Judgement of Paris

The Judgement of Paris

Wedding Banquet

Once upon a time, a banquet was to take place on Mount Olympus, home of the gods and goddesses, to celebrate the marriage of Peleus (all-round hero, one of the Argonauts) and Thetis, a sea nymph. Invitations to the wedding were mailed out to all the gods and goddesses except one, Eris, the Goddess of Strife and Discord, for obvious reasons. To get her own back for this snub, Eris lived up to her name and gate-crashed the party while it was in full swing, holding in her hand a shining golden apple inscribed “For the Fairest”. She placed it on the table in the middle of the banqueting hall.

The Golden Apple

There was a sudden hush. All the goddesses had their eyes on the apple, each wanting it for herself. They began to squabble. Eventually, the contenders were narrowed down to three. Hera (“Juno”) was the wife of Zeus and Queen of the Olympians. Athena (“Minerva”) was the Goddess of War and also Goddess of Wisdom. Aphrodite (“Venus”) was the Goddess of Love and Beauty, enough said. Zeus was asked to adjudicate but chose to remain neutral. Who would decide? How about Paris, it was suggested. At that time Paris was shepherding sheep on Mount Ida, and was, unbeknown to himself, the son of Priam, King of Troy, a prince no less. He was also known for his impartiality. He could be trusted to make an objective judgment. The three goddesses were spirited away to the idyllic slopes of Mount Ida for the final round in what would become known as the World’s First Ever Beauty Contest!

Three Goddesses

Like all beauty contests, there was intense rivalry between the contestants. Each was determined to get her hands on the gleaming golden apple! They bathed in the refreshing waters of the mountain streams, put on radiant costumes to show off their beauty, and appeared like magic before the shepherd Paris. He was waiting patiently, sitting on a mossy boulder. He had been notified in advance by Hermes, Messenger of the Gods, that they would be coming and that he would have to choose one of them. Dazzled by their outstanding beauty, Paris was undecided. To help him make up his mind, the goddesses offered him some inducements, the world’s first ever Incentive Package!

Bribes

Hera whispered in his ear and promised Paris dominion over all Europe and Asia. Unbelievable wealth and power would be his! Next, Athena, drawing close, offered him victory in battle plus glory and wisdom. What else could a man want! Then it was the turn of Aphrodite. Flaunting the charms that nature had bestowed on her to their utmost advantage, she promised him love, love of the most beautiful woman in the world! (That was Helen, Queen of Sparta, but Paris didn’t know this yet.)

Judgment of Paris

With sweet music playing in his ears and dreams of eternal bliss running through his mind, Paris slowly extended his hand and gave the Golden Apple to the ravishing Aphrodite. She beamed with pleasure and gave him a peck on the cheek. Paris was happy with his choice, preoccupied with thoughts of ecstasy in the arms of the woman that Aphrodite had promised. But Hera and Athena? They were not so pleased. Thus was set in motion the train of events that would lead to the Trojan War. For what happened next, see: “Story of Troy”.

Beauty contests in ancient times

In ancient times the Greeks regularly held contests in praise of physical beauty, both male and female. Manliness and physical prowess were greatly admired. Beauty was an honorable thing and competitions were serious, whether for strapping young men or married women in sewing and weaving competitions. Annual beauty contests were held at Lesbos in a religious sanctuary. At Elis, the winners performed sacred services. In Arcadia, beauty contests were held at the festival of Demeter of Eleusis. The winners got to wear golden garments. Interestingly, beauty competitions were also held on Tenedos, the island directly facing Troy, now called Bozcaada.

Beauty contest on Mount Ida in modern times

Since 1974, the beauty contest and Judgment of Paris has been re-enacted as part of the “Mount Ida Culture and Art Festival” (Ida Kazdaglari Kultur ve Sanat Etkinlikleri). This is held every August in the town of Bayramic and at a picnic spot named Ayazma a few km up the mountain. Nowadays the scope of the festival has been expanded to include folk dancing, concerts, a bicycle race, sack race, tug-of-war, chess tournament, and crossword competition. Farmers from the Bayramic area, famed for its apples, compete for the “Most Beautiful Apple” and “Best Apple Grower” awards. And of course lovely Turkish beauties compete for the “Golden Apple”. 

The only other beauty contest known to have taken place in Canakkale was in April 2009 when veteran beauty pageant organizer Suha Ozgermi set up an international “Miss Civilization of the World” (Dunya Medeniyetler Kralicesi) competition at a hotel in Canakkale with beauties jetting in from 22 countries including Brazil and Holland that would be broadcast on television in 100 countries. This beauty contest didn’t quite live up to expectations. It was considered rather lowbrow and vulgar and bureaucrats distanced themselves from the event.