Greek Myths XS: The Trojan Horse

What a sight it must have been… After ten years of siege, the Trojan coast was clear, the war was over, and the Greek ships had sailed away! And what did they leave behind? A magnificent piece of craftsmanship, as large as a house. An offering? A tribute? For their patron gods, maybe? These Greeks, still full of hubris, even in defeat. If anyone deserved a tribute, wouldnt it be the Trojan people, who endured the siege with resilience and courage? Why not make it an offering for them, and bring it inside the city walls? The seer Laokoon, he knew why not. He yelled, he cried, he begged them to put it on fire, to destroy it! But Athene sent a pair of horrifying snakes, that unalived him. The princess Kassandra, she warned them too. In vain, as was her curse. It was a sublime monument, it deserved a place on the square! That night, amidst Trojan celebrations, Greek warriors jumped out of the statue, and opened the gates. The Greek ships came sailing back, and their army marched in. What couldn’t be achieved in ten years of battle, was done in one night, by a giant piece of Greek malware. Rather inaccurately called a Trojan horse.

Laocoön Group, Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy

Mykonos vase, Archeological Museum of Mykonos, Greece

Did you know...

• The designer of the Trojan Horse is known by name: Epeios/Epeus.

• The horse isn’t mentioned in the Iliad, but it is in the Odyssey, and also – in more detail – in the story of Aeneas by Vergil.