Trojan War: The Preparation II

Ok recap:
Judgment of Paris: Paris awarded the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite as the Fairest of All. Paris won Helen and the wrath of two powerful goddesses.
Helen: Helen’s background, the suitor’s military alliance deal, her decision to left with Paris.
Suitor’s military alliance: Helen’s “kidnapping” sparked a war with Troy and her allies. Leaders of Greece assemble for the Rescue of Helen and the Destruction of Troy.

To War:
A great army was gathered in Aulis, ready to set sail. Being the most powerful of all kings, Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus, took the position of Chief Commander. According to the second book of the Iliad, the whole Greek army consisted of 28 contingents which originated from all over Greece. The total contribution of ships amounted to around 1,200 and the head count of warriors was estimated to reach 130,000.
Unfortunately, unfavorable winds kept the fleet from setting out for Troy. Calchas, the most renowned seer at the time, blamed the ill winds on Agamemnon, whose boastful claim that he could hunt better than nature goddess Artemis had offended her and thus punished the Greeks.  Let give you a little background on Agamemnon’s heritage. Agamemnon was from the House of Atreus, which cursed family that descended from Tantalus, a son of Zeus (long story). Let just said raising the anger of the gods seems to have come very naturally to all the descendants of Tantalus.
To put his daughter Iphigenia to the sacrificial knife was hard for Agamemnon the father, but not for Agamemnon the military leader. He sent word to his wife that Iphigenia was to marry Achilles at Aulis. (Achilles was left out of the loop.) Clytemnestra and their daughter Iphigenia went happily to Aulis for a wedding to the great Greek warrior. But there, instead of a marriage, Agamemnon performed the deadly ritual. Clytemnestra would never forgive her husband. At the time, however, that Iphigenia was placed on the altar ready to be sacrificed, a cloud descended and the girl was taken away by Artemis. In her place, the goddess left a deer to be sacrificed.

The goddess Artemis appeased, favorable winds filled the sails of Achaean ships so they could sail to Troy.

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