Helen of Troy - Part 1

In my introduction to these ancient Greece articles in January, I raised the question about whether the Trojan War had really taken place. Heinrich Schliemann, who found inspiration in Homer's epic poems, the IIIAD and the ODYSSEY, discovered the city of Troy at Hissarlik in Turkey, in the late nineteenth century. He came to the conclusion that the Trojan War had occurred and thus the War was taken out of the land of myth and placed in the annals of history. Homer's ILIAD and ODYSSEY were my starting points for the wonderfully intriguing story of Helen of Troy, who may have been the cause of the war.

The legends regarding her are, to say the least, numerous and perplexing. Was she a shameful woman because she presumably caused the deaths of many Greek and Trojan men? Or was she a woman who desired to slip the noose of confinement imposed on women by ancient Greek customs? No one will ever know but you can draw your own conclusions after reading this article.

There are different, and varying versions, of Helen of Troy's life. Who were her parents? There are two versions but in both Zeus was her father. In one he made love to Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution, as they were both in the form of swans. The resulting egg was given to Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, who protected it until it hatched.

The other version of Helen's birth was that Zeus, in swan form, visited Queen Leda and then she was hatched from an egg. In this version, Helen had two siblings - Clytemnestra and the Discouri (Castor, procreated by Zeus as he was in swan's form, and Polydeuces, whose father was Tyndareus), who were worshipped as the protector of seamen. Whichever version you choose, Helen undoubtedly became one of the most beautiful women in the world. She had blue eyes, a clean complexion (often compared to that of a swan), and the general demeanor of a goddess.

At the age of twelve, she was kidnapped by Theseus, a hero only second to Heracles, the legendary figure who had killed the Minotaur. Theseus took her to Athens but the citizens disliked the deed of kidnapping so much, that he was forced to take her to the nearby fortress of Aphidna. He and Peirithous went off to find a mate for Peirithous (who had lucked out when he and Theseus had drawn straws to see who would marry Helen). Peirithous had his heart set on Persephone, the daughter of Hades. And off they went to the Realm of the Dead.

Hades knew the two men wanted to steal his daughter but welcomed them nevertheless. He asked them to sit with him by the Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness. Theseus and Peirithous sat on a carved stone and immediately became one with it. No matter how they struggled, they could not free themselves. They were tormented night and day by Cerberus, the triple Hound of Hell who bit them from time to time; the Furies; and by coiled serpents. Eventually, after Heracles visited Hades and discovered Theseus' predicament, he begged that he be released. Hades let Theseus who did not return to being king of Athens but died penniless in exile.

Castor and Polydeuces gathered an army together and laid siege to Aphidna. After some time, they captured the fortress and the people within its walls. They found Helen safe and sound but the brothers took the mother of Theseus, Aethra, prisoner and forced her to become Helen's personal slave. The brothers marched to Athens to punish Theseus but, unable to find him and not being recognized by the Athenians as deliverers from tyranny, they made peace with the citizens and set Menestheus, the rightful king, on the throne.

Helen, once again safe in Sparta, grew up to be the prettiest girl in the world. Her stepfather, King Tyndareus, worried over her, as protective fathers do. He had more cause than most fathers do because Helen was so beautiful and he feared another prince might kidnap her and then force her to become his wife. As well, both Castor and Polydeuces were dead (having been killed in battle as they searched for brides), so they could no longer protect her. Thus, Tyndareus' worry increased exponentially. This meant he had to find a husband for Helen who would keep her safe, thus taking the worry from his shoulders. Heralds were sent all over Greece and the Islands, announcing that the man who chose Helen for his bride, would also rule over Sparta and be obligated to defend its borders from invaders.

(Please return next week for the next installment in Helen of Troy's tale.)