The story of Aphrodite and the beauty contest
According to legend, the world’s first beauty contest took place on Mount Ida — the range we know today as Kazdağları.
Paris was abandoned on Mount Ida as a child and left to his fate. Suckled by a she-bear, he was later found by Agelaos, a shepherd on the mountain, who took him home.
While Paris was living happily on Mount Ida, the gods were holding a feast on Olympus. Eris, goddess of discord, threw an apple inscribed “To the fairest” into the middle of the table. Hera, wife of Zeus, claimed the golden apple, saying she was the fairest of them all. Aphrodite objected, insisting that no one could be more beautiful than she; and Athena, goddess of wisdom, joined the dispute and asked Zeus to judge.
Unable to choose, Zeus declared that Paris, the shepherd on Mount Ida, would decide, and sent the three goddesses to him. Sitting under a tree, Paris was at first astonished when the three appeared and stated their case. He was unmoved by Hera’s promise to make him king of Asia and by Athena’s offer of wisdom and success. But when Aphrodite told him that, if he chose her, he would win the most beautiful woman in the world, he handed her the golden apple. And so all the gods accepted Aphrodite as the fairest goddess.
According to the legend, the world’s first beauty contest was thus held on Mount Ida.
