caring about going home, and desire only to eat the lotus. Odysseus went after the scouting party, and dragged them back to the ship against their will. He set sail, with the drugged sailors tied to the rowing benches to prevent them from swimming back to the island. Polyphemos Odysseus landed on an island full of goats. Nearby, within earshot, was the territory of the Kyklopes. Drawn by the sounds of civilisation, Odysseus sailed over to it with a single ship. He took a dozen men with him as a scouting party (including Achaemenides and Antiphus) and entered a large cave.

They did not realise that it was the dwelling of Polyphemos the Kyklops. When he returned, he refused hospitality to his uninvited guests, and trapped them in the cave by blocking the entrance with a boulder that could not be moved by mortal men. He then proceeded to eat a pair of them at each meal, finally eating Antiphus as one of the third pair, but Odysseus devised a cunning plan. He and his men turned the olive tree branch which Polyphemos used to shepherd his flocks with into a giant spear, while Polyphemos was out of the cave shepherding his flocks. To lower Polyphemos's guard, Odysseus gave him the strong, unwatered wine given them by Maron, the Ismaran priest of Apollo. When the thoroughly inebriated Polyphemos asked for his name, Odysseus told him that it was "Noman". (Οὔτις, "Noman", is also a short form of his own name - a word game which is lost in translated versions.) In thanks for the wine, Polyphemos offered to eat him last.

Once the giant fell asleep, Odysseus and his men drove their specially fashioned spear through his single eye, and blinded him. Hearing Polyphemos's cries, other Kyklopes called up to his cave to ask what was wrong. Polyphemus replied, "Οὖτίς με κτείνει δόλῳ οὐδὲ βίηφιν." ("Noman is killing me either by treachery or brute violence!") The other Kyklopes let him be, thinking that his outbursts must be either madness or the will of the gods. In the morning, Polyphemos rolled back the boulder to let the sheep out to graze. Now blind, he could not see the men, but he felt the tops of his sheep to make sure that the men were not riding them, and spread his arm at the entrance of the cave. Odysseus and his six remaining men escaped, however, by tying themselves to the undersides of three sheep each. Once out, they loaded the sheep aboard their ship and set sail. According to Virgil, they accidentally left Akhaemenides behind in their rush.

As Odysseus and his men were sailing away, he revealed his true identity to Polyphemos. Enraged, Polyphemos tried to sink the ship with boulders, but, because he was blind, he missed, although the rocks landed close enough to rock the ship. When the ship appeared to be getting away at last, Polyphemos raised his arms to his father, Poseidon , and asked him to not allow Odysseus to get back home to Ithaca. If this could not be granted, however, he must arrive alone, his crew dead, in a stranger's ship. Aeolus Continuing his journey, Odysseus stopped at Aeolia, the home of Aeolus , the mortal favoured by the gods enough to be given the power of controlling the winds. Aeolus gave Odysseus and his crew hospitality for a month, in return for Odysseus's interesting stories. Aeolus also provided a bag filled with all winds but the one to lead him home. Because Odysseus guarded the bag for the entire voyage home, without so much as a wink of sleep, his crew suspected that some treasure might be in it.

They decided to open it as soon as he fell asleep — just before their home was reached. They were immediately blown back to Aeolia by a violent storm. Aeolus refused to offer any more help because he realized that Odysseus must be cursed by the gods. Odysseus had to begin his journey from Aeolia to Ithaca over again. Although heartbroken, he hid his feelings from his crew. The Laestrygonians They came next to Telepylos, the stronghold of Lamos, king of the Laestrygonians. Odysseus's ships entered a harbour surrounded by steep cliffs, with a single entrance between two headlands. The captains took their ships inside and made them fast close to one another, where it was dead calm. Odysseus kept his own ship outside the harbour, moored to a rock. He could see nothing but some smoke rising from over the horizon. He sent two of his company with an attendant to investigate the inhabitants. The men followed a road and eventually met a young woman, who said she was a daughter of Antiphates (another name for Lamos), the king, and directed them to his house.

When they arrived there, however, they found a gigantic woman, the wife of Antiphates who promptly called her husband. He immediately left the assembly of the people and, on arrival, snatched up one of the men and started to eat him. The other two ran away, but Antiphates raised a hue-and-cry. Soon they were pursued by many Laestrygonians - men with the strength of giants - who threw vast rocks from the cliffs, smashing the ships, and speared the men like fish. Odysseus escaped with his single ship due only to the fact that it was not trapped in the harbour. The rest of his company was lost. According to Virgil's Aeneid, Achaemenides was one of Odysseus's crew who stayed on Sicily with Polyphemus until Aeneas arrived and took him with him. Virgil was probably trying to interweave his tale as much as possible with Homer's already ancient, great work, especially as Achaemenides had nothing to do with the story at all and was in fact never mentioned again. Kirke The next stop was Aeaea, the island of the enchantress Kirke , where Odysseus sent ahead a scouting party.

