Phraseologisms play an important role in the modern language, as they allow us to convey the meaning of a sentence in a more vivid metaphorical language. For example, many have heard such a phrase as a Trojan horse. The meaning of a phraseological unit is far from clear to everyone, since the origins of its meaning lie in a myth.
Historical roots of the modern language
As you know, most of the aphorisms have historical roots. Something is connected with mythology, something with history, but in any case, it is simply necessary to know your roots and the roots of your language. This allows you to see the modern language through the past, due to which it is enriched. So, the expression "Trojan horse" came to us from the era of the Trojan War.
Troy: causes of strife between Trojans and Greeks
The history of the Trojan horse is full of mysteries, and to understand it, you need to talk a little about the city of Troy itself. Folkthe legend says that the future war for the city flared up from the conflict between Paris and Menelaus because of the beautiful Helen, who was the wife of the latter. According to legend, Paris seduced her, and she decided to sail away with him. Menelaus regarded such an act as a kidnapping and decided that this was a sufficient reason for declaring war. However, Troy was well and reliably fortified, so the Greeks failed to capture the city for a long time. However, they limited themselves to devastating the surroundings and undertaking campaigns against nearby cities. According to legend, the Greeks wanted to take over Troy, but they could not cope with physical strength. Then Odysseus comes up with an interesting idea: he proposed to build a huge wooden horse.
Odysseus' Cunning
Legend says that the Trojans watched with considerable surprise as the Greeks built a wooden horse. The Greeks, on the other hand, made up a story that the Trojan horse they had created would be able to protect the city from Greek raids. That is why today the popular expression "Trojan horse" means a gift, a gift that was presented for the purpose of deception. But the Trojans believed this story and even wanted to bring the horse into the city. But there were also opponents of this decision, who called for throwing the structure into the water or burning it. However, soon a priest appeared in the city, who said that the Greeks created a horse in honor of the goddess Athena in order to atone for the sin of many years of bloodshed. Allegedly, after that, two snakes crawled out of the sea, which strangled the priest and his sons. The Trojans considered that all these events -omens from above, and decided to roll the horse into the city.
Beginning of the fall of Troy
According to archaeological and historical evidence, a Trojan horse actually existed. The meaning of phraseology, however, cannot be understood if you do not think about the essence of the legend. So, the horse was brought into the city. And on the night after this hasty decision, Sinon released the hidden warriors from the cavity of the horse, who quickly killed the sleeping guards and opened the city gates. The people, who were fast asleep after the festivities, did not even offer resistance. Several Trojans broke into the palace to save the king. But the giant Neoptolem was still able to break the front door with an ax and killed King Priam. Thus ended the great history of the great Troy.
It has not yet been determined how many soldiers were in the Trojan horse. Some sources say that 50 people were hiding there, while others talk about 20-23 soldiers. But the essence of this does not change: the well-thought-out design in the form of a horse simply did not cause any doubts among the Trojans, which was the reason for their death. It is now generally accepted that the myth of the Trojan horse is an allegory of military cunning, which was once used by the Achaeans.
Symbols and allegories
It is noteworthy, but the horse as a creature has been a symbol of birth and death since ancient times. So, the Achaeans created their horse from spruce branches, while the cavity of the structure remained empty. Many researchers agree that this is a symbol of the birth of a new one. That is, it turned out that the Trojan horse brought death to the defenderscity and at the same time became a symbol of the birth of something new for many nations.
By the way, around the same time, events very important for history take place in the Mediterranean. A great migration of peoples began, when various tribes moved from the northern countries to the Balkans - Dorians, barbarians. This is what led to the destruction of the ancient Mycenaean civilization. Greece will be able to revive after a few centuries, while the destruction that fell on this state was so massive that the entire pre-Dorian history simply remained in legend.
What does a Trojan horse mean?
Today, very often we use such phraseological units as "Trojan horse". This catchphrase has long become a household word. So we call some gifts that are presented with the aim of deceiving or destroying. Many researchers wondered why it was the horse that caused the collapse of Troy. But one thing can be noted: the Achaeans knew how to interest the Trojans. They understood that in order to lift the siege from the city, they needed to surprise the locals with something special so that they would trust and open the gates.
Of course, the presentation of the Trojan horse as a gift from the gods played a decisive role, since in those days it was considered an insult to the deity to neglect the sacred gift. And, as you know, joking with angry gods is very, very dangerous. And so it happened that a competent inscription on a wooden statue (recall, it was written on the side of the horse that this was a gift from the goddess Athena) led to the fact that the TrojansI had to take this dubious gift to my city.
Property of Troy
So, the Trojan horse (we have already described the meaning of phraseology) became the main reason for the collapse of the Trojan kingdom. It is known from history that Troy was famous for its horses, it was in this city that merchants from all over the world gathered, it was this city that was most often raided. For example, one legend says that the Trojan king Dardanus owned a herd of magnificent horses that descended from the god of the north wind Boreas. And in general, the horse has always been considered the closest animal to man: it was taken to war, it was used in agricultural work. Therefore, the appearance in front of the city gates of Troy, it was the horse that the locals could not but appreciate as a gift from the gods. Thus, without knowing who the Trojan horse is, the meaning of phraseology is not so easy to understand.
And therefore it is not at all accidental that Troy, which held the defense for 10 years, fell precisely through the fault of the horse. Of course, it was all the fault and cunning of the Achaeans, who were able to find a weak spot and chose a kind of magical carrier in the face of a wooden horse for this. It is noteworthy that, according to archaeological data, Troy was just a small fortress. But at the same time, entire armies of hundreds of ships were sent to capture it.
Modern interpretation
Today, in a figurative sense, this concept also refers to a malicious program that is distributed by people themselves. Moreover, the virus got its name in honor of the mythological Trojan horse, sincemost virus programs act in a similar way: they disguise themselves as harmless and even useful programs and applications that the user runs on his computer. Despite the simplicity of the virus, its complexity lies in the fact that it is difficult to recognize its purpose in it. For example, the most primitive modifications can completely erase the contents of the disk on boot, and some programs can be built into certain applications on a PC.
