Trojan Horse
The wooden horse used by the Greeks to infiltrate Troy, now a universal metaphor for any deceptive strategy that conceals a hidden threat within an apparent gift
The Meaning of Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is the most famous stratagem in Western military tradition. After ten years of fruitless siege, the Greeks built a massive wooden horse and concealed their best warriors inside, including Odysseus, the plan's architect. The Greek army then sailed away to the island of Tenedos, leaving the horse on the beach. The Trojans, believing the war was over, debated what to do with the strange offering. Despite the warnings of Cassandra and the priest Laocoön, they dragged the horse inside their walls as a trophy dedicated to Athena. That night, while Troy celebrated, the Greek warriors emerged from the horse, opened the city gates, and signalled the returning fleet. Troy was sacked and burned. The phrase "Trojan Horse" has since entered every European language as a metaphor for deception — any gift or gesture that conceals a destructive purpose. In computing, a Trojan horse is malicious software disguised as legitimate code. In medicine and biology, the term describes delivery mechanisms that bypass defences. The original story appears in the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and the lost epic poems of the Trojan cycle.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Trojan Horse
💭 conceptThe stratagem that ended the Trojan War
The hollow wooden horse used by the Greeks to infiltrate and destroy Troy. Devised by Odysseus, it is history's most famous act of deception.
Wooden Horse
💭 conceptdeception
The hollow wooden horse built by Epeius on Athena's design that concealed Greek warriors and ended the Trojan War.
Fall of Troy
💭 conceptNarrative
The final destruction of the city of Troy through the stratagem of the wooden horse after ten years of siege
Trojan
💭 conceptCybersecurity
A type of malicious software that disguises itself as a legitimate programme to deceive users into installing it, named after the Trojan Horse of Greek mythology
Doloneia
💭 conceptespionage
The night raid in Iliad Book 10 where Odysseus and Diomedes infiltrate the Trojan camp and slaughter the Thracian king Rhesus.
Sack of Troy
💭 conceptNarrative
The brutal destruction and plundering of Troy during the night following the wooden horse stratagem
Bellerophon and Chimera
💭 conceptNarrative
The hero's aerial battle against a fire-breathing monster while riding the winged horse Pegasus
Sinon
🗡 herodeception
Greek soldier who volunteered to stay behind at Troy and convince the Trojans to accept the wooden horse.
Goddess of Wisdom
💭 conceptWisdom, strategy, crafts, warfare
Athena embodies strategic intelligence, skilled craftsmanship, and disciplined warfare, standing as protector of civilized life.
Xenophon
💭 conceptHistory, philosophy, horsemanship
Athenian soldier-writer whose works preserve mythological allusions within practical and philosophical contexts
The Trojan War
💭 conceptWar, fate, heroism
A ten-year siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek kings, sparked by the abduction of Helen and shaped by the rivalries of the gods.
Sword of Damocles
💭 conceptArtefact
A sword suspended by a single horsehair above a throne, symbolising the peril that accompanies power