Paris

In Greek mythology, a Trojan prince whose abduction of Helen, wife of Menelaus, caused the Trojan wars. Helen had been promised to him by the goddess Aphrodite as a bribe, during his judgement between her beauty and that of the goddesses, Hera and Athena. During the wars, he killed the Greek hero Achilles by shooting an arrow into his heel, but was later mortally wounded by the archer Philoctetes.

Paris was the second son of Priam, king of Troy, and Hecuba. He was exposed at birth on Mount Ida, but was brought up by a shepherd as Paris and later earned the name of Alexander, ‘defender of men and flocks’. He was eventually received by Priam and married the nymph Oenone, whom he deserted for Helen. After Philoctetes shot him with one of Heracles' poisonous arrows, he returned to Oenone, who refused to heal him, but committed suicide with remorse on his death.

At the Judgement of Paris, Aphrodite had not been alone in trying to buy the prince's favour; Hera had offered him the sovereignty of Asia and Athena fame in war.