Iliad -Troy and Metaphor

[Draconeus]

Is the Trojan horse as cited in the iliad a real wooden marvel or was it a metaphor for a earthquake?

My reasoning for the earthquake metaphor:
Horse= symbol of Posidon (greek god of the sea)
Posidon also was the god of earthquakes

Logical reasons for the metaphor:
1) troy was on a hill, one would have noticed your enemies loading people into the horse
2) One site for troy, known as Troy IV was levelled by an earthquake. The site dates form that era
3)The Iliad mentions that a long stalemate had been reached, and it was impassable. The earthquake would explain the sudden collapse of Troy

[Virgil]

Actually I don't believe that the wooden horse is sited in the Illiad. The Illiad as a story ends prior to the destruction of the city and victory of the Acheans. The wooden horse story is part of the overall legend of the Trojan war, but part of Homer's tale. It may actually be mentioned in the Odyssey, but I'm not sure.

[PeterL]

It is possible that the horse was selected for that reason, but the way that [i]The Odyssey[i] tells the story, it is quite possible that it happened in much the way that Homer told the story. The Greeks might have chosen a horse as amanmade earthquake to use as their surprise. The people got into the horse at night, so the Trojans wouldn't have been able to see that, but in the morning the horse was outside the city's gate.

[Virgil]

First of all, it's a story, not history. Second, well after the first, there is no need for a second.

[Draconeus]

First of all, it's a story, not history. Second, well after the first, there is no need for a second.

But thats just it, there have been 9 seperate cities found on the presumed cite of troy, and other historians also documents a similar event

[bazarov]

Is the Trojan horse as cited in the iliad a real wooden marvel or was it a metaphor for a earthquake?

My reasoning for the earthquake metaphor:
Horse= symbol of Posidon (greek god of the sea)
Posidon also was the god of earthquakes

Logical reasons for the metaphor:
1) troy was on a hill, one would have noticed your enemies loading people into the horse
2) One site for troy, known as Troy IV was levelled by an earthquake. The site dates form that era
3)The Iliad mentions that a long stalemate had been reached, and it was impassable. The earthquake would explain the sudden collapse of Troy

It's not a part of Odyssey or neither Iliada. Iliada ends with Hector's funeral and Odyssey starts with Odysseus prisonery at Calypso's island.
Troy was on the beach, says Homer. History and archeology thinks different, but I believe in Homer's words

[bazarov]

The Greeks might have chosen a horse as amanmade earthquake to use as their surprise. The people got into the horse at night, so the Trojans wouldn't have been able to see that, but in the morning the horse was outside the city's gate.

After 10 years of war, Odysseus got a great idea and it was this: they will make a giant wooden horse, put their best soldiers in it and gave it like a present to Troy. It will be a sign of war ending, because they are tired of fighting and they just wanna go home! They also took their boats to the open sea to made it even more real. Troyans were delighted, although their Pontifex Maximus Laokoont(it's a long ooooo )have then said his famous quote:''Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes'' or ''I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts''. Of course, nobody had listened his words and they put horse in the city, Laokoont in a prison and the party started!!! After 10 years of war, a party!!! Of course, they all got drunk and in the dark of night, soldiers came out and killed everybody on the sleep and those who where sleepy. They won, burned Troy and completly destroyed it. Priam's son Aeneid, escaped to north, came to today's Italy...but that's another story, known as Aeneida

[PeterL]

After 10 years of war, Odysseus got a great idea and it was this: they will make a giant wooden horse, put their best soldiers in it and gave it like a present to Troy. It will be a sign of war ending, because they are tired of fighting and they just wanna go home! They also took their boats to the open sea to made it even more real. Troyans were delighted, although their Pontifex Maximus Laokoont(it's a long ooooo )have then said his famous quote:''Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes'' or ''I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts''. Of course, nobody had listened his words and they put horse in the city, Laokoont in a prison and the party started!!! After 10 years of war, a party!!! Of course, they all got drunk and in the dark of night, soldiers came out and killed everybody on the sleep and those who where sleepy. They won, burned Troy and completly destroyed it. Priam's son Aeneid, escaped to north, came to today's Italy...but that's another story, known as Aeneida

Yes, you are right.
My post was a reply to Virgil's post. I am acquainted with the Iliad, the Odessey, and the Aeneid.
This thread is about the horse being a metaphor.

[Virgil]

But thats just it, there have been 9 seperate cities found on the presumed cite of troy, and other historians also documents a similar event

Yes, but no historical artifact that a wooden horse was used in any of the nine cities. Nor is it necessarily documented (I believe, but perhaps I could be wrong) that Greeks came over and destroyed anyone of those nine cities.

[Whifflingpin]

"It's not a part of Odyssey"

The Wooden Horse is described in the Odyssey.
In book VIII, Odyssseus requests the tale to be sung at a feast.
Menelaus refers to the incident in book IV.

A more detailed account is given in book II of the Aeneid.

Various people cited by Graves (The Greek Myths) have suggested that the Horse represented ways in which the Greeks might have taken Troy - just about anything remotely horsey, except for the actual Wooden Horse, seems to be a permitted theory.

Graves himself suggests that the incident might symbolise the spread of the worship of Poseidon into Asia Minor.

Given that other Homeric details (like the Lion Gate of Mycenae, for instance) have proven to be true, I am inclined to take the story at its face value. A wooden horse is no more difficult to build than a ship, or a barrel, and the trick itself could just as easily have been thought up by Odysseus of the nimble wits, in a time of need, as by some later bard.

No proof, of course, but no real need either to seek any othe explanation.

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