OVIDThe Invasion of Troy

Book Twelve

OVID’S TRANSITION• In the previous story, we learn about Aesacus and his love for Hesperia• Aesacus follows her as she runs through the forest, but she is bit by a serpent• Aesacus feels guilty for her death, flings himself from a cliff• Tethys does not allow him to die• He is transformed into a bird, Mergus, or The Submerger

OVID’S TRANSITION

• Priam mourns Aesacus’ death not knowing he is now a bird, his sons go to the tomb to bring sacrifice, all except Paris

• Paris is the reason for the Trojan War, because of his love for Helen

HELEN• Helen is the daughter

of Zeus and Leda, when Zeus visits her as a swan

• All men wanted to marry Helen, Menelaus is chosen, and therefore becomes King of Sparta

Paris’s Decision

• Paris was told to decide who the fairest was of Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera

• He chose Aphrodite and was therefore granted Helen

PARIS AND HELEN

• Paris then takes Helen back with him to Troy

• Obviously this is going to anger Meneleus since he was married to Helen

• Meneleus and Agamemnon gather troops for war

A SIGN• The men see a Blue-Green Serpent• The serpent goes up a tree toward a nest that held

eight birds• The serpent killed the mother as well as her eight

children• Calchas sees the meaning, claiming that the

Greeks will win the war• However, he says that the war will last for nine

years, since that was the number of the birds• The serpent was then changed to stone, in the form

of a twining serpent

SACRIFICE OF IPHIGENIA

• Virgin blood must satisfy the virgin goddess’ anger

• Iphigenia was to be sacrificed because they believed Neptune would spare the city of Troy since he had built its walls

• Diana yielded when Iphigenia was at the alter, and a deer was left in her place

• Ocean subsided

Iphigenia

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Rumor’s Dwelling

• “Countless entrances, thousands on thousands, And never a door to close them.”

• Everything that comes into this palace is repeated.

• No quiet or silence • “Lies and truth, confused, confusing.”• She searches the world for news.• Since she is Rumor, she tells the Trojans that

the Greeks are coming, allowing them to prepare for the conflict

Beginning of Battle• Protesilaus is the first killed by the arrow of Hector• Greeks were hurt in the earlier fighting• Hector did not meet Cygnus, son of Neptune, until the

tenth year• Achilles’s spear cannot hurt Cygnus• Tenth layer kept the spear from harming him.• Achilles is very frustrated with this, to make sure there

was nothing defective with the spear, he threw it at Menoetes and it killed him.

• Achilles then gets down and fights Cygnus with sword, but is unable to do him any harm.

Cygnus• Cygnus is turned into a

bird when Achilles is trying to choke him

• Nepture changed him into a bird during this time to save him from death.

• Now a constellation.

TRUCE

• As the men begin to discuss the battle, the main topic was Cygnus and the fact that he could not be harmed.

• Nestor continues by stating that long ago, there was another like Cygnus, by the name of Caeneus of Thessaly who also could not be harmed.

Caeneus of Thessaly

• Born a Woman

• Achilles begs to be told the story of Caeneus

• Nestor states that he cannot remember all of the details because he is now in his third hundred year…

Caeneus

• Began as Caenis, daughter of Elatus

• Raped by Neptune, but then she asked to be turned into a male so that she would not be raped again.

• Neptune also added that no man be able to hurt him.