Kirke invited the scouting party in for a meal, and turned all the men into swine after they ate food laced with one of her magical sleep-inducing potions. Only the leader of the scouting party, Eurylochus, suspecting treachery from the outset, escaped to warn Odysseus and the others, who had stayed behind with the ships. Odysseus, against Eurylochus's advice, set forth to rescue his transfigured men but was intercepted by Hermes and told to procure the herb moly , which would protect him from a similar fate. When it neutralized her magic, he threatened to kill her. She begged for mercy, and offered to sleep with him. He forced her to swear not to plot against him any longer, then obliged by Hermes's counsel. He then refused to eat and drink until his crew was turned back into humans. When she had done this, she asked Odysseus to stay. This he did, for an entire year. He eventually left Aeaea at the insistence of his crew. Circe agreed that it was time for him to go, and gave him advice about the remainder of his journey.

During the preparation for departure, however, Odysseus's youngest crewman, Elpenor, fell from a roof and died. Circe subsequently bore Odysseus a son, Telegonus, who would eventually cause his father's death.(not from book) Journey to the Underworld After speaking to Kirke, Odysseus decided to talk with Tiresias, so he and his men journeyed to the River Acheron in Hades, where they performed sacrifices which allowed them to speak to the dead. Odysseus sacrificed a ram, attracting the dead spirits to the blood. He held them at bay and demanded to speak with Tiresias, who told him how to pass by Helios's cattle and the whirlpool-causing monster Charybdis. Tiresias also told him that, after his return to Ithaca, he must take a well-made oar and walk inland with it to parts where no-one mixed sea salt with food, until someone asked him why he carries a winnowing fan. At that place, he must fix the oar in the ground and make a sacrifice to appease Poseidon.

Tiresias also told Odysseus that, after that was done, he would die an old man, "full of years and peace of mind"; his death would come from the sea and his life ebb away gently. (Some read this as saying that his death would come away from the sea, as opposed to out of the sea.) While in Hades, Odysseus also met Achilles (who told him that he would rather be a slave on earth than the king of the dead), Agamemnon, and his mother, Anticlea. The soul of Ajax, still sulking about Achilles's armour, refused to speak to Odysseus, despite the latter's pleas of regret. Odysseus also met his comrade, Elpenor, who told him of the manner of his death and begged him to give him an honorable burial. The Sirens At Elpenor's funeral, Circe warned Odysseus of the dangers of the singing creatures ( The Sirens ) who lured men to their death on the rocks around their island.

She advised him to avoid them but said that, if he really felt that he must listen, he should have his men plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the mast to keep him from escaping. Odysseus told his men to do so. As they passed the island, the three Sirens began to sing beautifully, promising him wisdom and knowledge of past and future. Enchanted by their song, he struggled and tried to break free, but Eurylochus and Perimedes bound him even more tightly until they passed beyond the island. Skylla and Kharybdis Odysseus had been told by Circe that he would have a choice between two paths home. One was the Wandering Rocks, where either all made it through or all died, and which had only previously been passed by Jason , with Zeus 's help. Odysseus, however, chose the second path: on one side of the strait was a monster called Charybdis, whose whirlpool would sink the ship; on the other was a monster called Skylla, daughter of Crataeis, who had six heads and could seize and eat six men.

The advice was to sail close to Scylla and lose six men but not to fight, lest they should lose more men. Odysseus did not dare tell his crew of the sacrifice, or they would have cowered below and not rowed, in which case all would have ended up in Charybdis. Six men duly died. Odysseus said that the desperate cries of the wretched, betrayed men were the worst thing he had ever known. Clearly this affected morale and left the survivors feeling mutinous. The Cattle of Helios Finally, Odysseus and his surviving crew approached an island, Thrinacia, which was sacred to Helios, who kept hallowed cattle there. Odysseus, having been warned by Tiresias and Circe not to touch these cattle, told his men that they would not land there. Eurylochus first argued that the men were mourning, then refused to travel by night and finally threatened mutiny. Outnumbered, Odysseus gave in. The men were soon trapped on the island by adverse winds and, after their food stores had run out, began to get hungry. Odysseus went inland to pray for help and fell asleep.

