Heard of term trophy wife? In hindu mythology it was literally practiced, the princess was given as trophy to the winner of the contest as consort or wife or concubine.
The gordian knot in Draupadi's swayamvara( ancient bachelorette contest) was to string a mighty steel bow and shoot a target on the ceiling,which is the eye of a moving artificial fish, while looking at its reflection in oil below.
Perseus would have had better chance with his practice with Medusa slaying with same reflection principle.
Many Princes try to lift the bow but fail and only Karnan, foster-child of a charioteer was able to lift and proceed. But he was disqualified as unfit person to marry wealthy princess because of his birth as a mere charioteer's son. The arch enemy of Pandhavas- Kaurava Duryonthana(the mommy-flasher?) shares his kingdom and makes Karnan the king, and they become BFF.
Trojan war starts when goddess Eris sparks it by making Paris choose Helen as "the fairest" by throwing golden apple of discord at the wedding of Peletus and Thetis (Achilles parents) , sparking a vanity-fueled dispute between Hera,Athena and Aphrodite.However when Draupadi(Paris) chooses the winner Pandhava -Arjuna(Helen) that marriage(apple of discord) and results in Kurushetra war(Trojan war) between [Trojans]Pandhavas and Kauravas[Greeks], which lasted for centuries.
Moral of the story : Use match.com or eharmony instead ofgathering all the prospects in single room and humiliating them. Or tryspeed-dating.
Check more comparison mythology stories here
