Hero Tales
Page 6
THE GOLDEN APPLE
RELATED BY CHEIRON THE CENTAUR[1]
"There is a cavern somewhere on Mount Pelion larger by far and athousand times more beautiful than this; but its doorway is hidden tomortals, and but few men have ever stood beneath its vaulted roof. Inthat cavern the ever-living ones who oversee the affairs of men, onceheld high carnival; for they had met there at the marriage feast ofKing Peleus, and the woods and rocks of mighty Pelion echoed with thesound of their merry-making. But wherefore should the marriage feastof a mortal be held in such a place and with guests so noble and sogreat? I will tell you.
"After Peleus had escaped from a plot which some wicked men had madefor his destruction, he dwelt long time with me, who am hisgrandfather. But the days seemed long to him, thus shut out fromfellowship with men, and the sun seemed to move slowly in the heavens;and often he would walk around to the other side of the mountain, andsitting upon a great rock, he would gaze for long hours upon the purplewaters of the sea. One morning as thus he sat, he saw the sea nymphThetis come up out of the waves and walk upon the shore beneath him.Fairer than a dream was she--more beautiful than any picture of nymphor goddess. She was clad in a robe of green silk, woven by the seamaidens in their watery grottoes; and there was a chaplet of pearlsupon her head, and sandals of sparkling silver were upon her feet.
"As Peleus gazed upon this lovely creature, he heard a voice whisperingin his ear. It was the voice of wise Athena.
"'Most luckless of mortal men,' she said, 'there is recompense in storefor those who repent of their wrong-doing, and who, leaving the pathsof error, turn again to the road of virtue. The immortals have seenthy sorrow for the evil deeds of thy youth, and they have looked withpity upon thee in thy misfortunes. And now thy days of exile and ofsore punishment are drawing to an end. Behold the silver-footedThetis, most beautiful of the nymphs of the sea, whom even theimmortals have wooed in vain! She has been sent to this shore, to bewon and wedded by thee.'
"Peleus looked up to see the speaker of these words, but he beheld onlya blue cloud resting above the mountain-top; he turned his eyesdownward again, and, to his grief, the silver-footed Thetis hadvanished in the waves. All day he sat and waited for her return, butshe came not. When darkness began to fall he sought me in my cavehall, and told me what he had seen and heard; and I taught him how towin the sea nymph for his bride.
"So when the sun again gilded the crags of Pelion, brave Peleus hidhimself among the rocks close by the sea-washed shore, and waited forthe coming of the silver-footed lady of the sea. In a little time sherose, beautiful as the star of morning, from the waves. She sat downupon the beach, and dallied with her golden tresses, and sang sweetsongs of a happy land in the depths of the sounding sea. Peleus,bearing in mind what I had taught him, arose from his hiding-place, andcaught the beauteous creature in his arms. In vain did she struggle toleap into the waves. Seven times she changed her form as he held her:by turns she changed into a fountain of water, into a cloud of mist,into a burning flame, and into a senseless rock. But Peleus held herfast; and she changed then into a tawny lion, and then into a talltree, and lastly she took her own matchless form again.
"Then Peleus held the lovely Thetis by the hand, and they walked longtime together upon the beach, while the birds sang among the trees onPelion's leafy slopes, and the dolphins sported in the waters at theirfeet. Thus Peleus wooed the silver-footed lady, and won her love, andshe promised to be his bride. Then the immortals were glad; and theyfitted up the great cavern on Mount Pelion for a banquet hall, and madetherein a wedding feast, such as was never seen before. The vaultedroof of the cavern was decked with gems which shone like the stars ofheaven; a thousand torches, held by lovely mountain nymphs, flamed fromthe niches in the high walls; and upon the floor of polished marble,tables for a thousand guests were ranged.
"When the wedding feast was ready, all those who live on high Olympus,and all the immortals who dwell upon the earth, came to rejoice withKing Peleus and his matchless bride; and they brought rich presents forthe bridegroom, such as were never given to another man. One gave hima suit of armor, rich and fair, a wonder to behold, which lame Vulcanwith rare skill had wrought and fashioned. One bestowed on him thepeerless horses, Ballos and Xanthos, and a deftly wrought chariot withtrimmings of gold. And I, one of the least of the guests, gave him anashen spear which I had cut on the mountain top and fashioned with myown hands.
"At the tables sat Zeus, the father of gods and men; and his wife, thewhite-armed Hera; and smile-loving Aphrodite; and gray-eyed Athena; andall the wisest and the fairest of the immortals. The nymphs of the seadanced in honor of Thetis their sister; and the Muses sang theirsweetest songs; and Apollo played upon the lyre. The Fates, too, werethere: sad Clotho, twirling her spindle; unloving Lachesis, withwrinkled lips ready to speak the fatal word; and pitiless Atropos,holding in her hand the unsparing shears. And around the table passedthe youthful and joy-giving Hebe, pouring out rich draughts of nectarfor the guests.
"But there was one among all the immortals who had not been invited tothe wedding; it was Eris, the daughter of War and Hate. Her scowlingfeatures, and her hot and hasty manners, were ill suited to grace afeast where all should be mirth and gladness; yet in her evil heart sheplanned to be avenged for the slight which had been put upon her.While the merry-making was at its height, and the company werelistening to the music from Apollo's lyre, she came unseen into thehall, and threw a golden apple upon the table. No one knew whence theapple came; but on it were written these words, 'FOR THE FAIREST.'
"'To whom does it belong?' asked Zeus, stroking his brows in sadperplexity.
"The music ceased, and mirth and jollity fled at once from the banquet.The torches, which lit up the scene, flickered and smoked; the lustreof the gems in the vaulted roof was dimmed; dark clouds canopied thegreat hall: for Eris had taken her place at the table, uninvited andunwelcome though she was.
"'The apple belongs to me,' said Hera, trying to snatch it; 'for I amthe queen, and gods and men honor me as having no peer on earth.'
"'Not so!' cried red-lipped Aphrodite. 'With me dwell Love and Joy;and not only do gods and men sing my praises, but all nature rejoicesin my presence. The apple is mine, and I will have it!'
"Then Athena joined in the quarrel. 'What is it to be a queen,' saidshe, 'if at the same time one lacks that good temper which sweetenslife? What is it to have a handsome form and face, while the mind isuncouth and ill-looking? Beauty of mind is better than beauty of face;for the former is immortal, while the latter fades and dies. Hence noone has a better right than I to be called the fairest.'
"Then the strife spread among the guests in the hall, each taking sideswith the one he loved best; and, where peace and merriment had reigned,now hot words and bitter wrangling were heard. And had not Zeus biddenthem keep silence, thus putting an end to the quarrel, all Pelion wouldhave been rent, and the earth shaken to its centre in the mellay thatwould have followed.
"'Let us waste no words over this matter,' he said. 'It is not for theimmortals to say who of their number is most beautiful. But on theslopes of Mount Ida, far across the sea, the fairest of the sons ofmen--Paris, a prince of Troy--keeps his flocks; let him judge who isfairest, and let the apple be hers to whom he gives it.'
"Then Hermes, the swift-footed messenger, arose, and led the threegoddesses over sea and land to distant Mount Ida, where Paris, with nothought of the wonderful life which lay before him, piped on hisshepherd's reeds, and tended his flock of sheep."