Of course, in our age of information technology, the word "Trojan" automatically pulls somewhere into the sphere of computer technology and terrible viruses. However, not only a virus can be a Trojan. The expression "Trojan horse" is now, although not so common, but still familiar to many people, and even received a second life in the name of a computer virus. What does the expression "Trojan horse" mean?
In order to understand this issue, let's turn to the mythology of Ancient Greece. The Greeks were masters of inventing exciting myths about the lives of gods and people, about epic battles and beautiful princesses. Oddly enough, the Trojan horse - a fairly well-known phraseological unit - is associated with battles, and with the princess, and with great heroes. So, for those who are unfamiliar with this myth, a little history. This will help you understand what is meant when they say "Trojan horse". The meaning of the expression in a nutshell- a gift with a trick, something that, although it seems harmless, can ruin everyone and everything.
As always in history, the cause of the Trojan War was a woman, and not just a simple woman, but the beautiful Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. But first things first.
At one of the feasts of the gods, the eternally offended goddess of discord threw an apple with the inscription "The most beautiful of the goddesses" to Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. To decide which of the goddesses is worthy of the fruit was ordered to Paris, the son of the king of Troy. Each wanted to get an apple and wipe the nose of her rivals, and the goddesses persuaded Paris to their side as best they could.
Hera promised to make him a great king, Athena - a commander, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in his wife. It is not difficult to guess that the apple went to Aphrodite. It was with her help that Paris kidnapped Helen. But nothing just happens, and the angry Menelaus went to save his wife, of course, throwing a cry to the great heroes. They agreed to help. What does a Trojan horse have to do with all this? It is connected with events very strongly, and now you will understand why. The German archaeologist Schliemann discovered the remains of Troy, and an analysis of the city's foundation showed that it was surrounded by a huge impregnable wall. However, this is fully consistent with what Homer described in the Iliad.
Negotiations to return Elena peacefully have failed. With this, the well-known Trojan War begins. In this war, according to Homer, the gods also participated. Angry Hera and Athena were on the side of the Achaeans, and Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis and Ares(in order to somehow equalize forces) helped the Trojans.
Helped well, as the siege dragged on for a long 10 years. Even though the spear of Athena was stolen from Troy, it was impossible to take the city by attack. Then the cunning Odysseus came up with one of the most brilliant ideas. If it is impossible to enter the city by force, it is necessary to make sure that the Trojans themselves open the gates. Odysseus began to spend a lot of time in the company of the best carpenter, and in the end they came up with a plan. Having dismantled part of the boats, the Achaeans built a huge hollow horse inside. It was decided that the best warriors would be placed in the belly of the horse, and the horse itself with a "surprise" would be presented as a gift to the Trojans. The rest of the army will pretend to be returning to their homeland. No sooner said than done. The Trojans believed and brought the horse into the fortress. And at night, Odysseus and the rest of the heroes came out of it and burned the city.
Therefore, it was with the light hand of Homer that the expression "Trojan horse" acquired the meaning of "a gift with a trick, something that, although it seems harmless, can destroy everyone and everything."
