Serpent Bite and Malodorous Wound:Philoctetes, on his way to Troy, stopped at the island of Lemnos. There, he was bitten by a venomous snake, said to be a water snake sent by the gods. The bite caused a severe and malodorous wound that oozed pus and had an excruciating stench. Due to the odor and the intense pain, the Greek leaders found him a burden to their campaign and decided to abandon him. They sailed away, leaving him on Lemnos with only a few supplies.
Curse of Athena: Philoctetes was not only the victim of a poisonous snake bite, but he also had the curse of Athena upon him. This curse was brought on by his participation in the theft of the Palladium, a wooden statue representing the goddess Athena and believed to protect the city of Troy. During the Greeks' journey to Troy, they decided to stop at the temple of Athena in Chrysa. Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, was sent by Odysseus and Diomedes to retrieve the statue. Unfortunately, Philoctetes, who had been left behind on the island of Lemnos, was the only one able to handle the bow of Heracles, essential to capturing the Palladium. Athena realized that the theft was a sacrilege and vowed revenge on those responsible. As punishment, she sent Philoctetes the fatal snake bite that led to his abandonment.
It is worth mentioning that the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of Philoctetes vary slightly in different accounts of the Greek mythology. In some versions, the decision was influenced by the prophecy given by the oracle, foretelling that only with the aid of Heracles' bow would Troy be taken.
Philoctetes' plight and his eventual reintegration into the Greek forces during the Trojan War became important parts of the classical Greek narrative about the war.