The gods were having a big party
on Mount Olympus.
Eris, the horrible goddess of
trouble, had no invitation. She was
very angry.
When everybody was eating and
drinking and having a really good
time, she appeared with a golden
apple and threw it into the middle
of the hall.
Three goddesses thought
they were the most beautiful
goddesses.
Hera, Athena and Aphrodite
all wanted the apple, and
they started to fight.
Zeus, the king of the
gods, finally said, “Stop!
Let’s ask a beautiful man
to decide. Let’s ask
Paris, the shepherd.” -
Poor Paris!
Hera, the queen of the gods, said
to Paris, “Give me the apple and
you can have great power.”
Athena, the goddess of war and
wisdom, said to Paris, “Give me
the apple and you can win fights
and be very intelligent.”
Aphrodite, the goddess of
love, said to Paris, “Give me the
apple and you can have the most
beautiful woman in the
world, Helen of Sparta.”
Paris liked Aphrodite’s idea very
much. He gave the apple to
Aphrodite.
Some time later, Paris met Helen
of Sparta. She was very beautiful
and he fell in love with her.
Unfortunately she was married to
the King of Sparta, but that was
not an obstacle. He took Helen
back with him to Troy.