In Greek mythology, Aphrodite helped Paris escape after Menelaus defeated him in single combat.
During the duel, Paris is overpowered by Menelaus, Helen’s husband. Menelaus is about to kill him when Aphrodite intervenes. She breaks the helmet strap, rescues Paris, and carries him away in a mist to his bedroom in Troy.
Aphrodite favors Paris because he awarded her the prize in the Judgment of Paris, choosing her over Hera and Athena. Her protection therefore links the duel directly to the divine rivalry that helped trigger the war.
The episode appears in the Iliad, where Paris survives despite losing the contest. Menelaus’s victory does not end the conflict because the gods continue to influence the battlefield and the Greek-Trojan truce quickly collapses.