Helen
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225259423 by [[Special:Contributions/24.126.253.238|24.126.253.238]] ([[User talk:24.126.253.238|talk]]) "whoever" is correct
:''This article is about the mythological figure Helen of Troy. For other uses, see [[Helen (disambiguation)]] and [[Helen of Troy (disambiguation)]].''
[[Image:Detail Menelaus Painter Louvre G424.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Helen, detail from an Attic red-figure [[krater]], ca. 450–440 BC, [[Louvre]] (G 424)]]
In [[Greek mythology]], '''Helen''' (in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]], ''{{polytonic|Ἑλένη}}'' – ''Helénē''), better known as '''Helen of [[Sparta]]''' or '''Helen of [[Troy]]''', was the daughter of [[Zeus]] and [[Leda (mythology)|Leda]], wife of King [[Menelaus]] of [[Sparta]] and sister of [[Castor and Pollux|Castor]], [[Castor and Pollux|Polydeuces]] and [[Clytemnestra]]. Her abduction by [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]] brought about the [[Trojan War]]. Helen was described by [[Christopher Marlowe]] as having "the face that launched a thousand ships."
==Etymology==
''Helen'' or [[Helene (name)|Helene]] is probably derived from the Greek word, meaning "torch", or "[[corposant]]", or might be related to "selene", meaning "moon".<ref>[http://www.behindthename.com/php/view.php?name=helen Behind The Name]</ref>
If it has an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] etymology, it is possibly a suffixed form of a [[Proto-Indo-European roots|root]] *''wel-'' "to turn, roll"<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE565.html| title=American Heritage Dictionary: Indo-European roots: wel<sup>₂</sup>| accessdate=2006-07-03}}</ref> or "to cover, enclose" (compare ''[[Varuna]]'', ''[[Veles]]''), or of ''*sel-'' "to flow, run". The latter possibility would allow comparison to [[Vedic Sanskrit|Vedic]] ''[[Saranyu|Saraṇyū]]'', who is abducted in [[Rigveda|RV]] 10.17.2, a parallel suggestive of a [[Proto-Indo-European religion|Proto-Indo-Asian abduction myth]].
The name is in any case unrelated to [[Greeks|Hellenes]], as is sometimes claimed ("Hellenes" being from the root ''*sed''- "to sit, settle").
==Life of Helen==
===Birth===
[[Image:Helen of Troy.jpg|thumb|left|170px|''Helen of Troy'' by [[Evelyn de Morgan]], 1898]]
In most sources, including the ''[[Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Odyssey]]'', Helen is the daughter of Zeus and Leda.<ref>''Iliad'' 3.199, 418, 426; ''Odyssey'' 4.184, 219; 23.218.</ref> [[Euripides]]' play ''[[Helen (play)|Helen]]'', written in the late 5th century BC, is the earliest source to report the most familiar account of Helen's birth: that Zeus, in the form of a swan, was chased by an eagle, and sought refuge with Leda. The swan gained her affection, and the two mated. Leda then produced an egg, from which Helen was born.<ref>Euripides, ''Helen'' 16-21, 257-59.</ref>
On the other hand, in the ''[[Cypria]]'', one of the [[Epic Cycle|Cyclic Epics]], Helen was the daughter of Zeus and the goddess [[Nemesis (mythology)|Nemesis]].<ref>''Cypria'', fr. 9 ''PEG''.</ref> The date of the ''Cypria'' is uncertain, but it is generally thought to preserve traditions that date back to at least the 7th century BC. In the ''Cypria'', Nemesis did not wish to mate with Zeus. She therefore changed shape into various animals as she attempted to flee Zeus, finally becoming a goose. Zeus also transformed himself into a goose and mated with Nemesis, who produced an egg from which Helen was born.<ref>[[Athenaeus]] 8.334b-d, quoting the ''Cypria''; ''Cypria'', fr. 10 ''PEG''.</ref> Presumably in the ''Cypria'' this egg was given to Leda; in the 5th century comedy ''Nemesis'' by [[Cratinus]], Leda was told to sit on an egg so that it would hatch, and this is no doubt the egg was produced by Nemesis.<ref>Cratinus fr. 115 ''PCG''; see Gantz p. 320 on this fragment.</ref> [[Asclepiades]] and [[Pseudo-Eratosthenes]] related a similar story, except that Zeus and Nemesis became swans instead of geese.<ref>Asclepiades 12F11, Pseudo-Eratosthenes ''Catast.'' 25.</ref> [[Timothy Gantz]] has suggested that the tradition that Zeus came to Leda in the form of a swan derives from the version in which Zeus and Nemesis transformed into birds.<ref>Gantz, p. 320.</ref>
===Abduction by Theseus===
