The Apple of Discord

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Athena's bribe was better because it subsumed the other two(with enough brains he could have all the power he wanted which would in turn get him all the beautiful women he wanted).

I remember having precisely that same thought at one point when I first read these stories, broadly speaking.

Originally Posted by malloyd

The Greeks might have disagreed on several counts. Wisdom might well include not *wanting* to rule all Europe and Asia, or the already married most beautiful woman in the world.

Not just 'already married', but married to a major prince in a rival nation, a ruler whose even more powerful brother is likely already looking for an excuse for war. Oh, and IIRC Paris already had a beautiful immortal girlfriend, in the form of a nymph or some entity along those lines, too.

In contrast to Paris, observe Odysseus. In some versions of the tale, when the Greek rulers gathered to compete for Helen's hand, Odysseus was wise enough to look at her and assess: "Trouble Waiting For Its Moment To Happen". Instead he woos her (IIRC) cousin Penelope and marries her.

Regarding the contest, IIRC Paris was picked precisely because Zeus wanted someone who was...not necessarily the brightest bulb, because smart people didn't want the job, himself included. It's a 2/1 loser no matter what decision is made, in that two high-ranking deities are mad at you at the cost of one on your side (you hope).

So one consideration for a wise judge, if you can't get out of the job, would be to ask yourself which goddess is most likely to be able to protect you from the wrath of the other two. From this perspective, Aphrodite (again) looks like the least wise choice. From the 'can she protect me' perspective, Athena and Hera are a harder decision.