The Choice of Paris from the Iliad: And a Tribute to the Encoded Wisdom Within the Story
Many may know the story of Paris from the Illiad. Of how
he was a lost prince due to a prophecy that he’d bring ruin to
the city state of Troy. How he was presented a choice to
choose the winner of the golden apple of discord from among three competing goddesses who each desired it as the reward for “the most beautiful” as planned by the vengeful Eris for not being invited to Olympus.
Outwardly this is a story plain and simple. But upon closer
examination this was an encoded message left in plain sight
for those initiated into the Mystery Schools.
Or even more simply, it is a story of wisdom hidden in plain
sight for those with enough wisdom to see it. It is clear
immediately and quite obviously on the surface that this is
a very delicate situation, as choosing one goddess over another
would lead to the hatred of the two other goddesses. Thusly
this is a puzzle and a challenge that requires an answer that
is pleasing for all three goddesses such that none of them
are offended and no disaster may befall the one being presented
this challenge. Perhaps if this was presented to the Wily Odysseus he might have been up to the task of finding the right response, but in this story the choice was given to an uneducated farmer boy who was also secretly a prince. (This represents that every person must face this regardless of privilege or poverty).
The truth of the matter is that the correct response is not a
direct answer nor choice to choose only one goddess, but a test
in wisdom into finding the right way in choosing all three.
The choice of choosing all three is obvious as the solution
but it is the why and the reason that would be the trickiest of
all to solve. Sufficient reasoning for why all three are chosen
and how to word it in such a way that all are acknowledged
and none are offended must be provided.
As to why this challenge is even important or relevant, one
has to only see the fact that everyone has to eventually face tough life decisions and lead their lives according to those decisions and that ultimately everyone eventually faces this same challenge in one form or another. A hint or clue to the nature of the challenge is given within the story, and that is the gifts being offered by each of the goddesses.
While different versions have variations on the gifts, it is
always something along the lines of:
Athena — Become invincible in battle through skill
Aphrodite — The love of the most beautiful woman in the world
Hera — Become the most respected king in all of Europe and Asia
At face value, the most valuable of these gifts might be
kingship, and yet with skill in battle one can become a king
through conquest, and yet one could be a king and a great
warrior and never know the taste of love.
To give modern perspective on these choices and gifts
it is essentially Career/Capability, Love, and Legacy. All
are things essential to life, and if these things are ever
thrown into Discord like by the Goddess of Discord, Eris in
this case, then life will go to ruin. In this, Cassandra was
right, Paris did choose quite poorly and this led to the
sacking of Troy.
Finding a healthy balance in life is the essence of this
problem and the point of at least this part of the story/saga
of the Iliad, which may be only myth or may even refer to an
ancient city that archaeologists uncovered. Regardless of whether the city of Troy was historically real or not, the hidden message contained within this story had me wondering and pondering about this for the greater part of 2 decades, among many other mysteries, and I believe I have cracked the
code. This may actually be a bit slow and I might be a bit dense for taking so long to figure out the right answer, but the process and the journey it took me in life is perhaps just as epic as the saga of this tale the Iliad.
So what might the correct answer be to the Goddesses? Answering
that all of them are the most beautiful is not going to satisfy.
Answering and choosing only one will lead to ruin. Not answering
at all and running away from it will leave ALL of them dissatisfied.
So the answer must have been something along the lines of
ALL of them are most beautiful, and yet somehow each of them
must be acknowledged as the most beautiful in turn in a different
way that would uniquely satisfy them.
So here is my response after all these years of pondering this mystery:
“Before I profess my judgment I must ask each Goddess for their patience in hearing me out completely.
To you O wise virgin of many skills, and the patron of the wise
and victorious in war, you, Athena-Minerva are the most beautiful
in the time of youthfulness.
At the early stages in the life of a man,
victory and success is the most important
and most beautiful of all. For what is life
without victories and success?
