In Greek mythology’s Trojan War, Aphrodite won Paris’s judgment by promising him Helen.
The contest began when Eris, goddess of strife, was excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. She threw a golden apple marked “for the fairest,” and Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each claimed it. Zeus appointed Paris, a Trojan prince, to judge them.
Hera offered political power, Athena offered victory and wisdom, and Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris selected Aphrodite, and she helped him obtain Helen, who was married to Menelaus. This decision became the mythological trigger for the Trojan War.
The story is often called the Judgment of Paris. Helen’s departure with Paris is described differently across ancient sources: some present it as abduction, while others emphasize her willing departure or divine compulsion.