Curious Facts: The Iliad

I really enjoy greek mythology and taking advantage of the theme of the book I will add some more curious facts.

Can't seem to find an Achilles which
isn't either nude or Brad Pitt.

     1. Achilles may be the first documented transvestite in history. Her mother Tetis knowing he will not live a long life if he participates in the war made him wear women's clothes and hid as one of the daugthers of a king. Yet he doesn't forgets he's actually a man and maybe actually enjoyed it, that would explain him having a kid with one of them even while wearing dresses. Finally Odysseus, still mad for being discovered faking madness and forced to come to the war, decides he will make Achilles come too so he disguises himself as a weapons sellers and logically assumes that the manly guy in a dress looking at the weapons must be the guy. 

     2. It is said that Achilles and Patroclus may been gay but if one reads Plato's Symposium one will understand that greeks thought women were properties like cows while men were equals. Actually Aphrodite was the goddess of love between man and woman and Eros/Cupid was the god of love between men. So next time that someone tells you Cupid may want to shoot you... RUN AWAY! Maybe wear armor or repellent also. Better be safe. Beware going out during Valentine's.

     3. Diomedes and Odysseus are Athena's favourites warriors. Seem to be friends and are always sent in missions regarding infiltration, spying, disguising or as messengers. Also while Diomedes is the young saintly friend, Odysseus is the old devilish friend. When Diomedes screamed asking him to help him rescue the old man Nestor, Odysseus pretended not to hear him and ran back to the boats. If Dante Alighieri is right, even now Diomedes and Odysseus continue being comrades... in Hell in the 8/9 rings for being liars.

     4. Apollo isn't actually the sun god but the best friend of the son god, Helios, and the god of seers. He thought having a kid with Hecuba wasn´t enough so he tried to date her daughter, Cassandra, and tried to seduce her by giving her the ability to see the future but then she said no, thank you. In vengeance, he gave her the ability to only predict tragic things and the curse that no one would ever believe her.

     5. Achilles fell in love with Apollo and Hecuba's son, Troilus, and killed him with a hug. So must be why Apollo is mad at Achilles.

     6. Zeus actually admitted that overpopulation is a problem he wanted to solve making them kill themselves in the War of Troy.

     7. Athena says to Diomedes that he should avoid fighting against gods except Aphrodite. Athena was actually still mad that Aphrodite was considered "the most beautiful" and not her. Hera also but seems to forgive her for lending her the belt that makes her wearer irresistible.

     9. It is said that the second child of the first wife of Zeus was going to govern the world so he ate her while being pregnant of the first one. Later that first child was born from his head and became Zeus's favorite daughter, Athena.

     10. Hera jealous of Zeus for managing being asexual tried to give birth by her own too. The result was Hephaestus who was then or not limp of both legs. Disappointed she threw him from the Olympus and if not limp already maybe then. He was saved by two of the Nereids, one of being Tetis.

Must Know: The Iliad

There are some important events that are not mentioned in the books but if you know them will make you understand things better. Plus they're interesting, so I'm going to put them here:

Seems like weddings back then were more like nude parties.
Only Athena seems to be the only one who didn´t
knew it was a clotheless party.

First Important Event

     The Nereid Tetis was coveted by both Zeus and Poseidon until they get to know a prophecy about her which says that the kid Tetis will give birth shall be more powerful than his father. So, for obvious reasons, they start to fear she marries a god which makes her give birth to a son more powerful than them so Zeus- who incidentally has a record for eating a wife with a similar prophecy- marries her to a human, Peleus.

Second Important Event

     Helen was the daughter of Zeus with a human and is considered the most beautiful woman ever existed in that period of time so obviously had lots of suitors, so many that his unknowingly non-biological father didn't know what to do. Odysseus, who was also a suitor, seeing that he had almost no probability of marrying Helen opts to help her father in exchange of his help to marry his niece, Penelope. He makes the suitors vow they will let Helen choose her own husband and that if anyone was to try to steal Helen from his husband all the suitors will come to his help. Helen chooses Menelaus, the king of Sparta.

Third Important Event

Everytime I think of Eris I remember
the one that appeared on Billy and Mandy.

     In the wedding of Peleus and Tetis, all the gods were invited except one: The Goddess of Discord, Eris. It is hinted that Zeus actually wanted her to get mad and didn´t invited her on purpose so that she in revenge left a golden apple adressed to "the most beautiful". Three proud godesses stood up trying to acknowledge the apple. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite couldn't stop fighting for it so Zeus made a shepherd make the choice. This shepherd was Paris Priamida, who was in the care of other people after being prophetized that he would destroy Troy (later on his parents will take him home again just to see it come true). 

     The goddesses trying to win him over promised him different things. Hera promised him the greatest empire, Athena lots of victorys and prowess in battles, and last Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman. Paris was actually known for being a flirt so maybe it isn't so strange that he favoured Aphrodite.

     He went as a guest to Sparta and while Menelaus wasn't there made Helen fall in love with him with the help of Aphrodite and- thinking that was not good enough- stole lots of gold, jewerly, etc of his house. Thus coming back to Troy with the news of a likely iminent war with the achaeans.

Last Names

Another thing to know that will help understand greeks is that their last name seems to be the name of their fathers.

     Some examples: 

          Achilles, son of Peleus ---> Pelion Achilles

          Odysseus, son of Laertes ---> Odysseus Laertiada

          Diomedes, son of Tideus ---> Diomedes Tidida

          Menelaus, son of Atreus ---> Atrida Menelaus

          Agamemnon, son of Atreus ---> Atrida Agamemnon

          Zeus, son of Cronos ---> Zeus Cronion

Sometimes the last name was first and sometimes last, I think it got something to do with how it sounded best. Hope that the last names are the same ones in english.

Hope its useful. Happy reading.