Helen of Troy, Greek Helene, in Greek legend, the most beautiful woman of Greece and the indirect cause of the Trojan War. She was daughter of Zeus, either by Leda or by Nemesis, and sister of the Dioscuri
Is Helen a Greek goddess?
Who was Helen? Helen or Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda in Greek mythology, although her putative father was Tyndareus.
Why is Helen called Helen of Troy?
Helen lived—if she lived at all—around 1200 BC, in an era we call the Mycenaean age of Greece. Helen actually came from Sparta, not Troy, but she became forever “Helen of Troy” when she eloped with the Trojan prince Paris, launching a thousand ships , (and today, a thousand hair-care products named after her).
How did Helen start the Trojan War?
According to classical sources, the war began after the abduction (or elopement) of Queen Helen of Sparta by the Trojan prince Paris . Helen’s jilted husband Menelaus convinced his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, to lead an expedition to retrieve her.
Was the Trojan War fought over Helen?
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta.
Who was the ugliest god?
Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire, blacksmiths, craftsmen, and volcanoes. He lived in his own palace on Mount Olympus where he crafted tools for the other gods. He was known as a kind and hardworking god, but also had a limp and was considered ugly by the other gods.
Who killed Helen of Troy?
According to a variant of the story, Helen, in widowhood, was driven out by her stepsons and fled to Rhodes, where she was hanged by the Rhodian queen Polyxo in revenge for the death of her husband, Tlepolemus, in the Trojan War.
Did Helen and Paris have a child?
Family. Helen and Paris had three sons, Bunomus, Aganus (“gentle”), Idaeus and a daughter also called Helen .
Did Helen love Paris?
Paris chose Aphrodite and therefore Helen. Helen was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta (a fact Aphrodite neglected to mention), so Paris had to raid Menelaus’s house to steal Helen from him – according to some accounts, she fell in love with Paris and left willingly.
Is Helen of Troy real history?
In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy is a character in Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad. ... However, there is no solid evidence to suggest that Helen was a real person . The first written record of Helen is in the Iliad but the origins of the myth that surrounds her dates back to the Bronze Age.
Who killed Achilles?
Achilles is killed by an arrow, shot by the Trojan prince Paris . In most versions of the story, the god Apollo is said to have guided the arrow into his vulnerable spot, his heel. In one version of the myth Achilles is scaling the walls of Troy and about to sack the city when he is shot.
Why didn’t the Trojans give Helen back?
Some of the answers cite the Iliad to show some attempts to avert the city’s destruction, but these were already doomed to fail. Priam decided not to give Helen back directly, and when Menelaus bested Paris in combat, the gods spirited him away.
Did Helen Love Paris or Menelaus?
She was married to Menelaus , king of Sparta. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and abducted her, taking her back to Troy. ... Helen returned safely to Sparta, where she lived happily with Menelaus for the rest of her life.
What race were the Trojans?
The Trojans were people that lived in the city state of Troy on the coast of Turkey by the Aegean Sea, around the 12th or 13th Century BCE. We think they were of Greek or Indo-European origin , but no one knows for sure.
Who won Trojan War?
The Greeks won the Trojan War. According to the Roman epic poet Virgil, the Trojans were defeated after the Greeks left behind a large wooden horse and pretended to sail for home. Unbeknown to the Trojans, the wooden horse was filled with Greek warriors.
Did Paris survive the Trojan War?
The Death of Paris
The death of Achilles did not end the Trojan War though, for a hoard of Greek heroes still lived; Paris though would himself not survive the Trojan War .
