PARIS (Lat., from Gk. Ilapes, of unknown etymology), also known as ALEXANDER. In Greek legend, the second son of Priam, King of Troy, and Hecuba, and cause of the Trojan War. His mother dreamed that she gave birth to a fire brand, which set the whole city on fire, a drenin interpreted by Ilelenus or Cassandra to signify that the child woubl bring the city to destruc tion. To prevent this, Priam caused the infant to be exposed upon Mount. Ida, where he was found and brought up by shepherds, among whom he distinguished himself. After a time he accidentally discovered his origin. and was received by Priam as his son, but continued to live on Mount Ida, where he had won the love of the nymph CEnone. daughter of the river-god Cebren. While on Ida he was appealed to as umpire in a strife which had arisen among the three goddesses. Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite, as to which of them was the most beautiful. the god dess Eris (strife) having revengefully flung among them at the marriage of Peleus, to which she had not been invited, a golden apple (of dis cord) inscribed To the ilost Beautiful. Each of the three endeavored to'bribe him. Bern promised him dominion over Asia ; Athene, military re noon; Aphrodite. the fairest of women for his wife. Helen, the wife of Menelaus. Paris decided in favor of Aphrodite, hence the animos ity which the other two goddesses displayed against the Trojans in the war that followed. Paris now equipped a ship and sailed to Sparta, where, with the aid of Aphrodite, he persuaded Helen to elope with him to Troy. Upon this fol
lowed the Trojan War. in which the princes of Greece joined Menelaus in his endeavor to re cover his wife. In the Mad Paris is at times represented as a cowardly boaster, disliked by his countrymen. while in other portions of the poem he is valiant and skillful in battle, especially with his how, and is welcomed on his appearance by the Trojans. His manly beauty is more than once praised. In the epic he was said to have killed Aehilles. while endeavoring to force his way through the Sexan gate into Troy. but the later writers elaborated the story of Achilles's love for Polyxena, and represented the Creek hero as enticed to the temple of Apollo and there murdered by. Paris and Deiplmbus. The Little Iliad told of the death of Paris by the arrow of Philoctetes. who owned the bow and arrows of Heracles. The .Alexaudrian writers, to whom the (]none episode is due. added the versbm that when Paris was wounded by the poisoned arrow he turned for healing to his old love on Nlount Ida. She, however, refused to employ her magic skill, and the hero died, whereupon, in remorse. she destroyed herself. Representations ot Paris are common in ancient art. On the earlier vases he appears at the judgment of the goddesses as a shepherd, often with the lyre, and amid his flocks. Later he is usually distinguished by the Phrygian cap, and sometimes by the close-fitting trousers and jacket worn by the Asiatic,.