Mythology - Greek - Paris

Paris was the son of King Priam of Troy and Queen Hecuba. Because a dream of his birth was interpreted as a bad omen, he was abandoned by his family to die exposed to the elements. He was found and raised by shepherds. While living as a shepherd, he was chosen by Zeus to judge which of three goddesses, Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite, was the most beautiful. He chose Aphrodite, accepting her bribe to help him obtain the most beautiful woman alive. Later, he entered a boxing contest at some funerary games and defeated his brothers by Priam and Hecuba. It was here that the gods revealed that Paris was their son and he was welcomed back to the family. He was sent on a diplomatic mission to Sparta to negotiate with King Menelaus, and there he met Helen, Menelaus' wife. With Aphrodite's help, he seduced and kidnapped her, taking her back to Troy, and causing the start of the Trojan War. During the war, Paris is the one who shot the arrow that killed Achilles. Paris was killed by an arrow shot by Philoctetes, the heroic archer who carried the bow of Hercules.