The Story of Troy: Part Three

* A thousand ships, from every corner of Greece, gathered at Aulis for the invasion. Though Agamemnon promised his soldiers success, he knew that Troy would not be easily taken. Solemnly, he sacrificed one hundred fine bulls to almighty Zeus, beseeching him to favor the Greeks. From one hundred fires the scent of roasting meat, beloved by the gods, rose toward the heavens. The following morning the fleet set sail.

At once Aphrodite rushed to Troy’s aid by raising a gale that carried the ships far to the south toward Mysia. Upon landing, the Greeks battled the Mysiana and lost hundreds of men before fleeing in their ships. Again Aphrodite stirred up a storm, scattering the fleet like leaves. Scores of ships sank. Leaking and lost, the rest struggled to return to Aulis. Though they’d yet to cast their eyes on Troy, a full third of Greeks had perished.

Agamemnon readied his men to sail again. Yet day upon day a ferocious north wind blew. Knowing his ships would be driven far south, he waited for the winds to change. Weeks passed. Provisions and patience ran low. At last Argamemnon asked Calchas the cause.

“The Goddess Artemis,” answered the seer. “When you last killed a stag, you boasted that even she, goddess of the hunt, could not have made a better shot with her bow. The wind won’t change until you’ve humbled yourself with a sacrifice to her, and a dread one at that—your daughter Iphigenia.

“Never!” roared the king, and sent Calchas from his sight.

The evil wind held. The muttering among the Greek leaders grew almost as loud. Argmemenon felt pinned. He cherished his beautiful daughter but longed to capture Troy and gild his name with glory. Then he overheard plans to replace him with a man of more mettle, such as Palamedes. At once Agamenon made his choice. He sent for Iphigenia.

She arrived in Aulis, having been told that her father wished her to wed Achilles. Agamemnon, weighted with the shame, then revealed the truth. Angered that his name had been used to lure Iphigenia to her doom. Achilles now strove to save her. Iphigenia, though, made no protest. “My life’s but a little thing,” she spoke. “Willingly will I give it up for the sake of so noble a cause.”

Agamemnon viewed her through tears as she walked to the altar and placed her head on the stone. The priest’s heavy knife hung in the air like a hawk. Then it drove at her neck.

That night, the wind slackened, then shifted to the west. At sunrise the Greeks set a course for Troy.

Over smooth seas the fleet sailed to the island of Tenedos, within sight of Troy. The Greeks were ravenous for battle, but Agamemnon could think only of Iphigenia and the men already lost. Before spilling more blood, he sent Menelaus and Odysseus to Troy to demand the return of Helen and the Spartan treasure.

The envoys addressed King Priam and his council. If their appeal was refused, they warned, the Greeks would destroy Troy. The great hall rang with bold defiance. “Let the Greeks come!” bellowed the Trojans. Never they swore, would Helen be taken. Only one man, Antenor, declared that the Greek demands were just. At once he was shouted into silence and denounced as disloyal to Troy. Angry voices called for Menelaus and Odysseus to be killed. Scorned and jeered, it was only with Antenor’s aid that they escaped that night with their lives.

The Greeks seethed over the envoys’ treatment. Bronze helmets polished, shields inspected, spear tips glittering like stars, they sailed across the strait the next day and saw Trojans by the thousands charging towards the beach. A hail of arrows kept the ships from landing. Achilles prepared to leap ashore but was held back by Calchas. “Let another” cried the priest. “The first to land will be the first slain.” This prophecy paralyzed the Greeks. At last a soldier named Protesilaus sprang from his ship and plunged into the battle. With his comrades rushing ashore behind him, he struck down Trojans, then challenged King Priam’s son Hector. At once he was speared through the throat.