A Brand New Iliad

The Iliad is attributed as "The World's Greatest War Novel" which was created by Homer, a Greek. The Iliad is all about a war between two nations and these are the Trojans and the Achaians. Some parts of the Iliad bored me like at Book 2 where it just stated all the people in the war and at Book 18 where the shield was very detailed and had a story. These Books really bored me and I've wanted to change them but I thought of changing another book so that the story would be more interesting and I chose the first part of Book 1.

This would be the story if I would change it. Chryses, the favorable priest of Apollo, went to King Agamemnon for he had a golden staff for a ransom for his daughter for she was a prize in Thebes when the Achaian fleet conquered it. King Agamemnon disagreed and said that he should bring a lot more than a golden staff then he would let his daugther let go. Chryses understood and brought out three nuggets of gold along with the golden staff then King Agamemnon now agreed to free his daugther but with one condition. Since Chryses was a favorable priest of Apollo, King Agamemnon's condition was that Chryses would pray to Apollo that he would help the Achaians conquer Troy. Chryses followed and prayed to Apollo.

If this would happen The Achaians has a greater chance to win against the mighty Trojans also, Achilles one of the best warriors of the Achaians, would have started the war immediately and not waiting for his noble friend, Patroclus, to be dead. Many conflicts would have not happen if my part of the story was implimented.
The Trojans would have a hard time to win because of these changes but Ithink that if this would happen Zeus, The God of all Gods. would do something to make the war fair. And this would be fair because at the very start the Trojans and Achaians would start with all their strength not one would be handicapped.

Nobody's Perfect (Even Gods)!!!

Gods are believed to be perfect. But for the Greeks, Gods can make mistakes, failures and they also have  weaknesses. Failure as defined at the dictionary is an omission of occurrence or performance and a failing to perform a duty or expected action. Weakness is the quality or state of being weak; also  an instance or period of being weak. Gods have weaknesses and one of the Gods who have weaknesses is the God of all Gods, Zeus.

Zeus, even if he is the God of all Gods, has weaknesses and one of is clearly seen in book fourteen. His weakness was shown when Hera, the Goddess of Fertility, had a plan to make the Achaians win the war and this would only happen if Zeus cannot interfere, her plan was to beautify herself by borrowing the charm of love from Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, Beauty and seduction, and desire and distract Zeus from watching the war. She bribed Sleep with a throne of solid gold and her own daughter, Pasithea, to make Zeus fall asleep when they lie in bed. Because she beautified herself, she invited Zeus to lie in bed with her and because of her beauty he agreed. When they lay in bed Sleep did his job and made Zeus fall asleep. This scene clearly states that Zeus has a huge weakness with love; he is easily distracted by Hera when she had beautified herself. The weakness of Zeus led to the helping of Poseidon, God of the Sea, Earthquakes and Horses, to the Achaians thus made them stronger.

All of us have weaknesses even the Greek Gods. As I stated at my post that Zeus is one of the examples of Gods with weaknesses. The Greek Gods are not perfect but they are more higher in rank than us but the Greeks believed that they also have human traits that also lead them to some weaknesses and failures.

Gods of War

The Gods or Deities of the Greeks are believed to be wise and just, but are they really wise or just? They are believed to be just but as I stated at my last post Hera, The Godess of Fertility, was not just because she is taking sides specifically to the Achaians for example at book 8 she told this to Poseidon "For shame, Earthshaker! Even you for all your strength care nothing for the Danaans! ... If only we who help the Danaans could make up and push the Trojans and to keep Zeus away, ... " But, she is wise because she gave advises to Athena, who also sides to the Achaians, which helped the Achaians not to lose in the war. A proof that she is wise is also in book 8 when she is talking to Athena and quoted "... I think now had better not fight against Zeus for the sake of mortal men. As for them, let one die and another live, just as it may happen. As for him---let him keep his own counsel and judge between the Trojans and Danaans, for that is right and proper."

But Hera is not the only one who is unjust or wise, there are still more Gods and Goddesses like Athena, and Apollo. Apollo,God of Music and the Sun, is also unjust because he is siding at the Trojans. He is siding at Trojans because the Achaians really King Agamenmon did not accept the ransom for his daughter, a prize at Thebe. Since then he sided at the Trojans. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, is also unjust for she has been siding at the Achaians because she has an altar in one of the Achaian countries. There is one conversation which proves that they are both unjust but wise. This conversation is at book 7 were they have agreed to stop the war at that day for there are still other days that the Trojans and the Achaians to fight. To stop them from fighting Apollo and Athena agreed that there would be a man to man combat to end the fighting for that day. They were both responsible in that situation but still you cannot take away the siding of both Gods.


For the past examples and discussions I have made in this post it is like I'm concluding that all Gods are unjust  but wise but this is wrong not all Gods are unjust but all are wise. A God who is both just and wise is the God of all Gods, Zeus, He is almighty and he does not abuse his power. He doesn't take sides but he tries to make the war at its best by balancing the war to make it equal. At the start of book 8 Zeus called for an assembly in Olympos there he told all Gods and Goddesses not to interfere in the war of the Trojans and Achaians. We could clearly see that he is just, he doesn't like when the war gets uneven or unfair he only likes that there would be a fair and equal battle whoever wins the war woulds have won it fair and square. Also as we could see Zeus being wise for he is thinking that taking sides would make the opponent or the enemy be in a worse state than the one with a God or Goddess by their side.

For me, I cannot say that all Gods are just because there are also Gods who are unjust but I can surely say that all of them are wise. 

Unjust Hera?

Hera as we know the wife of the God of all Gods, Zeus, and she is the Goddess of Marriage, Women and Birth also it is said that she is fair and equal when it comes to battle. Well, for me I feel that Hera  has not been fair or equal because she has been taking sides at the war between the Trojans and the Achaians. We could see in the war that Hera is siding with the Achaians together with Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, warfare and crafts, and they are using their power just to make the Achaians conquer Troy. In the book Hera was very mad to Zeus, when Zeus said to her that they shall make the Trojans and the Achaians be friends.


For me, Hera is also unjust when she had that argument with Zeus at the start of book four she was totally siding with the Achians and she was unfair with King Priam she really liked to defeat Troy. This was the line which Hera stated that she would like to defeat the Trojans "O you dreadful creature, what a thing to say! How can you wish me to waste my trouble for nothing! How I sweated and sweated! All my drudgery thrown away, the horses tired out with collecting people, TO DESTROY PRIAM AND HIS SONS! Go on, do as you like, but let me tell you, WE DO NOT ALL AGREE!" The ones that I have capitalized are proofs that she was unfair to the Trojans and this was said after Zeus suggested that the Achaians and the Trojans to be friends, give back Helen to Menelaus and the Achaians would go back to Argos. Also there was another line in book five where she had stated "Father Zeus, have you nothing to say to these violent doings of Ares? What a mort of men he's been killing, wiping out the whole Achaian nation, slap dash, most improper I declare, Cypris and Apollo Silverbow just enjoying themselves, quite at their ease, after setting on this idiot who won't keep the rules! Father Zeus, will you be angry with me if I beat him well and chase him out of the field?" This clearly states that she thinks that the Trojans has the advantage in the war but if you come to think of it Diomedes is like a God in the war because Athena has guided him through the war, that means that it was equal in the sense that Athena gave her blessing to Diomedes and it is like that he is as strong as Ares.


These are some proofs that prove that Hera is unfair, unjust and unequal during battles. If she was really fair and just she shall not take sides in battles but in this war you could see that she takes the side of the Achians. Also, the saying "Hera is considered fair/equal when it comes into battle" is false pertaining to my proofs of she being unfair.