In his absence, Eurylochus reasoned that they might as well eat the cattle and be killed by the gods as die of starvation, and claimed that they would offer sacrifices and treasure to appease the gods if they returned alive to Ithaca. When they slaughtered the cattle, the guardians of the island, Helios's daughters Lampetia and Phaethusa, told their father, who told to Zeus that he would take the sun down to Hades if justice was not done. When the ship put to sea, a storm conjured by Zeus killed all the rest but Odysseus. The crewless ship was sucked into Charybdis, but Odysseus survived by clinging to an olive tree below Scylla's cave. When Charybdis spat out the remains of his ship, he let go and landed on the keel, which drifted across the sea for nine days. Then on the tenth day, he was washed up on an island. Calypso and the Phaeacians The island, Ogygia, was home to the nymph Calypso (daughter of Atlas), who held Odysseus captive as her lover for seven years, promising him immortality if he agreed to stay.

On behalf of Athena, Zeus intervened and sent Hermes to tell Calypso to let him go. Odysseus duly departed on a small raft, furnished by Calypso with provisions of water, wine and food, only to be hit by a storm from his old enemy Poseidon. He was washed up on the island of Scheria and found by Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of the Phaeacians, who entertained him well. The bard Demodocus sung a song about the Trojan War. As Odysseus, as yet unidentified by the Phaeacians, had been at Troy and longed to return home, he wept at it, at which point Alcinous pressed him for his true identity. It is here that the story of Odysseus's trip from Troy to Scheria, which occupies books nine to twelve of The Odyssey, is told. After his recital, the Phaeacians offer him passage home, with all the hoardings he obtained along the way and the gifts the Phaecians themselves bestowed upon him (showing xenia, the idea of hospitality).

King Alcinous provided one fast Phæacian ship that soon[10] carried Odysseus home to Ithaca. Poseidon, on seeing Odysseus's return, was furious and decided to cast a ring of mountains around Scheria so that they could never sail again. This would have been very damaging to the Phaeacians, for they were seafarers, but Zeus persuaded Poseidon not to go ahead with the idea. Instead, he turned the ship on which Odysseus journeyed home to stone. Odysseus reaches Ithaca Back in Ithaca, Penelope was having difficulties, her husband having been gone for twenty years. She did not know whether he was alive or dead, and was beset with numerous men who thought that a fairly young widow and queen of a small but tidy kingdom was a great prize: they pestered her to declare Odysseus dead and choose a new husband. They loitered about the palace, eating her food, drinking her wine and consorting with her maidservants. Penelope was despondent about her husband's absence, especially the mystery of his fate. He could come home at any time—or never.

Temporising, she fended the suitors off for years, using stalling tactics that eventually began to wear thin. Meanwhile, Odysseus's mother, Anticlea, died of grief, and his father, Laërtes, was not far off the same end. Odysseus arrived on Ithaca alone. Upon landing, he was disguised by Athena as an old man or beggar, and welcomed by his old swineherd, Eumaeus, who did not recognize him but nevertheless treated him well. Odysseus's faithful dog, Argos, was the first to recognize him. Aged and decrepit, the animal did its best to wag its tail, but Odysseus did not want to be found out and had to maintain his cover, so the weary dog died in peace. His son, Telemachus , after returning from a year of searching for information about his father, was the first human to know his father returned after Athena revealed Odysseus for who he was in front of him.

The second human to recognize him was his old wet nurse, Euryclea, who knew him well enough to see through his rags, recognising an old scar on his leg, received while hunting boar with Autolycus's sons. Odysseus learned that Penelope had remained faithful to him, pretending to weave a burial shroud for his father, and claiming that she would only choose a suitor when she was finished. Every day she wove a length of shroud, and every night undid her work, until one day a maid betrayed her. The suitors demanded that she finally choose a new husband. When Odysseus arrived at his house, disguised as a beggar, he sat in the hall, where he observed the suitors and was repeatedly humiliated by them. Presently, he went to Penelope and told her that he had met Odysseus, spinning a haughty tale about his bravery in battle. Penelope, still ignorant of the beggar's identity, began to cry. She went to the suitors and told them that whoever could string Odysseus's bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe-handles would marry her.

