This ‘cyclic epic’ (so called because supposedly a part of the ‘Epic Cycle’) forms a long prelude to the Iliad. The poem’s name is still unexplained; it may mean ‘the poem composed in Cyprus’- the variant Kypriaka is known - or the title may allude to the prominent part taken by the Cyprian goddess Aphrodite. Proklos alleged that there were eleven books; compared with the five of the Aithiopis, four of the Little Iliad, two of the Sack of Ilios, five of the Nostoi, and two of the Telegoneia, this, then, was a substantial poem. There is no reason to think these divisions into books earlier than the Alexandrine era of scholarship.
It will be convenient to give a translation of the Proklan summary of the Kypria, according to the text of Severyns... . The opening presumably refers back to the Epigonoi, some of the heroes in which also fought at Troy.
This is continued by the poem called the Kypria which is handed down in eleven books... . Zeus takes counsel with Themis about the Trojan war. Strife arrives when the gods are feasting at the wedding of Peleus and stirs up a dispute between Athena, Hera and Aphrodite about their beauty. They are led by Hermes at the order of Zeus to Alexandros on Mount Ida for his judgement; and Alexandros, excited by the prospect of the marriage with Helen, decides in Aphrodite’s favour. Then at Aphrodite’s suggestion he builds a fleet, and Helenos prophesies to them concerning the future, and Aphrodite commands Aineias to sail with Alexandros. Kassandra foretells future events. After landing in the country of Lakedaimon Alexandros is welcomed by the Tyndaridai, and after that in Sparta by Menelaos; and Alexandros gives presents to Helen during a feast. Next Menelaos sails off to Crete after bidding Helen provide the guests with all their needs until they depart. Meanwhile Aphrodite brings Helen and Alexandros together, and after their mating they put a mass of treasure on board and sail away by night.
Hera stirs up a storm against them, and they are driven to Sidon where Alexandros sacks the city. Then he sailed away to Troy and celebrated his marriage to Helen.
Meanwhile Kastor and Polydeukes were caught in the act of driving off the cows of Idas and Lynkeus. Kastor is slain by Idas, but Lynkeus and Idas are killed by Polydeukes. Zeus gave them (Kastor and Polydeukes) immortality on alternate days.
Afterwards Iris reports to Menelaos what has happened at his home. He comes back and takes counsel with his brother about the expedition against Ilios, and then goes on to visit Nestor.
In a digression Nestor describes to him how Epopeus was utterly destroyed after seducing the daughter of Lykourgos, and the tale of Oidipous, the madness of Herakles, and the story of Theseus and Ariadne.
Then they journey over Hellas and assemble the leaders. They caught Odysseus out when he pretended to be mad, since he was unwilling to join the expedition, by kidnapping his son Telemachos for punishment, at the suggestion of Palamedes.
After that the princes meet together at Aulis and sacrifice. The portent of the snake and the sparrows is revealed and Kalchas foretells to them what the outcome will be. Then they put out to sea and land in Teuthrania and, taking it for Ilios, sack it. But Telephos rushes out in defence and kills Thersandros, son of Polyneikes, and is wounded himself by Achilles. A storm falls on them as they sail away from Mysia and they are scattered. Achilles puts in to Skyros and marries Deidameia, daughter of Lykomedes. Next he heals Telephos who, prompted by an oracle, had come to Argos, so that he might become their leader on the voyage to llios.
When the fleet had gathered a second time at Aulis, Agamemnon while hunting shot a stag and boasted that he was better than Artemis. So the goddess was angry and sent storms to hold them back from sailing. Kalchas explained the anger of the goddess and ordered the sacrifice of Iphigeneia to Artemis. This they undertake to do, and send for her as though she were to be a bride for Achilles. But Artemis snatches her away and conveys her to the Tauroi and makes her immortal, and sets a stag in place of the maiden beside the altar.
Next they sail to Tenedos and while they are feasting Philoktetes is bitten by a water-snake and is abandoned on Lemnos owing to the evil stench of the wound. Achilles is given a late invitation and quarrels with Agamemnon. Then they go ashore at Ilios but the Trojans hem them in and Protesilaos is killed by Hektor. Then Achilles drives them off and slays Kyknos son of Poseidon. Next they take up their dead and send an embassy to the Trojans to demand back Helen and the treasure. But when the Trojans heed them not, they attack the city wall, and next go out against the countryside and sack the cities round about also. Afterwards Achilles desires to behold Helen, and Aphrodite and Thetis conduct them to a meeting. Next, when the Achaeans are eager to return home Achilles checks them. Thereafter he drives off the cows of Aineias and lays waste Lyrnessos and Pedasos and many of the nearby cities, and kills Troilos. Patroklos takes Lykaon to Lemnos and sells him into slavery. Achilles takes Briseis as a prize out of the spoils, and Agamemnon Chryseis. The death of Palamedes follows, and the plan of Zeus to relieve the Trojans by withdrawing Achilles from the alliance of the Hellenes, and a catalogue of the Trojan allies.
The first point to be remarked in this summary is the sharing by Kypria and Iliad of a common epic tradition; the second is the manner in which the Kypria presupposes the Iliad and is composed with the Iliad in mind. To distinguish between (a) a tradition appearing in both poems and (b) the imitation of the Iliad in the Kypria, is however rarely possible. The Iliad recalls a version of the Judgement of Paris (24:28-30). Does the Kypria follow the Iliad or do both poems take the tale from very ancient lore? When the Kypria declared that Zeus had a plan to withdraw Achilles from the battle, did its author have the plan alluded to in Iliad 1:5 in mind? Or is Zeus’s plan here in Homer not simply the withdrawal of Achilles, but the overall plan, mentioned at the beginning of the Kypria, to reduce the population of the world by stirring up the Trojan War? Homer in the Iliad makes Alexandros sail from Lakedaimon with Helen to Troy by way of Sidon (6:290-292); so does the Kypria according to Proklos. Is the Kypria deliberately deferring to the Homeric version of Paris’ flight with Helen?
These questions may be posed but none of them can be answered confidently. What is significant is that, according to Proklos, the Kypria ends where the Iliad begins, and the Aithiopis begins where the Iliad ends. Either then the Iliad was composed to fill the gap between the Kypria and the Aithiopis, or Kypria and Aithiopis were composed to introduce and to continue the Iliad. The former alternative conflicts with the clear ancient testimony that the authors of the cyclic poems were Homer’s followers, and must surely be rejected, if any credence is to be given to the Proklan summaries.