Hyginus, Fabulae 89–97: Troy: Laomedon, Priam's sons, Paris and the muster of the Greeks

89. Laomedon

Poseidon and Apollo are said to have surrounded Troy with a wall. To them King Laomedon vowed that he would sacrifice whatever of his flock was born that year in his kingdom. Greed cheated the vow; others say he had promised too little. For this Poseidon sent a sea-monster to harass Troy. For this reason the king sent to Apollo to consult him. Apollo, angry, answered thus: if the maidens of the Trojans were bound to the monster, there would be an end to the plague. When many had been consumed and the lot had fallen to Hesione and she was tied to the rocks, Heracles and Telamon, as the Argonauts were going to Colchis, came to the same place and killed the monster, and handed Hesione back to her father on agreed terms, that when they returned from there they would take her with them to their country, and the horses that walked over the waters and over ears of corn. Laomedon cheated them of this too and would not give back Hesione. So Heracles came to them with ships prepared to take Troy, and killed Laomedon and gave the kingdom to his infant son Podarces, who was afterwards called Priam, ἀπὸ τοῦ πρίασθαι ('from being bought'). Hesione, recovered, he granted in marriage to Telamon, and from her Teucer was born.

90. The children of Priam, fifty-five in number

Hector, Lycaon, Polites, Dolon, Euander;
Deiphobus, Polymedon, Troilus, Chromius, Proneus;
Cebriones, Ascanius, Pammon, Eresus, Archemachus;
Polydorus, Chirodamas, †Brissonius, Chrysolaus, †Hilagus;
Helenus, Euagoras, Gorgythion, Democoon, Axion;
Alexander, Dryops, Protodamas, Doryclus, Biantes;
Hippothous, ———, ———, Hippasus, Hypeirochus;
Antiphonus, Astynomus, Aretus, Hyperion, Deiopites;
Agathon, Polyxena, †Henicea, Lysianassa, Medusa;
Dius, Laodice, †Demnosia, Iliona, Hero;
Mestor, Deinome, Cassandra, Nereis, Creusa.
———, Phegea, Philomela.

91. Alexander (Paris)

Priam, son of Laomedon, already had many children by Hecuba, daughter of Cisseus or Dymas, when his wife, pregnant, saw in a dream that she gave birth to a burning torch from which very many snakes came out. When this vision was told to all the interpreters, they ordered him to kill whatever she bore, lest it be the ruin of the country. After Hecuba bore Alexander, he was given over to be killed. The attendants, out of pity, exposed him; shepherds, finding the exposed child, brought him up as their own son and named him Paris. When he reached the age of puberty he had a bull as his pet. When attendants sent by Priam came there to bring a bull, to be set as a prize in the funeral contest that was being held for him, they began to lead off Paris' bull. He followed them and asked where they were taking it. They said they were taking it to Priam for the one * who would win at the funeral games of Alexander. He, burning with love for his bull, went down into the contest and won everything, and defeated his brothers too. Deiphobus, indignant, drew his sword against him; but he leapt on to the altar of Zeus Herceius. When Cassandra prophesied that he was her brother, Priam recognised him and took him back into the palace.

92. The judgement of Paris

When Thetis was marrying Peleus, Zeus is said to have called all the gods to the banquet except Eris, that is Discord. When she afterwards arrived and was not admitted to the banquet, she threw an apple from the door into the middle, saying that whoever was the most beautiful should pick it up. Hera, Aphrodite and Athena began to claim beauty for themselves. A great quarrel arose among them, and Zeus ordered Hermes to take them down on Mount Ida to Alexander Paris and tell him to judge. Hera promised him that if he judged in her favour he would reign over all lands, †divitem and would surpass the rest: Athena, if she came away victorious, that he would be †formissimum among mortals and skilled in every craft; Aphrodite promised to give him in marriage Helen, daughter of Tyndareus, the most beautiful of all women. Paris put the last gift before the former ones and judged Aphrodite the most beautiful. For this Hera and Athena were hostile to the Trojans. Alexander, at Aphrodite's prompting, carried Helen off from Lacedaemon, from her host Menelaus, to Troy, and kept her as wife, with two handmaids, Aethra and †Thisadie, whom Castor and Pollux had assigned to her as captives, once queens.

93. Cassandra

Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Hecuba, is said to have fallen asleep in Apollo's shrine, tired from playing. When Apollo wished to lie with her, she did not grant him her body. For this Apollo made it so that, when she prophesied truly, she should not be believed.

94. Anchises

Aphrodite is said to have loved Anchises, son of Assaracus, and to have lain with him. By him she bore Aeneas and told him not to tell this among men. Anchises, among his drinking companions, through wine revealed it; for this he was struck by Zeus with a thunderbolt. Some say that he died a natural death.

95. Odysseus (Ulixes)

Agamemnon and Menelaus, sons of Atreus, as they were gathering the leaders who had sworn to attack Troy, came to the island of Ithaca to Odysseus, son of Laertes. An oracle had been given him that if he went to Troy he would return home after the twentieth year, alone, destitute, his companions lost. So when he knew that envoys would come to him, pretending madness he put on a felt cap and yoked a horse with an ox to the plough. When Palamedes saw him he realised that he was pretending, and took his son Telemachus from the cradle and put him in front of his plough and said: ‘Lay aside your pretence; come among the sworn leaders.’ Then Odysseus gave his word that he would come. From then on he was hostile to Palamedes.

