If one were to ask your everyday educationally challenged American what a Trojan horse is, the answer would probably include at least one reference to an equine-sized condom.
Conversely, on the Syrian-Turkish border, where ISIS militants are more interested in world domination than they are safe sex, soldiers of the Islamic State are well aware of the Trojan horse concept and are totally prepared to reprise the mythological scheme as a way to infiltrate enemy terrain.
In Greek mythology, the Trojan horse was introduced after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. During the legendary war that ensued, hidden inside a horse that was constructed by a master carpenter/warrior named Epeius, Greek soldiers were able to enter and overtake the city of Troy.
The Greeks deceived the Trojans by persuading them that the huge stallion was an offering to Athena and that by accepting an offering to the goddess of war, Troy would become impregnable.
Although the oracle Laocoon warned, “I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts…trust not the horse,” the Trojans chose to disregard wise counsel, fell for the ruse, and allowed the huge wooden structure inside the city gates.