{Prometheus and Man} {Pandora's Box} {Apple of Discord} {Achilles' Heel} {The Trojan Horse}
{Echo} {Golden Touch} {Sisyphus's Stone} {Labors of Hercules} {The Man Who Loves a Statue}
Apple of Discord 是非之果
Athena was the goddess of
wisdom, but on one occasion she did a very foolish thing; she entered into
competition with Hera and Venus for the prize of beauty. It happened
thus: At the wedding party of Peleus and Thetis all the gods were
invited with the exception of Eris, or Discord. 
Enraged at her
exclusion, the goddess threw a golden apple among the guests, with the
inscription, "For the fairest." Thereupon Hera, Venus, and
Athena each claimed the apple. Zeus, not willing to decide in so
delicate a matter, sent the goddesses to Mount Ida, where the beautiful
shepherd Paris was tending his flocks, and to him was committed the
decision.
The goddesses accordingly appeared before him. Hera promised him power and riches, Athena glory and renown in war, and Venus the fairest of women for his wife, each attempting to bias his decision in her own favor. Paris decided in favor of Venus and gave her the golden apple, thus making the two other goddesses his enemies.
Under the protection of Venus, Paris sailed to Greece, an was hospitably received by Menelaus, king of Sparta. Now Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was the very woman whom Venus had destined for Paris, the fairest of her sex. She had been sought as a bride by numerous suitors, and before her decision was made known, they all, at the suggestion of Ulysses, one of their number, took an oath that they would defend her from all injury and avenge her cause if necessary. She chose Menelaus, and was living with him happily when Paris became their guest. Paris, aided by Venus, persuaded her to elope with him and carried her to Troy, whence arose the famous Trojan war.
雅典娜是智慧女神,但她在一個場合下幹了一件十分愚蠢的事情：她跟希拉和維納斯進行比賽，競爭美女獎。事情的經過是這樣的：珀琉斯(Peleus)和忒提斯(Thetis)舉行婚禮時邀請了所有的神祇，只有紛爭女神厄里斯(Eris)未在被邀者之列。這位女神對此大為惱火，便在賓客中扔下一個刻有“獻給最美麗的女神”字樣的金蘋果。於是，希拉，維納斯和雅典娜都認為自己該得到這蘋果。宙斯(Zeus)不願意裁決如此微妙的問題，便叫女神們到美男子牧羊人帕里斯(Paris)放養牧群的伊得山(Mount Ida)，讓帕里斯作出決定。
女神們來到帕里斯跟前。為了贏得金蘋果，希拉答應帕里斯給他權力和財富，雅典娜答應給他戰爭中的榮耀和聲望，維納斯答應給他天下最美麗的女子作為他的妻子。三位女神個個都想爭取他作出有利於她們的決定。帕里斯看中了維納斯的禮物，把金蘋果給了她，結果令另外兩位女神成了他的敵人。
帕里斯在維納斯的保護下來到希臘，斯巴達(Sparta)國王墨涅拉俄斯(Menelaus)熱情地接待他。可是墨涅拉俄斯的妻子海倫(Helen)正是維納斯選中給帕里斯的女子，她是個絕世無雙的美人。當年就有無數的求婚者想要她作新娘。在她尚未作出決定以前，在求婚者之一尤里西斯(Ulysses)的建議下，所有來追求她的人宣誓保證他們將保衛她免受一切傷害，並且如有必要將為她報仇雪恥。她看上墨涅拉俄斯，跟他生活得很幸福。可是，帕里斯前來作客時，在維納斯的幫助下，勸她跟他私奔，把她帶到特洛伊(Troy)，從而引起了著名的特洛伊戰爭。
因此 the apple of discord (是非之果) 指的是引起是非的原因。
海倫(Helen)