Trojan Horse

Overview

• Trojan Horse in Greek Mythology: A wooden horse used by Greeks to enter Troy and end the Trojan War.
• Not mentioned in Homer's Iliad; briefly in the Odyssey.
• Detailed in Virgil's Aeneid.
• Metaphorically, a Trojan Horse refers to any deceptive strategy or trick.

Historical Sources

• Main source: Virgil's Aeneid.
• Featured in the Little Iliad and the Sack of Troy.
• Mentioned in Homer's Odyssey.

The Trojan Horse Plan

• Conception: Odysseus devised the plan to infiltrate Troy.
• Construction: Built under Epeius' lead in three days.
• Strategy: Elite Greek warriors hid in the horse; Greeks pretended to retreat.
• Execution: The Trojans brought the horse into their city, and Greek soldiers emerged at night to open the gates for their army.

Characters in the Horse

• Warriors include Odysseus, Acamas, Agapenor, Ajax the Lesser, and others.
• Numbers vary from 23 to 50 depending on the source.

Literary Accounts

• Synopsis: Sinon, a Greek soldier, convinces Trojans of the horse being an offering to Athena.
• Warnings: Laocon and Cassandra both suspect treachery but are ignored.
  • Laocon's famous line: "I fear Greeks, even those bearing gifts."
• Outcome: The horse leads to the fall of Troy.

Interpretations and Theories

• Some suggest the story may originate from a misunderstanding of a real siege engine or ship.
• Ship Theory: The horse might have been a ship with warriors hidden inside.

Archaeological Evidence

• Depictions: Found on ancient artifacts like the Mykonos vase.
• Earliest representations date back to around 700 BC.

Modern Metaphorical Use

• "Trojan Horse" now symbolizes deceptive tactics used to infiltrate or subvert from within.

Citations

• Cited works include Homeric texts, Virgil's Aeneid, and various historical analyses.

Note: The story of the Trojan Horse has been examined across various literary and historical contexts, giving rise to numerous interpretations and theories about its origins.