Reading Notes: Homer's Illiad, Part A

Homer's Illiad retold by A.J. Church (from the UN-Textbook)
(http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-homers-iliad-retold.html)

This story begins in ancient Greece, where a Spartan King's daughter Helen was being married to a Greek prince of her choosing. With every prince in Greece offering their hand in marriage, Helen chose Menelaus of Mycenae who was "the chief of all of the Kings of Greece." Everything was great until Prince Paris of Troy came to Sparta and fled with Helen and an assortment of treasure. Menelaus called his Greek allies to help him take the city of Troy and get his wife back, but after nine years of siege they all but gave up leaving a small unit to stay at Troy and sending the rest to other cities. When the Greek army took the nearby city of Chryse, Menelaus' brother Agamemnon was given a priest's daughter by the name of Chryseis. The priest begged and offered money for the daughter, but Agamemnon refused. The priest prayed to the town's god Apollo and Apollo, upset with how his priest was being treated, came and fired arrows at the Greek army for days. After ten days, Achilles called a meeting to figure out why Apollo was angry and after finding out and arguing with Agamemnon he leaves the army after almost attacking Agamemnon. Achilles later that nights has his girl taken by Agamemnon as payment for Chrseis being returned to the priest. In his grief, Achilles asks Thetis to convince Zeus to help the Trojans take down the Greeks. Thetis convinced Zeus to help the Trojans thus upsetting Hera upon Zeus' return home to Olympus. Zeus finally decided to send a false dream to Agamemnon telling him he would take the city of Troy. Meanwhile in the city of Troy, Hector has Queen Hecuba make an offering to Athene. Later on, the Greek chiefs meet with Achilles following a feast and try to bribe him to come back to the Greek army as they are beginning to take heavy losses. Achilles refuses them, telling them he is leaving so that he may live to grow old rather than fight and die for Agamemnon who he despises. During the fight, Patroclus approaches Achilles wanting to use his armor and take Achille's troops to try to turn the tide of the ongoing fight. Achilles prayed to Zeus for PAtroclus to gain strength and he did so regaining the Greek ships and killing Sarpedon the Lycian. Finally, Patroclus drives the Trojan forces up to their gate but after taking out some Trojan warriors, Apollo strips Patroclus of his armor and blinds hims. In his vulnerable state on the battlefield, Patroclus was killed by Hector's spear.

Hector of Troy

Notes:
Menelaus (Umlaut on the U)
Chryse (Accent on the E)
Chryseis (Umlaut on the I)
Athene (Accent on last E)