[hooligan]

It all started when Hera decided to plot against Zeus who was being especially demanding and overbearing to the other gods. The legend says that Hera convinced all the gods to join in a revolt. She drugged him and the other gods then bound him to a couch and carefully bound him in many knots. Then the gods began to argue over the next step. Briareus (a Hecatonchires “hundred handed”, a fierce cousin to the gods and cyclopes with 100 arms and 50 heads) overheard the arguments and still being grateful to Zeus because he rescued him from Tartarus, he slipped in and was able to untie the series of knots. Zeus then sprang from the couch and grabbed his thunderbolt. In a fury, he brought the gods trembling to their knees begging for his mercy. Hera was seized and hung with gold chains from the sky. She wept in pain the entire night, begging Zeus to let her go. The other gods dared not interfere. Zeus, however, could not sleep due to all her weeping and in the morning, agreed to release her if she agreed to never plot against him again. Hera had little choice but to agree, though we will see she didn’t really keep her promise.

After this Poseidon and Apollo where banished for one year from Olympus because of their participation in the plot. The two gods, disguised as builders, were hired to work alongside a mortal, Aeacus, son of Zeus and Aegina, (father of Peleus and Telamon, fathers of Achilles and Ajax respectively), to build the walls of Troy. Poseidon and Apollo wanted the vine of gold (a gift given to Tros, Laomedon’s grandfather, by Zeus because he kidnapped Ganymede, his son) as payment for their work. Laomedon agreed.

Laomedon was the son of Ilus, the founder of Troy, and of Eurydice. Laomedon became king of Ilium (Troy), after his father's death. He was the father of Podarces (Priam) and many other Children.

After the two gods had constructed the city, Laomedon's greed caused him to refuse the payments to the gods. Poseidon recalls the events to Apollo in the Iliad, "I walled the city massively in well-cut stone, to make the place impregnable. You herded cattle, slow and dark amid the upland vales of Ida's wooded ridges. When the Seasons happily brought to an end our term of hire, barbaric Laomedon kept all wages from us, and forced us out, with vile threats" (Homer, Iliad 507).

In retribution, Apollo caused a plague within the city, while Poseidon sent a sea-monster to ravage the Trojan countryside. The seers told Laomedon, that his land would be spared, if he would sacrifice his daughter to the sea-monster. So he chained his daughter, Hesione, to a rock and waited for monster to arrive.

Meanwhile, returning from performing his ninth labor (fetching the girdle of Hippolyte), Heracles stopped at Troy. Heracles found out what was about to happen and made a deal with Laomedon. He wanted Laomedon's immortal horses (also a gift from Zeus) in exchange for rescuing his daughter. Laomedon agreed. But after Hercules killed the monster, again Laomedon refused to pay. Now he has Apollo, Poseidon and Heracles mad at him. Heracles planned to return with an army, after he finished performing the remaining labours.

Heracles raised an army in Tiryns, and the Argonaut hero, Telamon of Salamis, son of Aeacus and father of Ajax, joined the hero. After capturing the city, Laomedon was killed, along with many of his sons, and Heracles gave Heisone to Telamon as a concubine.

Heracles allowed Hesione to ransomed one captive. Hesione ransomed her youngest brother Podarces, offering her veil as ransom. Podarces became king of Troy, and changed his name to Priam, which means "Ransom". Priam is king of Troy during the Trojan War.

So now we have established that Troy was built by the gods, but that they then became angry with the Trojans. The city was sacked by Heracles, but he spares Priam. Priam then becomes the King of Troy and will remain so until after the war. We also see that the fore-fathers of some of the Greek heroes have already had dealing with Troy, and are none too pleased with them as well.

[siwelwerd]

n retribution, Apollo caused a plague within the city, while Poseidon sent a sea-monster to ravage the Trojan countryside. The seers told Laomedon, that his land would be spared, if he would sacrifice his daughter to the sea-monster. So he chained his daughter, Hesione, to a rock and waited for monster to arrive.

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Nice. Lots of little details I hadn't heard before. But is it just me or are the gods not very creative? Andromeda was offered as a sacrifice to a sea monster sent by Poseidon as well, and Apollo will later cast a plague upon the Greeks (as recounted in the Iliad). If I was immortal I think I'd get a little bored casting the same evils upon humans again and again.

[shelby]

I find that although their punishments vary slightly, they're all pretty much the same:

Falling in love with something other than another human
Plagues
Tormented by the Furies
Turned into a plant or animal

They're just default punishments.

[hooligan]

Here are two vase paintings (one obviously is a drawing of a vase painting) depicting the two heroes Heracles and Ajax fighting together. In both cases Heracles is the central figure with Ajax to the left.