96. Achilles

The Nereid Thetis, knowing that her son Achilles, whom she had by Peleus, would perish if he went to take Troy, entrusted him to the island of Scyros to King Lycomedes. He kept him among his maiden daughters in woman's dress, under a changed name: for the maidens called him Pyrrha, because he had yellow hair, and ‘red’ is πυρρόν in Greek. When the Achaeans learned that he was hidden there, they sent envoys to King Lycomedes to ask that he send him as help to the Danaans. The king, saying he was not with him, gave them leave to search in the palace. As they could not tell which of them it was, Odysseus placed women's gifts in the royal vestibule, among which were a shield and a spear, and had a trumpeter suddenly sound the trumpet, and ordered a clatter of arms and a shout. Achilles, thinking the enemy was upon them, tore off the woman's dress and seized the shield and spear. From this he was recognised, and promised his services to the Argives, and his soldiers the Myrmidons.

97. Those who went to take Troy, and how many ships

Agamemnon, son of Atreus and Aerope | Mycenae | a hundred ships
Menelaus, his brother | Mycenae | 60 ships
Phoenix, son of Amyntor | Argos | [50 ships]
Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis | island of Scyros | 50 ships
Automedon, Achilles' charioteer | Scyros | [10 ships]
Patroclus, son of Menoetius and Philomela | Phthia | [10 ships]
Ajax, son of Telamon by Eriboea | Salamis | 12 ships
Teucer, his brother, by Hesione, daughter of Laomedon | [12 ships]
Odysseus, son of Laertes and Anticlea | Ithaca | 12 ships
Diomedes, son of Tydeus and Deipyle, daughter of Adrastus | Argos | 30 ships
Sthenelus, son of Capaneus and Euadne | Argos | 25 ships
Euryalus, son of Pallas and Diomede | Argos | 25 ships (⟨X⟩XV)
Ajax, son of Oileus and the nymph Rhene | Locris | 40 ships
Nestor, son of Neleus and Chloris, daughter of Amphion | Pylos | 90 ships
Antilochus, son of Nestor | Pylos | [20 ships]
Thrasymedes, his brother, by Eurydice | Pylos | [15 ships]
Eurypylus, son of Euaemon and Ops | Ormenium | 40 ships
Machaon, son of Asclepius and Coronis | from Tricca | 20 ships
Podalirius, his brother | | 10 ships
Tlepolemus, son of Heracles and Astyoche | †Mycenae | 9 ships
Idomeneus, son of Deucalion | from Crete | 40 ships
Meriones, son of Molus and †Melphis | from Crete | 40 ships
Eumelus, son of Admetus and Alcestis, daughter of Pelias | from Perrhaebia | 11 ships
Philoctetes, son of Poeas and Demonassa | Meliboea | 7 ships
Peneleus, son of Hippalcimus and Asterope | Boeotia | 12 ships
Leitus, son of Alectryon and Cleobule | from Boeotia | 12 ships
Clonius, his brother | from Boeotia | 9 ships
Arcesilaus, son of ⟨Areï⟩lycus and †Theobula | from Boeotia | 9 ships
Prothoenor, ⟨his⟩ brother | from Thespiae | 8 ships
Ialmenus, son of †Lycus and Pernis | †Argos | 30 ships
Ascalaphus, his brother | †Argos | [30 ships]
Schedius, son of Iphitus and Hippolyte | †Argos | 30 ships
Epistrophus, his brother | likewise | 10 ships
Elephenor, son of Chalcodon and Imenarete | †Argos | 40 ships
Men⟨estheus *⟩oea's son | Athens | 50 ships
Agapenor, son of Ancaeus | Arcadia | 60 ships
Amphimachus, son of Cteatus and Theronice | Elis | 10 ships
⟨Thalpius, son of Eurytus and Thereph⟩one | †Mycenae | 10 ships
Diores, ⟨son⟩ of Amarynceus | | ⟨10 ships⟩
Polyxenus, son of Agasthenes | | ⟨10 ships⟩
Meges, son of Phyleus and †Eustyoche | from Dulichium | 40 ships
Thoas, son of Andraemon and Gorge | Aetolia | 40 ships
⟨Protesilaus, son of Iphiclus | from Iton⟩ | 20 ships
Podarces ⟨his brother⟩ | likewise | 20 ships
Prothous, son of Tenthredon | Magnesia | 40 ships
Guneus, son of †Ocitus and Aurophite | †Argos | 22 ships
Nireus, son of Charopus and the nymph ⟨Aglaia⟩ | †Argos | 3 ships
Antiphus, son of Thessalus and Chalciope | Nisyros | 20 ships
⟨Phidippus⟩, his brother | likewise | 10 ships
Polypoetes, son of Pirithous and Hippodamia | Argissa | 20 ships
Leonteus, son of Coronus | from Gyrton | 20 ships
Calchas, son of Thestor, of Mycenae, seer
†Phocus, son of Danaus, architect
Eurybates and Talthybius, heralds
Diaphorus, judge
Neoptolemus, son of Achilles and Deidamia, from the island of Scyros; he was also called Pyrrhus, from his father's name Pyrrha.
Total of ships: 1,186