Zeus, father of the gods, desired the nymph Thetis. However, a prophecy said she would have a son who was greater than his father. Zeus decided to marry her to Peleus, king of the Myrmidons. At the wedding dinner, the goddess Discord, angry she was not invited, threw an apple on the table. On it was written, "For the Fairest." The goddesses Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite fought over who was most beautiful, and chose the young shepherd Paris as the judge.