Two [[Athens, Greece|Athenians]], [[Theseus]] and [[Pirithous]], pledged to wed daughters of [[Zeus]]. Theseus chose Helen, and Pirithous vowed to marry [[Persephone]], the wife of [[Hades]]. Theseus and Pirithous kidnapped Helen and left her with Theseus' mother, [[Aethra]], while they travelled to the [[underworld]], the domain of Hades, to kidnap Persephone. Hades pretended to offer them hospitality and set a feast. As soon as the pair sat down, snakes coiled around their feet and held them there. Helen was subsequently rescued by her brothers, [[Castor and Pollux]], who returned her to Sparta.<ref>The most complete accounts of this narrative are given by Apollodorus, Diodorus 4.63.1-3, and Plutarch, ''Theseus'' 31-34.</ref>
In most accounts of this event, Helen was quite young; [[Hellanicus of Lesbos]] said she was seven years old and [[Diodorus]] makes her ten years old.<ref>Hellanicus 4F134; Diodorus 4.63.1-3.</ref> On the other hand, [[Stesichorus]] said that [[Iphigeneia]] was the daughter of Theseus and Helen, which obviously implies that Helen was of childbearing age.<ref>Stesichorus, fr. 191 PMG.</ref> In most sources, Iphigeneia is the daughter of [[Agamemnon]] and [[Clytemnestra]], but [[Duris of Samos]] and other writers followed Stesichorus' account.<ref>Gantz, pp. 289, 291.</ref>
===Marriage to Menelaus===
When it was time for Helen to marry, many kings and princes from around the world came to seek her hand or sent emissaries to do so on their behalf. Among the contenders were [[Odysseus]], [[Menestheus]], [[Ajax (mythology)|Ajax the Great]], [[Patroclus]], [[Idomeneus]], [[Menelaus]] and [[Agamemnon]], the latter two of whom were in exile, having fled [[Thyestes]]. All but Odysseus brought many rich gifts with them.
Her father, [[Tyndareus]], would not choose a suitor, or send any of the suitors away, for fear of offending them and giving grounds for a quarrel. Odysseus promised to solve the problem if Tyndareus would support him in his courting of [[Penelope]], the daughter of [[Icarius]]. Tyndareus readily agreed and [[Odysseus]] proposed that, before the decision was made, all the suitors should swear a most solemn oath to defend the chosen husband against whoever should quarrel with him. This stratagem succeeded and Helen and Menelaus were married. Following Tyndareus' death, Menelaus became king of [[Sparta]] because the only male heirs, [[Castor and Pollux]], had died and ascended to [[Mount Olympus (Mountain)|Olympus]].
===Suitors of Helen===
Several lists of her suitors were compiled, since the suitors of Helen were later the heroes of the [[Trojan War]]. This one is from [[Apollodorus]]:
[[Odysseus]], son of [[Laertes]]; <br>
[[Diomedes]], son of [[Tydeus]]; <br>
[[Antilochus]], son of [[Nestor (mythology)|Nestor]]; <br>
[[Agapenor]], son of [[Ancaeus]]; <br>
[[Sthenelus]], son of [[Capaneus]]; <br>
[[Amphimachus]], son of [[Cteatus]]; <br>
[[Thalpius]], son of [[Eurytus]]; <br>
[[Meges]], son of [[Phyleus]]; <br>
[[Amphilochus]], son of [[Amphiaraus]]; <br>
[[Menestheus]], son of [[Peteos]]; <br>
[[Schedius]] and [[Epistrophus]], sons of [[Iphitus]]; <br>
[[Polyxenus]], son of [[Agasthenes]]; <br>
[[Peneleos]], son of [[Hippalcimus]]; <br>
[[Leitus]], son of [[Alector]]; <br>
[[Ajax the Lesser|Ajax]], son of [[Oileus]]; <br>
[[Ascalaphus]] and [[Ialmenus]], sons of [[Ares]]; <br>
[[Elephenor]], son of [[Chalcodon]]; <br>
[[Eumelus]], son of [[Admetus]]; <br>
[[Polypoetes]], son of [[Perithous]]; <br>
[[Leonteus]], son of [[Coronus]]; <br>
[[Podalirius]] and [[Machaon]], sons of [[Aesculapius]]; <br>
[[Philoctetes]], son of [[Poeas]]; <br>
[[Eurypylus]], son of [[Evaemon]]; <br>
[[Protesilaus]], son of [[Iphiclus]]; <br>
[[Menelaus]], son of [[Atreus]]; <br>
[[Ajax the Greater|Ajax]] and [[Teucer]], sons of [[Telamon]]; <br>
[[Patroclus]], son of [[Menoetius]].<ref>Apollodorus, ''[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Library]]'' 3.10.8</ref>
This list is not complete; [[Apollodorus]] earlier mentions [[Cinyras]] king of [[Cyprus]] <ref> Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 3.9.</ref> and [[Enarophorus]] and later mentions [[Idomeneus]] king of [[Crete]]<ref>. Apollodorus, ''Epitome'' 3.13.</ref> Another list was compiled by [[Hesiod]] and, later by [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]].
