Greek World - The Iliad Part 1. The story begins with the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, to which all the gods were invited except Eris, the goddess of discord. Feeling snubbed, Eris threw a golden apple into the celebration, inscribed with “To the fairest.” This act ignited a vanity-fueled dispute among three goddesses: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, each claiming the apple as her own. Unable to settle the dispute themselves, the goddesses turned to Zeus for a decision. Zeus, wisely not wanting to involve himself in such a contentious judgment, appointed Paris, a prince of Troy known for his fairness, as the judge in this divine beauty contest. The goddesses, each desiring to win, offered Paris bribes. Hera promised him power over all men; Athena offered wisdom and skill in war; Aphrodite, the goddess of love, promised him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, despite her being already married to King Menelaus of Sparta, a part of the Mycenaean Empire. Swayed b...