To you O sensual, caring, loving, and lustful Aphrodite-Venus,
during the middle stages of the life of a man,
love and success in the matters of the heart and body,
leads to the greatest happiness and is the most important
and most beautiful of all. For what is victory without
someone to share its joys with?
To you O revered Hera-Juno, of familial stability, and immortal
legacy, a man would be wise to choose you in old age, as
nothing is more important than a man’s legacy in his waning
years. For what is love without lasting happiness, stability,
and legacy of the family?
And To you O Triple Goddess, The Keeper of Secrets, The Goddess
of the Crossroads, The Bearer of Torches that light the way
in the darkest of night, the mistress of hounds, goddess of the moon, and the judicious keeper of keys. I see you before me. I too shall faithfully bear the torch. For I have found the key! For I know your name. Hecate-Trivia!
In the end I figured it out… after all these years. I’m sure
many have found the answer hidden within this encoded story
before me. But the key is Priority. Which Goddess holds
priority during which point in life matters.
As a young person success matters most.
As a middle aged person love life matters most. As an
older person, familial stability and legacy matters most, and the gifts
are simply the most extreme forms of success in all these
three areas of life.
That is the secret key within this story. Which I believe
gave many hints with the number of goddesses being three,
with the exchange of gifts, and with a very obvious fact
that this was a challenge, a mystery, that must be unlocked
and solved, and that life demands that it be solved to
avoid calamity in life… So for those reasons, I believe this part of the triple goddess story also hides the Goddess Hecate or Trivia depending on whether you go by Roman or Greek names. That even if incorrect regarding this, I am sure none of them would be displeased with this response.
To step outside of a pagan perspective and to modernize the
language and symbology or terminology. The matter of finding
balance in life is not about trying to appease each aspect
of life and therefore pleasing and accomplishing nothing.
It is about finding focus and priority at the right time
in life, and as it also appears, each success can cascade
into the next. Early success and victories in life can later
lead to greater successes in love, and a successful love
life can lead to greater stability, longevity, and legacy
later in life. So this implies harmony with the three
goddesses, and with this flow from youth, to middle aged,
to old age, and the triple goddess reference we see that
actually there is a fourth goddess here in disguise.
Hecate the goddess of crossroads, the keeper of secrets,
the holder of keys, the mistress of hounds, and the bearer
of the Torch… and all of her symbols are here as well in
this story and it is hidden in plain sight, just the way
she likes it. The crossroads is the dilemma and decision
that seems like multiple paths, the secret of the key
to unlocking the wisdom within this puzzle is also here
in this story, and the fact that an incorrect choice leads
to danger like Hecate’s hounds is here as well, and finally
the intent of the story isn’t to confuse or confound
but to actually light the way like a lit torch in the
dark, and it offers light to those who seek it in darkness.
This story is a beacon of wisdom and it is also very
likely a story created by the mystery schools to teach
and educate the populace without revealing the secret
right away.
Why be so cryptic? That too becomes obvious once you
learn the secret itself. If someone came and told you
that in life you have to balance it in such and such a
way and that in youth you have to be successful,
in middle age you have to find love, and in old age
you want to leave a legacy, then of course it would
seem obvious and then the next thing that happens is
you forget about this quirky little story and move on.
There the little life lesson that can make a big
difference in life is cast away like so many hidden
gems in life.
It wouldn’t be special to the receiver if they didn’t
have to work towards finding the answer for themselves.
And only those who feel like they need answers and are
in “darkness” would even bother to look. And only those
who choose to look shall find. It is not in this case
hidden to confuse, but to challenge, and the challenge
isn’t to be hard to get, but to allow those who are
truly deserving of the wisdom to attain it.
No pearls before swine, right?
But with today’s world? We are definitely in need
of those pearls of wisdom. Let’s hunt for more pearls.
A lot is at stake right now, and disregarding wisdom
will have dire consequences.