Judgment of Paris

American  

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. the decision by Paris to award Aphrodite the golden apple of discord competed for by Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera.

---

Judgment of Paris Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, the incident that ultimately brought on the Trojan War (see also Trojan War). When the goddess Discord threw the apple of discord, marked “For the Fairest,” among the gods, Zeus refused to judge which goddess was the most beautiful, but sent the three contestants — Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera — to the Trojan prince Paris for a decision. Each made offers to induce Paris to give her the apple. Athena and Hera offered military or political power, but Aphrodite said that he could have the most beautiful woman in the world. He gave the apple to Aphrodite, thereby making powerful enemies of Athena and Hera. Aphrodite led him to Helen, afterward known as Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world and wife of the king of Sparta in Greece. Paris carried her off to Troy while her husband was away. The Greeks then combined forces to make war on Troy and bring her back. Trojan civilization was destroyed in the process.

---

Example Sentences

The Washington Post compared the vegan cheese's near-triumph to the 1976 Judgment of Paris — the blind taste test where California wines prevailed over French pours, shocking the wine world.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2024

In this way, girls absorb and normalize the many practices that can turn a woman’s life into an endless, de facto Judgment of Paris.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2021

Steven Spurrier blew up the wine world with the Judgment of Paris.

From Washington Post • Mar. 26, 2021

Dry farmed wines put California on the global map by winning a seminal blind tasting test in 1976 called the "Judgment of Paris."

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2014

It does not mention the sacrifice of Iphigenia, and makes only a dubious allusion to the Judgment of Paris.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton