Considering what the Cypria has to says it is pretty
clear what the Will of Zeus is; FRAGMENT 3: PLAN OF ZEUS Scholiast on Homer, Il. i. 5:
`There was a time when the
countless tribes of men, though wide- dispersed, oppressed the surface of the
deep-bosomed earth, and Zeus saw it and had pity and in his wise heart resolved
to relieve the all-nurturing earth of men by causing the great struggle of the
Ilian war, that the load of death might empty the world. And so the heroes were
slain in Troy, and the plan of Zeus came to pass.'”
Zeus
also makes comments which imply that we have some freewill;
Ah how shameless--the way these mortals blame the
gods.
From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes,
but they themselves, with their own reckless ways,
compound their pains beyond their proper share (Odysseus 1.37-40).
From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes,
but they themselves, with their own reckless ways,
compound their pains beyond their proper share (Odysseus 1.37-40).
The
kick off to the Trojan War is when strife arrived at the wedding reception of
Achilles parents. Strife rolled an apple
into the midde of the room. Written on
the golden apple was “For the Fairest” Three
goddesses; Aphrodite, Athena and Hera claimed
the prize and the mortal Paris
wasappointed judge. He awarded the apple
to Aphrodite and…the rest is history. All that being the case; here are my
questions.
- How would the Will of Zeus come to pass if Paris gave the apple to Athena rather than Aphrodite? Athena offered him the rule of Phrygia and the destruction of Hellas, or as some say, that he would be bravest of mortals and skilled in every craft.
- Hera rather than Aphrodite? She offered him, wealth and dominion over the known world. In the Iliad she is willing to destroy her favorite cities of Argos, Sparta and Mycenae to attain her ends. What else would she do to attain the golden apple?
- And how would Achilles the strongest and most handsome man in the world fit into Zeus back up plans?
