ParisAlexandros

One of the primary characters in The Iliad where he is generally called Alexandros and occasionally Paris; the Latin form of his name is Alexander.

The Latin form of his name is Alexander; he was a descendant of the royal family of the city of Troy and one of the fifty sons of the last rulers of Troy, king Priam and queen Hekabe (Hecabe).

When Alexandros was visiting the city of Sparta he encountered the beautiful wife of king Menelaos (Menelaus) and the two of them, enflamed by a spell cast by the goddess of Love, Aphrodite, took her valuable possessions and fled to Troy; his refusal to surrender Helen was the cause of the Trojan War and the eventual destruction of Troy.

Prior to his infatuation with Helen, Paris was placed in the unfortunate position of being the judge in what is commonly called The Judgment of Paris; at the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis, the goddess Eris (Discord) threw down a golden apple which was inscribed “for the most beautiful one”; Athene (Athena), Hera and Aphrodite all assumed that the Apple of Discord was for them; as judge, Paris was forced to choose one of the three goddesses; he chose Aphrodite and thus earned her affection and likewise the wrath of Athene and Hera.

The name Alexandros literally means Defending Men.