DID YOU KNOW: A TOY OF FLESH AND BLOOD

 

 Image generated by : Gencraft

 

I once read that “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”. 

An ancient African proverb so simple, yet deeply inspiring. 

A phrase summarizing the outcome of all the fake battles we mortals choose to take part in, standing alongside giants against their own kind, believing ourselves to be equals and forgetting that, in the world of titans, size truly matters.

Regardless of which team you decide to side with, winning or losing, you’ll always suffer collateral damage in a war not conducted on your ground, nor among your ilk. 

On a chaotic and gory battlefield, survival leads the way, and power remains an undeniable advantage. 

So always remember: When giants play chess, we, Majesty’s Knights, merely stand as weapons and shields, moved across the board for their convenience. And whatever happens, do not be fooled by promised rewards. 

Don’t be a “Paris”, the Trojan prince, lured by beauty and love. The man who sacrificed his family and kin to Aphrodite’s glory in a pastime of the gods.

When retelling the story of Paris, or the so-called “Judgment of Paris”, many tale weavers begin their tale with the myth of the Apple of Discord. But I find it more fitting to start our story with the birth of the Trojan prince himself.

It is said that while pregnant with her son, Queen Hecuba had a dream of giving birth to a flaming torch covered with snakes. A vision interpreted by the seer Aesacus as the coming of a child who would cause the downfall of the great city of Troy, since the flames inspire destruction while the snakes evoke treachery and danger.

Terrified by the prophecy, Queen Hecuba and her husband, King Priam, ordered some servants to kill the infant after his birth. But unable to perform such an act, or simply with hands tied by destiny, the servants decided not to kill the child and abandoned him on Mount Ida, surrendering him to fate.

Found by a shepherd, Paris survived, grew up, and reunited with his true family, only to be forever known and remembered for his decisive intervention in the Trojan War.

But after all these tragic events, was Paris truly the one to blame?

The Judgment of Paris is one of the major episodes leading to the Trojan War, and the story goes way back to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, to which Eris, the goddess of discord, had not been invited.

Seeking revenge, Eris used one of her tricks to sow discord among the gods, and what could be better than a little competition among powerful, impulsive, and conceited goddesses? 

She threw a golden apple inscribed with the words "to the fairest" among the guests. 

Three goddesses disputed the title. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each claimed to be the fairest of all, urging and pleading with Zeus to end the vanity fueled dispute.

Wise or simply clever enough not to interfere in women's affairs, Zeus appointed a mortal man, “Paris of Troy,” to choose the winner of the divine beauty contest. 

And each goddess attempted to secure his judgment with a glorious reward. 

Hera offered him kingship and power.

Athena offered him wisdom and war skills. 

Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful mortal woman, Helen of Sparta, wife of the Greek king Menelaus.

To the beautiful Aphrodite, Paris offered the apple, accepted her offer, and crowned her the fairest of the three goddesses. Aphrodite indeed kept her promise, and Paris won the heart of the beautiful Helen, but the consequences of his actions were beyond his reach. 

Along with love, he also inherited the enmity of all those against his choice and prize, especially the resentful Hera.

After the union of Helen and Paris, the Greeks, bound by a blood oath to defend Helen's marriage should she ever be taken away or abducted, came to the aid of Helen's husband, Menelaus, engaging in the legendary Trojan War.

The Judgment of Paris is an epic tale, a story passed down from one generation to another, to remind us all that we humans can all be a Paris, summoned into a divine comedy, used for their amusement, then simply thrown away. Flattered by being treated as a supreme being, we seem to enjoy our insignificant role in the cosmic play, forgetting or ignoring the true power that we do not possess.

And even today when gods seem not to directly interfere in our daily lives, replaced by mortals of their kind, be careful not to be a gladiator caged in their arena, a toy of flesh and blood doomed to be used, then abused and ultimately sacrificed at their altar.

Because when elephants fight, it is still the grass that suffers.

Meryem