===Seduction by Paris===
[[Image:Helene Paris David.jpg|thumb|right|Helen and [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]], by [[Jacques-Louis David]], 1788]]
Some years later, [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]], a [[Troy|Trojan]] prince, came to [[Sparta]] to marry Helen, whom he had been promised by [[Aphrodite]] after he had [[Judgement of Paris|chosen her]] as the most beautiful of the goddesses, earning the wrath of [[Athena]] and [[Hera]]. Some sources say that Helen willingly left behind her husband [[Menelaus]] and [[Hermione (mythology)|Hermione]], their nine-year-old daughter, to be with Paris, but, since Aphrodite promised Helen to Paris, there is some ambiguity about whether or not Helen went willingly. Some scholars have argued that Helen's abduction by Paris was in fact a rape (termed abduction as per the ancient understanding of raptus). Sources from Herodotus to material culture support this view. Ancient vases depict both the shameless Helen who went willingly to Troy and abduction stories in which Helen is taken by force.
Helen's relationship with Paris varies depending on the source of the story. In some, she loved him dearly (perhaps caused by Aphrodite, who had promised her to Paris). In others, she was portrayed as his unwilling captive in Troy, or as a cruel, selfish woman who brought disaster to everyone around her, and she hated him. In the version used by [[Euripides]] in his play ''[[Helen (play)|Helen]]'', [[Hermes]] fashioned a likeness of her out of clouds at [[Zeus|Zeus's]] request, and Helen never even went to [[Troy]], spending the entire war in [[Egypt]]. In all, she is described as being of magnificent beauty.
===Fall of Troy===
[[Image:Helen Menelaus Louvre G424.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Struck by Helen's beauty, [[Menelaus]] drops his swords. Detail of an Attic [[red-figure]] [[krater]], ca. 450 BC–440 BC.]]
When he discovered that his wife was missing, [[Menelaus]] called upon all the other suitors to fulfill their oaths, thus beginning the [[Trojan War]]. Almost all of [[Greece]] took part, either attacking [[Troy]] with Menelaus or defending it from them.
Menelaus had demanded that only he should slay his unfaithful wife; but, when he raised his sword to do so, she dropped her robe from her shoulders, and the sight of her beauty caused him to let the sword drop from his hand.
===Herodotus===
Herodotus offers a differing account in which Helen never arrived in Troy. In that account Paris was forced to stop in Egypt on his way home. While there, his servants told the [[Egyptians]] that Paris had kidnapped the wife of Menelaus, who had offered Paris hospitality. The Egyptians scolded Paris and informed him that they were confiscating all the treasure he had stolen (including Helen) until Menelaus came to claim them and that Paris had three days to leave their shores.
===Fate===
Helen returned to [[Sparta]] and lived for a time with [[Menelaus]], where she was encountered by [[Telemachus]] in ''[[The Odyssey]]''. According to another version, used by [[Euripides]] in his play ''[[Orestes (play)|Orestes]]'', Helen had long ago left the mortal world by then, having been taken up to [[Olympus]] almost immediately after Menelaus' return.
According to [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias the geographer]] (3.19.10.):
"The account of the Rhodians is different. They say that when Menelaus was dead, and [[Orestes (mythology)|Orestes]] still a wanderer, Helen was driven out by Nicostratus and [[Megapenthes]] and came to [[Rhodes]], where she had a friend in [[Polyxo]], the wife of [[Tlepolemus]]. For Polyxo, they say, was an Argive by descent, and when she was already married to Tlepolemus, shared his flight to Rhodes. At the time she was queen of the island, having been left with an orphan boy. They say that this Polyxo desired to avenge the death of Tlepolemus on Helen, now that she had her in her power. So she sent against her when she was bathing handmaidens dressed up as [[Furies]], who seized Helen and hanged her on a tree, and for this reason the Rhodians have a sanctuary of Helen of the Tree."