This was to Odysseus's advantage, as only he could string his bow. It is believed that his bow was a composite, requiring great skill and leverage to string, rather than brute strength. Penelope then announced what he, as the beggar, had told her. The suitors each tried to string the bow, but their attempts were in vain. Odysseus then took it, strung it, lined up twelve axe-handles and shot an arrow through all twelve. Athena then took off his disguise, and, with the help of his son, Philoteus and Eumaeus, he slaughtered all the suitors. Antinous was the first to be slain, taking an arrow fired by Odysseus in the throat while drinking in the great hall. Odysseus used arrows first, but, when he eventually ran short, he killed the remaining suitors with spears. Caught by surprise and deprived of arms by Telemachus, the suitors at a distinct disadvantage, and were only able to arm themselves after it was too late. When all the suitors were dead, justice was meted out to the goatherd Melanthius and the female servants, who had been helping the suitors.

Penelope, still not certain that the beggar was indeed her husband, tested him. She ordered her maid to make up Odysseus's bed and move it from their bedchamber into the hall outside his room. Odysseus was furious when he heard this because one of the bed posts was made from a living olive tree. He himself had designed it this way; it could not be moved unless by a god. He told her this, and, since only he and she knew of it, she accepted that he was indeed her husband. She came running to him, hoping that he would forgive her. He did, firstly because he could understand why she had tested him and secondly because he had passed the test. To avenge the death of his son Antinous, Eupeithes tried to kill Odysseus. Laërtes killed him, and Athena thereafter required the suitors' families and Odysseus to make peace. Thus ends the story of the Odyssey. Odysseus blinding Polyphemus Trojan horse | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Tower of Babel Trojan horse, huge hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War .

The horse was built by Epeius, a master carpenter and pugilist. The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to the nearby island of Tenedos, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena (goddess of war) that would make Troy impregnable. Despite the warnings of Laocoön and Cassandra , the horse was taken inside the city gates. That night Greek warriors emerged from it and opened the gates to let in the returned Greek army. The story is told at length in Book II of the Aeneid and is touched upon in the Odyssey . The term Trojan horse has come to refer to subversion introduced from the outside. Beginning in the late 20th century, the name “ Trojan horse ” was applied to deceptively benign computer codes that seem like legitimate applications but are written to damage or disrupt a computer’s programming or to steal personal information. Learn More in these related articles: Troy (ancient city, Turkey) ancient city in northwestern Anatolia that holds an enduring place in both literature and archaeology. The legend of the Trojan War is the most notable theme from ancient Greek literature and forms the basis of Homer ’s Iliad.

Although the actual nature and size of the historical settlement... Trojan War legendary conflict between the early Greeks and the people of Troy in western Anatolia, dated by later Greek authors to the 12th or 13th century bc. (See Troy.) The war stirred the imagination of the ancient Greeks more than any other event in their history, and was celebrated in the Iliad and the... Athena in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess and was later... 2 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted Reference Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind.

Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: April 27, 2015 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share Who Built the Trojan Horse? Who Built the Trojan Horse? Who Built the Trojan Horse? Trojan Horse.

Clipart.com Trojan War FAQs > Trojan War Creator I received the following question from email: I was under the distinct impression that an artist named Epsuis was the mastermind behind the horse. It was his idea and he drew the horse. He and Odysseus then went on to build the Trojan Horse. Please reply, Libby Answer: The name of the Greek in question is Epeus (or Epeius or Epeos), a skilled boxer (Iliad XXIII), who is credited with building the Trojan horse with the help of Athena, as is told in the Odyssey IV.265ff and Odyssey VIII.492ff.​ Pliny the Elder ​(according to "The Trojan Horse: Timeo Danaos et Dona ferentis," by Julian Ward Jones, Jr. The Classical Journal, Vol. 65, No. 6. March 1970, pp. 241-247.) says the horse was invented by Epeus, which corresponds with what Libby wrote.

However, in Vergil 's Aeneid Book II, Laocoon warns the Trojans against the treachery of Odysseus which he sees behind the horse-gift of the Greeks. Incidentally, it's here that Laocoon says: timeo Danaos et dona ferentis ' Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge In the Epitome of Apollodorus V.14 , credit is given Odysseus for conceiving the idea and Epeus for building: By the advice of Ulysses, Epeus fashions the Wooden Horse, in which the leaders ensconce themselves. There are other opinions on who devised the idea of the horse (with Athena's help) and what the horse really was, but whether Odysseus had the inspiration for the horse and/or figured out how to get the Trojans to take it into the city, Odysseus, tamer of the Trojans, is credited with using the horse to trick the horse-loving Trojans. Books referenced

Question: What in Greek mythology, was designed and built by Epeius?
Answer: THE TROJAN HORSE