Building Laomedon’s Troy: A Northern Parallel

Abstract

The strange servitude of Poseidon and Apollo to Laomedon who denies payment for construction of the wall of Troy and threatens the gods (Il. 7. 452–453 and 21. 441–457) can be explained in terms of the transformation of original motifs. Divine builders were originally busy with constructing the stronghold for the gods. Since the Olympian gods as shown by Homer no longer need a stronghold, the story of the glorious construction was relocated and combined with the motif known in folklore of a master and disciple working for a treacherous king.