The Judgement: Return to Mount Ida
We’ve seen how and why history’s first beauty pageant became an enduring theme for three millennia of artists. The smaller story bookending it is almost as intriguing.
Paris, for all his faux shyness in womanly things, had been around. Mostly around the place shown above — Mount Ida, from whose summit the gods watch and diddled with the horse race in Troy. There is snow in the heights in this Google Earth image, not quite the fine summer’s day seen in the Judgement paintings, but matching, by one tradition, the death of Paris and his first wife, Oenone.
Today Mount Ida is known as Kaz Dağı, the Goose Mountain, 1,800 metres tall and ringed with hiking trails that ramble past waterfalls. Those climbers who are wheezing are here for the oxygen cure. Şahin Deresi — Hawk Valley — is a canyon that funnels pine-scented air out to the gulf and breathes in the iodised sea breeze.
Troy today is called Troia, not to be confused with nearby Truva, a bit of a tourist trap cashing in on the war story, complete with a giant wooden horse on which the kids can play. The archaeological site itself has been dug up and looted so many times that it’s been described as “a ruin of a ruin”. Thank the gods Mount Ida still has her mysteries.
Mount Ida was once home of the Mother Goddess, Cybele, chockfull of sibyls and soothsayers, and a tremendous make-out spot for young couples in lust.
As a tot Paris was suckled here by a she-bear. It’s a long story but loads of fun.
When Paris was born, his mother, Hecuba, had a horrific (and accurate) premonition that he would one day be responsible for the destruction of Troy. She told her husband Prodarces, who everyone called Priam simply for confusion’s sake, and he called in Aesacus, the dream decipherer. Best get the boy the hell away from here then, said Aesacus. Get him out way in the countryside someplace. Paris’ big brother Hector wanted to go too, but they were still working out the movie script at this point and casting was causing problems.
Agelaus, a family servant, dumped Paris on Mount Ida, where a sympathetic bear loaned him a teat for five days. Agelaus came back, found that the toddler had done alright for himself, and decided to raise him as his own son on his nearby farm. A shepherd was born from a castaway prince. See the rest.