Tlepolemus was a son of [[Heracles]] and Astyoche. Astyoche was a daughter of Phylas, King of Ephyra who was killed by Heracles. Tlepolemus was killed by [[Sarpedon]] on the first day of fighting in the ''[[Iliad]]''. Nicostratus was a son of Menelaus by his concubine Pieris, an Aetolian slave. [[Megapenthes]] was a son of Menelaus by his concubine Tereis, no further origin.
In [[Simonianism]], it was taught that Helen of Troy was one of the incarnations of the ''Ennoia'' in human form.
==Media==
*''[[The Private Life of Helen of Troy]]'', an early silent film.
*A television version of Helen's life up to the fall of Troy, ''[[Helen of Troy (TV miniseries)|Helen of Troy]]''.
*Helen of Troy is referenced in the climactic scene of ''[[The Truth About Cats & Dogs]]''
*In 2004, Helen was in the film ''[[Troy (film)|Troy]]'', played by [[Diane Kruger]]. In this adaptation she does not return to Sparta with Menelaus, but leaves Troy with [[Aeneas]] when the city falls.
*Appeared in the episode 12 of Season 1 called "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts" in ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]''. Played by Galyn Görg, Helen was supposedly a close friend of Xena's and sent out a messenger to fetch her during the Trojan War.
*In 1928, [[Richard Strauss]] wrote the German Opera ''[[Die ägyptische Helena]]'', ''The Egyptian Helena'', which is the story of Helen and Menelaus's troubles when they are marooned on a mythical island.
*[[Margaret George]] wrote an epic adult novel, ''Helen of Troy'', in 2006, told through Helen's first-person narrative.
*[[Esther Friesner]] wrote a young-adult novel, ''Nobody's Princess'', published in 2007, of Helen's childhood and early life.
*[[Caroline B. Cooney]] also wrote a young-adult novel, ''Goddess of Yesterday'', where Helen is one of the main characters.
== Modern culture ==
*Inspired by the line ''"Was this the face that launched a thousand ships...?"'' from [[Christopher Marlowe|Marlowe]]'s play ''[[The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus]]'', [[Isaac Asimov]] jocularly coined the unit ''[[Millihelen#Beauty:_The_Helen|millihelen]]'' to mean the amount of [[beauty]] that can launch one ship.<ref>[http://asimovhumanists.org/AboutIsaacAssimov2.htm The Humanism of Isaac Asimov]</ref>
*The band [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] wrote and performed two songs that referred to Helen. The song "Ripples" from their 1976 album titled ''[[Trick of the Tail]]'' includes the line..."The face that launched a thousand ships." The song "Blood on the Rooftops" from their 1976 album titled ''[Wind & Wuthering]'', includes the line "Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again."
*The song "The Third Temptation of Paris" by [[Alesana]] tells the story of Helen and Paris from the viewpoint of Paris.
*Henry Rider Haggard wrote a novel,"The World's Desire" in which Odysseus finds Helen in Egypt as a priestess and they wed.
*The modernist poet [[H.D.]] wrote an epic poem [[Helen in Egypt]] from Helen's perspective. <ref>http://www.amazon.com/Helen-Egypt-New-Directions-Paperbook/dp/0811205444 H.D. "Helen in Egypt"</ref>
==See also==
*[[Astyanassa]]
*[[Simon_Magus#Conflicting_points_of_view|Simon Magus and Ennoia]]
==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}
===Sources===
*Cicero, ''De inventione'' II.1.1-2
*Servius, ''In Aeneida'' I.526, XI.262
*Lactantius Placidus ''Commentarii in Statii Thebaida'' I.21
== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
* [http://whitedragon.org.uk/articles/troy.htm An analysis of the legend including historical evidence of worship as a goddess.]
{{Characters in the Iliad}}
{{Characters in the Odyssey}}
[[Category:Greek mythology]]
[[Category:People of the Trojan War]]
[[Category:Characters in the Iliad]]
[[Category:Characters in the Odyssey]]
[[Category:Offspring of Zeus]]
[[Category:Demigods of Classical mythology]]
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