The Apple of Discord, and the Judgement of Paris
The Ancient Greek Myth of the Apple of Discord is essentially a prequel to the story of the Trojan War.
As the story goes, Eris, the goddess of Discord, was angry at not being invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Wanting her revenge, she took a golden apple from the garden of the Hesperides and inscribed it with the words τη καλλίστη ('to the fairest') (see Note 6 in bibliography). She then threw the apple into the middle of the celebrations, where the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena all claimed it for themselves.
To settle the argument, Zeus, the ruler of the gods, asked the mortal Paris to judge the goddesses and decide who the apple must go to. Each of the goddesses attempted to bribe Paris; Hera, the queen of the Gods, offered him power: the rule of Europe and Asia; Athena, the goddess of wisdom and just war, offered him success in battle; and Aphrodite, goddess of love, offered him the most beautiful woman in the word.
Paris, of course, chose Aphrodite. The most beautiful woman in the world was Helen, and unfortunately for Paris, she was already married to the Greek king Menelaus. When Paris took Helen for himself, he began the Trojan War, during which Paris dies.
Oh dear.
Atalanta's Foot Race
The myth of Atalanta is also Greek. Atalanta was the daughter of a King, though she was raised by hunters when her father abandoned her, wanting a son instead. She grew up an excellent huntress, and was extremely fast.
Atalanta took an oath of chastity to Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt. When she was reunited with her father, he insisted she marry, but she agreed only to marry someone who could outrun her. Many suitors tried, but upon losing, were killed. The last suitor, Hippomenes, asked for help from the goddess Aphrodite, who gave him three golden apples. As the pair ran, Hippomenes threw the apples to floor, and Atalanta stopped to pick them up, and Hippomenes won the race. The pair were married, but, having not been thanked for her help, turned the couple into lions.
Oh dear!
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